Embarrassed

Clarkycat, they should have had you fill out a questionnaire at the very least.

I was diagnosed in my late teens and the tests I performed involved me filling in a questionnaire detailling my responses on a scale of 1-5 in different situations. I was also asked to look at a series of pictures of a persons' eyes and determine how they felt (I guessed on every picture and told the assessor as such).

Many women diagnosed with ASD are usually at the far end of the autistic spectrum and cannot function without any assistance, there's a very good chance you may have Aspergers Syndrome. Female 'Aspies' are better at adapting to social situations (in that we can mimic 'normal' behaviour well enough for short periods of time to fool others). BUT, having difficulty in social situations doesn't mean you neccessarily avoid them at all costs.

Since my diagnosis and going to Uni, I've become a lot more sociable and far better in conversation, so much so that many of my tutors forget I have Aspergers unless I remind them as such on the exceedingly rare occassion that I need a little more help. I was even able to successfully manage my entire year group for a project at the end of last year (essentially I had to ensure that 37 people were communicating effectively, working together, on schedule, and that the project progressed) which meant I spent days talking and working with multiple people happily when before I'd have run away to hide in my room for hours on end. I'm now even considering a career which requires these skills in communication, and am looking forward to working with people. Most of my 'issues' that come with my condition are often regarded as quirks and are overlooked by my peers, which makes me happy as I'm accepted for being myself. I can now regard an entire year group with fondness rather than with the hostile wariness I usually associate with that amount of people.

While Aspergers is often regarded as less 'servere' than Autism, the conditions that comes with it (anxiety, troubles behaving in social situations, meltdowns, hyperawareness, OCD etc) can be crippling, if not deadly. Many of the symptoms you described are the elements that led to my own diagnosis. What you must do however, is go prepared. You must spell it out for them, I'd even advise writing a letter listing all the problems you have, with a sentence describing how it affects your life next to each point. Unless you can show in terms they can't contest that you are struggling and -need- a diagnosis, they will continue to try and fob you off.

Regardless of whether you have the condition or not, it doesn't define you. Make sure you get the help you need in order to live a happy and functional life. A diagnosis is simply a tool you use to get access to assistance when needed, it's not the only way, but it is one of the most direct routes. Best of luck.

Clarkycat, they should have had you fill out a questionnaire at the very least.

I was diagnosed in my late teens and the tests I performed involved me filling in a questionnaire detailling my responses on a scale of 1-5 in different situations. I was also asked to look at a series of pictures of a persons' eyes and determine how they felt (I guessed on every picture and told the assessor as such).

Many women diagnosed with ASD are usually at the far end of the autistic spectrum and cannot function without any assistance, there's a very good chance you may have Aspergers Syndrome. Female 'Aspies' are better at adapting to social situations (in that we can mimic 'normal' behaviour well enough for short periods of time to fool others). BUT, having difficulty in social situations doesn't mean you neccessarily avoid them at all costs.

Since my diagnosis and going to Uni, I've become a lot more sociable and far better in conversation, so much so that many of my tutors forget I have Aspergers unless I remind them as such on the exceedingly rare occassion that I need a little more help. I was even able to successfully manage my entire year group for a project at the end of last year (essentially I had to ensure that 37 people were communicating effectively, working together, on schedule, and that the project progressed) which meant I spent days talking and working with multiple people happily when before I'd have run away to hide in my room for hours on end. I'm now even considering a career which requires these skills in communication, and am looking forward to working with people. Most of my 'issues' that come with my condition are often regarded as quirks and are overlooked by my peers, which makes me happy as I'm accepted for being myself. I can now regard an entire year group with fondness rather than with the hostile wariness I usually associate with that amount of people.

While Aspergers is often regarded as less 'servere' than Autism, the conditions that comes with it (anxiety, troubles behaving in social situations, meltdowns, hyperawareness, OCD etc) can be crippling, if not deadly. Many of the symptoms you described are the elements that led to my own diagnosis. What you must do however, is go prepared. You must spell it out for them, I'd even advise writing a letter listing all the problems you have, with a sentence describing how it affects your life next to each point. Unless you can show in terms they can't contest that you are struggling and -need- a diagnosis, they will continue to try and fob you off.

Regardless of whether you have the condition or not, it doesn't define you. Make sure you get the help you need in order to live a happy and functional life. A diagnosis is simply a tool you use to get access to assistance when needed, it's not the only way, but it is one of the most direct routes. Best of luck.