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Late middle age insight

Gaz Hunter

Hi.

I'm Gaz, and I'm 53, and I recently made the interesting discovery, by accident, that I fitted the profile of Asperger's syndrome. Which was a shock, but also explained a lot about the last 53 years...

I took the AQ test and scored 42. Now, I'm uncertain of the relevance of this but one of my friends took it as well, and scored 17.

So, armed with this, a week's worth of research and reading these community notes I made an appointment to see my local doctor.

Who told me *You've got a job. You can't have Asperger's. That's Autism. So you don't have it*, gave me 5 printed A4 sheets of information on Asperger's in infants and sent me home.

I'm feeling somewhat agrieved, and in no small measure let down.

Where do I go from here?

GAZ 

  • quote "My favourite was continental truck driving...I see that there is a thread in all the jobs I've done...they all have required that I am working pretty much alone..."

    Rigid loner systematic male order mind is very Aspergers.

     

     

  • Apparently he'd spent some time working with a psychiatrist, and in his opinion I was suffering from anxiety.

    Well, even if we ignore, for a moment, the fact anxiety is part of the Asperger's symptomology, if you'd spent 53 years with the symptoms of Aspergers, undiagnosed, you'd be a bit antsy at the very least...

    Thanks for the replies. I'm not leaving it here.

    Oh, and it was entirely due to a chat I had with the lovely Ria Lina after her show that made me realise what I needed to do :)

    Gaz 

  • Your GP is one of many who are ignorant about autism spectrum conditions (ASCs).

    Go back armed with information and insist on a referral.

    He is talking rubbish.  I have a diagnosis of Asperger's and have had many jobs over  the years.  In fact I interview well thanks to a very convincing social mask.  However, I have had trouble in every job with making faux pas and socially not fitting in and spent a long period temping because those jobs were easy to leave.

    Has your GP ever heard of Temple Grandin?!  There are quite a few famous names in showbiz and music with Asperger's.  How does he think they got where they are?  I was told by our local parent partnership representative that our local CAMHS used to have a clinical psychiatrist with Asperger's.  There are Aspies in research and all sorts of high-flying roles.  He doesn't know what he is talking about.

    Scoring 42 on the AQ means that you have scored in the range to have Asperger's and this needs following up.  People with Asperger's usually score 32 or above.

    Additionally, children with ASCs are capable of learning and adapting, just more slowly than NT (neurotypical) people so by the time you are an adult quite a bit of the childhood traits can be masked or coped with in the right circumstance so he is silly giving you childhood autism information.

    I despair with some GPs, they should know better being in the role they are in.  Definitely go back and insist on your rights to an adult ASC assessment.

  • Thanks. :)

    I have had a number of jobs over the years. My favourite was continental truck driving...I see that there is a thread in all the jobs I've done...they all have required that I am working pretty much alone...
    I am going to make another appointment.

    If I'm honest I don't mind a negative diagnosis. Although it would mean that a lot of the last 53 years have sucked for no reason. But I would at least like to be afforded the courtesy of finding out.

    *Mumble moan mutter*

    Gaz 

  • 15% of people on the spectrum are in employment, on the milder of autism (aka aspergers), high cognitive ability low emotional coping, in lieu of low cognitive abiltiy and low emotional coping.(best way I can describe the spectrum, but it is all relative to the person).

    Anyway, Aspergers people, enjoy clear functional roles so employment is an attractive option, so that 15% may be mostly aspergers people.

    So what your GP say was ********, I held down many jobs, high order positions for over 20 years before the world swamped me and I got diagnosed with Aspergers. So the background of being employment or not is a stupid conclusion.

    Easy answer.,  speak to another GP ask for an initial enquiry via the NHS.