Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone, I'm Hayley, and having done a lot of research after various people who don't know each other suggested to me that I am Asperger's, I am tackling it head-on.I have recently started counselling for my anxiety/low self esteem issues. I exhibit quite a few Asperger's traits. Recently I found my old school reports, a time capsule if you like - and some of the comments are quite telling. Once counselling is finished I want to take things further and ask for a proper diagnosis. I am aware that the first step is to ask my GP - but I can't just walk in there and tell him that I think I have a mild form of autism - I need to present my argument constructively so that he understands that this is a big deal for me.Advise and information will be most welcome, as will be experiences from others who have recently realised, into adult life, that they've lived with something that's made them 'different' their entire lives.Hope to get more insight into this.
Hayley
I did the test, my score came back as 29.If I *do* have Asperger's, it's a very mild form of it, and I am on the cusp of what is considered "normal" and what is considered Autistic. I did the test a few times in the past, and my score came back as 27 each time, and it said that it was a borderline result.
clovis said:Its worth noting that autism manifests differently in women and the online AQ tests are designed for autistic males. We have less tendency to care about numbers, trains etc and do more copying of our peers which masks our autism.It might also be worth mentioning the difference to your doctor if he/she is hesitant about referring you for diagnosis.Good luck!
Its worth noting that autism manifests differently in women and the online AQ tests are designed for autistic males. We have less tendency to care about numbers, trains etc and do more copying of our peers which masks our autism.
It might also be worth mentioning the difference to your doctor if he/she is hesitant about referring you for diagnosis.
Good luck!
Haha! Yes, I overlooked this!
I have a lower tendency to care about these issues, too. Though I've always had a lower tendency for male preoccupations.
Hi Hayley,
Welcome to the forum, just over a year ago I came here in the same position as you. I am now diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. Anxiety goes hand in hand with Autism and I have suffered with it my entire life. I didn't really have any major problems growing up, I was very quiet and studious but had friends and did well academically. I only really started having problems once I became an adult and the world became a much different place with more responsibility and problems to manage.
From going to my GP to diagnosis took just over a year, I have heard of it taking even longer for some people (an example of this conveniently above!).
As Martian Tom above has suggested, taking the Autism Quotient would be a good place to start. I also found it useful to keep a list of my issues and printed a copy of for the GP, it made it a lot easier to make my case as I did not forget anything and was able to get my point across easier. I also took it to my assessment and the psychologist found it helpful.
I had to go through several years of misdiagnosis (by my GP) of depression and anxiety disorder - simply because she had no other frame of reference. I saw a psychological therapist for a while, who at first thought I had BPD. It was only as the sessions went on that she began to suspect a deeper root for my problems - stuff to do with my childhood, my reports from school, my lifelong preference for being alone, etc. She then recommended a referral to my GP, and it went ahead. Just under 2 years later, I got my final diagnosis of Adult ASD (formerly known as Asperger's, though I and many others I know still prefer to use the term).
Have you taken the AQ test? I'm not sure if it will have any weight with your GP, but it's the standard preliminary test (I took it as the first stage following my referral), so if you scored highly enough it may convince him or her to investigate. It's here. It doesn't take long to do. I believe the threshold score for suspected ASD is 32.
aspergerstest.net/.../
Good luck with things.
Tom