1. < Autism (ASD)

Adult Autism Diagnosis

Posted by mcooley04 @mcooley04, Dec 6, 2023

How does an adult go about getting a diagnosis for Autism. We are having difficulty figuring out what to do.

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Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Dec 6, 2023

@mcooley04 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

It depends on where you live, how your healthcare is set up. At times a mental health professional can direct you to a source for evaluation, or your primary care provider. Here is an article from Autism Speaks, that addresses how you might go about all this: https://www.autismspeaks.org/expert-opinion/getting-evaluated-autism-adult-where-go-who-see

Is this evaluation for yourself or a family member? I am curious what has happened that you feel the need to have this evaluation done?
Ginger

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1 reply
lizziel1 | @lizziel1 | Dec 7, 2023

Is the diagnosis crucial? I am 65 and only a few years ago figured out with the help of a friend who is a therapist that I am indeed autistic. All my life I’ve been misdiagnosed. And it sure answers a lot of confusion about my life.
When I mentioned it to my psychiatrist he just shrugged and said there is nothing to treat it. 😡
I just feel better knowing why my life has been so confusing and now I take better care of myself.

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1 reply
mcooley04 | @mcooley04 | Dec 7, 2023
In reply to @gingerw "@mcooley04 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It depends on where you live, how your healthcare is..." + (show)
@gingerw

@mcooley04 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.

It depends on where you live, how your healthcare is set up. At times a mental health professional can direct you to a source for evaluation, or your primary care provider. Here is an article from Autism Speaks, that addresses how you might go about all this: https://www.autismspeaks.org/expert-opinion/getting-evaluated-autism-adult-where-go-who-see

Is this evaluation for yourself or a family member? I am curious what has happened that you feel the need to have this evaluation done?
Ginger

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Thank you for the information!

REPLY
mcooley04 | @mcooley04 | Dec 7, 2023
In reply to @lizziel1 "Is the diagnosis crucial? I am 65 and only a few years ago figured out with..." + (show)
@lizziel1

Is the diagnosis crucial? I am 65 and only a few years ago figured out with the help of a friend who is a therapist that I am indeed autistic. All my life I’ve been misdiagnosed. And it sure answers a lot of confusion about my life.
When I mentioned it to my psychiatrist he just shrugged and said there is nothing to treat it. 😡
I just feel better knowing why my life has been so confusing and now I take better care of myself.

Jump to this post

We feel better in knowing who we are for better understanding of ourselves. We are not seeking anything other than knowledge.

REPLY
1 reply
lizziel1 | @lizziel1 | Dec 7, 2023
In reply to @mcooley04 "We feel better in knowing who we are for better understanding of ourselves. We are not..." + (show)
@mcooley04

We feel better in knowing who we are for better understanding of ourselves. We are not seeking anything other than knowledge.

Jump to this post

Yes, I understand. I am not “formally” diagnosed, but feel certain that I do have autism. That is enough for me. When I started researching on my own and with my friend’s help I began to see the behaviors, isolation and hyper sensitivity.
I thought maybe you needed a doctor’s diagnosis for legal purposes or such.
Best of luck to you! ❤️

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