Monday, April 30, 2012

To diagnose or not to diagnose?

OK, so I'm about 95% certain that I have Asperger's, and the remaining 5% is because nobody remembers if my speech was delayed. (by age 53, delayed speech is the only difference between Asperger's and High Functioning Autism.) 

The next question is whether to seek an official diagnosis or not.

In favor of an official diagnosis:
*  Stand up and be counted.
*  should I need accommodation, an official diagnosis would legally require that accommodations be made.

Against seeking an official diagnosis:
* It's expensive
* It might cause future problems with medical insurance.
* Finding someone qualified, or even able, let alone willing, to diagnose a _53_year_old_ _woman_ who has been able to hold a job for up to 10 years straight will be a problem unto itself.
* Most "experts" require childhood history from the parents - to prove that the traits have been present since birth.  While it does make sense since Autism is neurological, it does pose quite a problem for those who were not diagnosed while young.  Both my folks are dead, and being the eldest child, there is nobody left alive that remembers my childhood with any clarity.  My only sibling is four and a  half years younger -- even his earliest recollections will be too late.
* There are no programs for senior Aspies.  "Modern" science barely even acknowledges that we exists at all.
* there is no prescription medication for Asperger's -- should I find need something for one of the symptoms, like depression, insomnia, anxiety, or focusing on something outside my current special interests, I can get the prescription for that particular symptom far more easily.
* Given the state of "modern" medicine, and my basic opinion thereof, having an expert agree with me will not make me any more certain, nor will the expert disagreeing with me make me any less certain.

Bottom line:  Why bother?  There's lots of downside and no usable upside -- If any accommodations are needed and my boss isn't accommodating, then I need to practice frugality and my job hunting skills anyway -- If they want me gone, they'll find a way.  Any prescription medication that I may find I  need would be for symptoms that can easily be diagnosed individually.

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