Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone. I am a woman in my 30s and I live in the U.S.
I haven't been given a formal diagnosis, but the doctor who reviewed my assessment stated I would've been diagnosed with Aspergers if it were still a valid diagnosis. She said I have type 1 ADD, social anxiety, and an avoidant personality. With all of this, I am still struggling to understand whether or not I am actually autistic.
If I would've been diagnosed with Aspergers, doesn't that mean I AM autistic? I'm struggling with this because I have done so much research about the autism spectrum and the results that the doctor gave me don't feel valid or right.
I feel like I am just searching for answers. I know that within the community, self-diagnosis is valid. But in everyday life, it doesn't matter unless I have a formal diagnosis. I am not entitled to accommodations without a formal diagnosis. I could get a second opinion, I guess, but I don't know if it's really worth the trouble, time, or money. I just want to know why I am the way I am, and I want help and support in how to live my life in an easier, less exhausting way.
Anyway, I'm so new to this, and I'm just looking for a community of people like me.
As far as I know, your doctor is wrong. Asperger's was absorbed into autism spectrum disorder, not removed. So yeah, if you would have been diagnosed with asperger's before, you should be diagnosed as autistic now.
Thank you. I feel like her response to my assessment was very biased. I never even met this doctor in person, when I completed my assessment, it was on my own, and the intake appointment was with the doctor's office manager. I spoke to the doctor on the phone when she gave me the results. I feel like that's unfair, to be honest. But anyway, thank you for saying that.