What is Reddit's opinion of
I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
20 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
Musings of an Aspie is a good blog and the author, Cynthia Kim, has written a book about the diagnostic process: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I
I linked to the UK Amazon because the look inside preview has more pages. I haven't read the whole thing but in the preview it looks like she does a good job of demystifying the diagnostic criteria.
In terms of female presentation, I relate more to what Cynthia Kim says than Tania Marshall.
A bit late, but I think Musings of an Aspie is a great blog for those who are seeking to relate the DSM criteria to real life. I also looked at the preview on Amazon of her book 'I think I might be autistic' which goes into the same thing - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I I haven't read the whole thing but even the preview was helpful. She is a late-diagnosed woman and has really explored the diagnostic criteria and her own experiences of going through diagnosis.
Good luck with your efforts to explore this. I hope that it helps you to unravel things and come to a better place.
I recommend the book "I think I Might Be Autistic" as it gives a lot of examples for each of the criteria and helped me start to figure out what counts under what. Playing with your hair is definitely a form of stimming and counts under repetitive behavior.
There's a book called I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults by Cynthia Kim. Would that help you out a bit?
I've upvoted nearly all the comments, because everyone is correct. You did not receive professional advice or assessment, and what you were told is wholly inaccurate.
To further your self-exploration, I highly recommend Cynthia Kim's book, I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults
I've linked the Kindle version, which is only $5 USD. I recommend this book because it guides you through the DSM-V criteria for ASD diagnosis and gives lots of real-life examples of how people--but especially high-masking women--may have fulfilled the criteria. It helps you think outside the standard, sometimes stereotypical responses or criteria, and it may help you learn that certain thought patterns, silent/internalized behaviors (e.g. echolalia but only inside your mind; motions that have been minimized to be unnoticeable to othere are still stims) may be manifestations of autism, especially in the aggregate.
If you are in a country not following the DSM-V for diagnosis, I still highly recommend the book. It really helps provide insight into hidden/quieted/masked/internalized behaviors and traits (i.e. what is often associated with a "feminine presentation"), AND it connects them with the major diagnostic criteria. That connection is what should speak to a competent psychologist or psychiatrist.
I think going through this book by Cynthia Kim (it’s short) is an INCREDIBLY useful tool to prepare for a diagnosis. She breaks down the DSM-V criteria for ASD and walks through how many different types of behaviors (especially behaviors that are more common in females) meet the criteria.
This is so important because ultimately this is how a diagnosis is made, especially in the US. If you can better speak the language of the assessor, you will have a far greater chance of success. For USD$5 for the Kindle version and a few hours of your time, I can’t think of anything that will better predispose you to a successful outcome, if formal diagnosis is what you want.
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I/
If you were in the UK, I would say pursue a diagnosis but obviously your situation is different. You can apply some self help strategies that other people with an ASD find helpful with or without a diagnosis and see how you get on with them - kind of field-testing the idea - but that won't give you inner certainty.
You could get hold of the books by Cynthia Kim, she was diagnosed at 42 and has written about the diagnostic process: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I She is very good at demystifying the diagnostic criteria and showing how they apply to real life.
A lot of what's in the book also appears on her blog Musings of an Aspie, which I think is one of the best ones out there. Hopefully, that might give you a better idea of whether or not you relate to ASD.
Autism is about a lot more than social awkwardness :) Other people may feel “socially awkward” but it is due to anxiety. In autism, we actually don’t speak the same “native language” as most people, in terms of nonverbal communication (body language and facial expressions). We often need to learn this “language” along with social rules by trial and error, and many of us use scripts, rehearse expressions and body language, or mimic someone else in order to get by in social situations. We can take things very literally, have trouble with figures of speech or reading between the lines, and may feel like we are constantly performing even when we do manage to blend in.
Social and communication issues are a key part of it but so are repetitive traits (special interests, stimming, important routines/set ways of doing certain things, a limited range of foods or clothing styles, difficulty with change, etc). Sensory issues are also covered under that umbrella. You must have both social issues and some of these other traits to meet the autism criteria. (Not necessarily all of them—for example, a small number of autistic people don’t have special interests).
The more you learn about autism, the better you’ll be able to say, “Yeah, that sounds like my experience,” or, “No, that doesn’t sound like me.” I recommend the “Ask an Autistic” YouTube videos by Amythest Schaber and the book “I Think I Might Be Autistic” by Cynthia Kim. These are resources I used to decide to self diagnose and eventually pursued a clinical diagnosis (which confirmed it).
I hope that helps a bit! Seriously check out those resources, they explain much better than I do. The videos discuss specific traits and the book has a solid list of questions for you to “interview” yourself.
Howdy. I am not bipolar but I am autistic & adhd. Both diagnoses were in my early 20s—adhd first, autism a year later.
I really recommend these resources:
- I Think I Might Be Autistic book by Cynthia Kim—it’s brief, concise, and a great introduction to autism and the pros, cons, and process of diagnosis
- The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome book by Tony Attwood—a much thicker and more comprehensive book, slightly outdated but entire chapters felt like they were straight out of my own biography
- “Ask An Autistic” YouTube playlist by Amythest Schaber
- Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism website
- Musings of an Aspie blog—scroll alllll the way down and you can find a list of other autism related blogs and websites as well!
- I also recommend doing a search for autism in adults on YouTube. There are, specifically, a lot of Ted or TedX talks by autistic women that I found really good!
All of this is information I devoured leading up to my autism diagnosis. I found it all really helpful for me to understand what autism is and how it impacts me! I hope some of it is helpful to you as well.
That's literally the title of the book:
Some have differing degrees and areas they are affected.
My social and "talent" areas are the most heavily affected, while my systemizing habits are relatively mild.
Everyone is different. If you want to get technical , check out the DSM diagnostic criteria for ASD
If you are a young adult/adult and want a better explanation of all the criteria and how it manifests , I would recommend the book "I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults"
If you suspect you may be autistic, you might consider reading about masking, because some of the traits can be hidden under the mask. You can also see how autistic traits might look like in real life by reading or listening to autistic people's experiences, not simply checking medical websites. (If you haven't already)
This is camouflage test. "It is a self-report measure of social camouflaging behaviours in adults. It may be used to identify autistic individuals who do not currently meet diagnostic criteria due to their ability to mask their autistic proclivities." https://embrace-autism.com/cat-q/
This video explains diagnostic criteria for autism in a comprehensible way: https://youtu.be/1yva4RZW_s0
And reading this book may also help you find out more. It explains diagnostic criteria in chapter 2 and generally talks about how someone can find out about their autism. https://www.amazon.com/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I
I hope it helps.
Popping in to say I’m considering the same! I also read I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults by Cynthia Kim (of Musings of an Aspie) which recommended neuropsychological testing. I’m still deciding if I want to go the neuropsych route, but I imagine that might be more consistent in different countries? (Could totally be making this up)
This book helped me a lot,
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I
Also read "22 Things a woman with Aspergers Wants Her Partner to Know"
No, it is not. Many people receive diagnoses as adults because they recognize differences in themselves.
This book was suggested to me by the testing agency when I received my diagnosis: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I
There is an excellent book which explains the whole process in simple terms. Go to https://musingsofanaspie.com/adult-diagnosis/
You can order the book on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DAHF48I/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DAHF48I&linkCode=as2&tag=08282012-20
I think your post may have lost its formatting. If you don't hit enter twice, single 'newlines' are removed. It's a bit hard to read as it is but not impossible, just might be a factor in getting responses.
I had the symptom list in my head for years. I didn't think it all applied to me. Over time I had realization after realization that more applied to me than I thought. I'd just hadn't been aware of what I was missing, the areas I was overcompensating on, etc.
DSM5 is the diagnosis criteria (which is more specific than the sypmtom list):
I bought a book about diagnosis of aspergers in adults which took the rigid structure of the DSM5 and put it in laymen's terms for you to fill out and assess. I found that to be a lot easier to work with. This is the book if you're interested. You can click the look inside button and see the beginning pages of the DSM-5 in laymen's terms bullet points.
Don't worry about the length, not at all. I find these 'messages in a bottle' a pleasant way to communicate with people.
Your scores are well within the range where an assessment would be indicated. I didn't score that high on the RAADS-R, yet was diagnosed with formal testing. I was very apprehensive about NHS assessments but I was actually impressed with the professionalism of the psychiatrist who assessed me. At the end, he went through his observations and gave me the opportunity to discuss them before reaching his final conclusions. I didn't really find much to challenge - I felt he had been perceptive and balanced. I think I would have been satisfied even if the outcome had been different, because his reasoning was evidence-based.
You are entitled to an NHS adult autism assessment and your GP is short-changing you if she does not at least make the referral for you and request funding. I am in a big urban area, so perhaps that makes it easier, but the guidance is national. I wouldn't be put off trying for an NHS assessment - you might be pleasantly surprised. There is always the possibility of a second opinion or private assessment if that doesn't work out.
I have done a lot of advocating for others in my working life, whilst being a complete wuss where it comes to myself. I did pluck up courage to ask for a referral in the end, and I'm glad I did. The diagnosis was only a couple of weeks ago but it is really helping me to make sense of things.
One resource that seems to be universally respected is Cynthia Kim's blog, Musings of an Aspie. She is a late-diagnosed woman who has also published a book about adult diagnosis: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Might-Autistic-Diagnosis-Self-Discovery-ebook/dp/B00DAHF48I/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
You deserve a comprehensive assessment by a specialist. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with. I'm always happy to do some research.
It was a psychotherapist assessing me for therapy who first brought up Asperger's as a possibility, by the way, because difficulty identifying and expressing feelings is a common co-morbidity (it's called alexithymia).
Popular alternatives to I Think I Might Be Autistic...
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now
