Guest guest Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 This message from Elayne Glantzberg arched across the cosmos: >Has anybody here been formally diagnosed as an adult? I'm trying to decide >whether or not to go through getting a formal AS diagnosis or not. As an adult, I was formally first diagnosed with AS and later with Autism. I'm still working on getting legal documentation of that, but the diagnosis is there. > It's not >like I'm looking for handouts or anything, Not that it would be bad if you were. DeGraf ~*~ http://www.sonic.net/mustang/moggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 >Has anybody here been formally diagnosed as an adult? I'm trying to decide >whether or not to go through getting a formal AS diagnosis or not. It's not >like I'm looking for handouts or anything, but I might be interested in life >coaching or something similar. Don't know. I guess I just keep getting >annoyed with all the people who think I must be imagining things if I >haven't had a " real doctor " make a " real diagnosis. " But Asperger's wasn't >in the DSM last time I got evaluated, so I've been dx'd as ADD, OCD, >bipolar, etc. (depends on who's doing the eval). > >*sigh* Just trying to decide whether or not to pursue it. I initially wasn't going to bother pursuing a diagnosis, since I didn't feel I needed anyone to confirm I was autistic anymore than I needed anyone to confirm that I was male, right-handed, or blue-eyed. However, as I began to become more informed about the spectrum and started asking for such things as workplace accommodations, or even just a bit of consideration from friends and family, I began encountering a fair amount of resistance. Even people close to me and who supposedly knew me so well insisted that I " can't possibly be autistic " . Finally, at age 35, I decided to get a formal diagnosis, which has helped somewhat. However, I have to add that the resistance I've been encountering has not been eliminated -- it has only been reduced and somewhat transformed (e.g., the woman who first insisted that I can't be autistic because I had no diagnosis; she now does accept that I'm autistic but wants me to spend the rest of my life drugged up instead of asking for or expecting any accommodations for my disability.) I'd say, yes, definitely get the diagnosis. It can be helpful to you in a lot of ways. I also must admit that there's a certain satisfaction in telling off people who insist you're not autistic. As my counselor said, " From now on, whenever anyone says you're not autistic, stick your tongue out at them and tell them your doctor says they're wrong. " *grin* --Parrish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 Hi, I was diagnosed last May at age 43. It was based on an hour and a half interview with a psychiatrist who works extensively with spectrum kids (fighting for their rights in schools, for one thing). That doesn't seem to be adequate for the university I am planning on going to, they want " testing " , from what I understand... I don't think that there IS testing for Asperger's per se, I mean they study kids, watch them interact, etc, but there are only questionairres for adults as far as I know. I guess they could get a handwriting expert to say, " Yes she has dysgraphia " and maybe a hearing test would show hyperacusis, but they have to take my word for it when I say I have never made a friend on my own, they all approached me, if I was left to my own devices I would never have a friend. They have to take my word for the fact that eye contact is difficult or impossible depending on the situation, but sometimes looks normal. I'll find out soon enough who they want me to see in order to become " legitimate " in their eyes and not someone suspected of lying in order to get their precious " accomodations " . I paid $150 and have requested the report (which will cost another $100 or so). My doctor is north of San Francisco. People have suggested going to state vocational rehab for a dx, but I don't know how that works. I am going to get there one day, though. I would take SSI if I could get it, but I don't think they would give it to me. Camille > Has anybody here been formally diagnosed as an adult? I'm trying to decide > whether or not to go through getting a formal AS diagnosis or not. It's not > like I'm looking for handouts or anything, but I might be interested in life > coaching or something similar. Don't know. I guess I just keep getting > annoyed with all the people who think I must be imagining things if I > haven't had a " real doctor " make a " real diagnosis. " But Asperger's wasn't > in the DSM last time I got evaluated, so I've been dx'd as ADD, OCD, > bipolar, etc. (depends on who's doing the eval). > > *sigh* Just trying to decide whether or not to pursue it. > > Elayne > mommy to Brenden, Tamara, & Caitlin (10/12/1999 @ 26w2d) and Liam > (10/15/2002 @ 40w4d) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 16, 2003 Report Share Posted December 16, 2003 Camille wrote: >I was diagnosed last May at age 43. It was based on an hour and a >half interview with a psychiatrist who works extensively with >spectrum kids (fighting for their rights in schools, for one thing). >That doesn't seem to be adequate for the university I am planning on >going to, they want " testing " , from what I understand... I was diagnosed the same way, and I have never tested the water (so to speak) to find out whether my diagnosis is " good enough " to entitle me to accommodations. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 Imaging Technique May Diagnose Early MS Technology Could Pave Way for Early Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis By Peggy PeckWebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD > Email to a friend > Printer-friendly version Dec. 2, 2003 (Chicago) -- Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable, and progressive disease that has traditionally defied early diagnosis. Now, however, early diagnosis of MS -- and early treatment -- is a real possibility, thanks to an imaging technology called magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The key to this new discovery is the ability to track levels of a key chemical, N-acetylaspartate or NAA, deep in the brain using this imaging technique. "Patients want to know, 'What is going to happen to me?'" says Oded Gonen, professor of radiology at New York University. Now, he says, that question might finally have an answer. He says using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine levels of NAA is potentially the way to measure MS progression and, ultimately, MS prognosis. He presented results of his study at the 89th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Multiple Sclerosis Tricky to Diagnose Early There are no laboratory tests or symptoms that can help determine if a person has the disease early on. Because the disease has such a varying course -- episodic attacks can occur weeks, months, or years apart -- doctors usually wait for the second attack before diagnosing a person with MS and starting treatment. MS has proven to be a challenge for conventional imaging and even for most new high-speed scanners. Standard magnetic resonance imaging is the preferred method for detecting areas of the brain that contain plaques or scarring, which is evidence of damage caused by the disease. But Gonen says this does not help determine disease severity or even confirm the existence of MS. On the other hand, early studies looking at the amount of NAA in the brain gives a good indication of how many brain cells have been lost, he says. The reason, he says, is that NAA is only found in brain cells -- so by measuring levels of the chemical in the brain with magnetic resonance spectroscopy, doctors have more information to tell their patients about the course of their disease. As the brain cells die, levels of NAA decrease. This is a whole new way of looking at MS, says Yousem, MD, MBA, director of neuroradiology and professor of radiology at s Hopkins University in Baltimore. "Another novel aspect of this work is that it attempts to assess disease before [symptoms] occur and predict how the patient will respond," he says. But he says the work will not immediately change the way MS is diagnosed. "We will still diagnose this disease on the basis of clinical evidence -- the symptoms experienced by the patient," Yousem says. Nonetheless, he predicted that magnetic resonance spectroscopy could find a niche as a way to become an affirming test for the disease. And NAA is unlikely to play a therapeutic role in MS because replacing it wouldn't control the disease, says Gonen. It is simply a chemical marker of brain cells, and "brain cells cannot be replaced once they die," he says. Its true usefulness, Gonen says, will be in determining if new drugs are controlling the disease. Yousem agrees that it could be a factor in evaluating new therapies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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