Adult diagnosis of Asperger's?

Hello Smile

Just registered here so this is my first post. Basically I've struggled with a lot of things most of my life, I'm in my late 30s now, but in my early 30s a friend suggested that I may have Asperger's. I looked into it and it really explained a lot of things, actually it was hugely helpful to self diagnose, since it's helped me deal with why I have trouble with certain things and why I struggle doing things that most people take for granted.

The reason I've come on here is to ask about proper diagnosis, and whether it's worth it? I work as a freelance designer / illustrator so I work from home, which suits me well because I find it really hard to work in an office. However, I'd like to try to get a full time job in my field, so I'm wondering if getting a proper diagnosis will be beneficial?

I have absolutely no idea what help is available for people with Asperger's, nor if there's even any help that can be given. I don't really know my GP since I rarely get ill, and the thought of going to them to talk about this sort of thing makes me really anxious, so I've been avoiding it for ages. But having said that, if there's a real advantage to getting a proper diagnosis then I could probably push myself to do so.

Another problem from reading some of the threads on this forum, is that it seems a lot of people don't get taken very seriously, or can appear to be "fine" when seeing a GP or a specialist. I've trained myself over the years to create habits to sort of hide my Asperger's (or suspected Asperger's!) so I worry it may be hard to diagnose.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Parents
  • I hadn't heard about refridgerator mother, and I do hope it's not true because Im a mother too! It's scarey to think of the damage parents unwittingly can cause to their child. I hugged my son when he was small but he had sensory issues and I soon learned that he didn't like it. We hug awkwardly at birthdays or on special occassions these days.

    Getting back to the original post, I wanted to reassure that even though we (as adults) have developed many and various coping mechanisms, the diagnostic process will see through them for what they are. The assessment can sort out what the issues are, if ASD or other- mental health issue etc.   I came away from my assessment annoyed at myself for not mentioning a whole host of things I should have said that I felt backed up my suspicions that I was AS. Actually I thought I performed rather well and was amazed to see that the professionals weren't fooled for a bit! They know their stuff. 

    So go forwards with confidence! And a lot of patience. I think it's more important to love yourself for who you are, label or not. 

    Kittyx

Reply
  • I hadn't heard about refridgerator mother, and I do hope it's not true because Im a mother too! It's scarey to think of the damage parents unwittingly can cause to their child. I hugged my son when he was small but he had sensory issues and I soon learned that he didn't like it. We hug awkwardly at birthdays or on special occassions these days.

    Getting back to the original post, I wanted to reassure that even though we (as adults) have developed many and various coping mechanisms, the diagnostic process will see through them for what they are. The assessment can sort out what the issues are, if ASD or other- mental health issue etc.   I came away from my assessment annoyed at myself for not mentioning a whole host of things I should have said that I felt backed up my suspicions that I was AS. Actually I thought I performed rather well and was amazed to see that the professionals weren't fooled for a bit! They know their stuff. 

    So go forwards with confidence! And a lot of patience. I think it's more important to love yourself for who you are, label or not. 

    Kittyx

Children
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