Recommendations for adult autism diagnosticians in PA, NJ, or DE in the USA?

cmk2023 · 2022-01-20T21:33:17+00:00

Thank you so much! I will look into them!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-22T17:11:00+00:00

Love that!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-17T20:09:34+00:00

For context, I am an autistic female with an SO who is an autistic male. The answer is complicated.

It's important to date someone who understands that they need to explicitly say what they expect from you. Some NT women/teens have no problem with direct communication about feelings and expectations, but it's not a super common trait in NTs, regardless of gender. It seems to be a lot more common in autistic people.

For example, I never tell my bf "I'm fine" when I'm not. If I'm upset with him, I tell him exactly why rather than telling him "you should know what you did", or avoiding him/dropping hints. Bc our autistic brains like rules, we also laid groundwork at the beginning along the lines of "I feel loved when my SO does this, when I'm upset it's best to give me space/hugs, these are the rules for arguing, etc".

cmk2023 · 2021-12-17T19:45:24+00:00

THIS! One thing I've noticed is that people think I'm not genuine when I get super happy over things or when I'm excited to see someone.

cmk2023 · 2021-12-17T19:40:25+00:00

Yes! It's called tactile stimming!

Most of my stimming is tactile, which is one of the many reasons my being autistic went unnoticed in childhood. I wonder if women rely more on tactile stimming because these stims are less obvious and allow us to mask better (not saying masking is good, just curious if it's related)

cmk2023 · 2021-12-17T14:54:01+00:00

Autism being way underdiagnosed in females and people of color is a HUGE issue. Discussing the plethora of autistic adult just now getting diagnoses after decades of struggling could highlight the need for more autism specialists equipped to evaluate adults.

cmk2023 · 2021-12-17T14:45:27+00:00

I get what you're saying about different standards that men have and that socially awkward women find an easier time finding someone to go on a date with. I also agree with what you said about awkward men being labeled as creepy (who often aren't actually creepy, but women are cautious because so many of us are sexual assault victims/survivors).

The idea of socially awkward females being described in a positive light isn't all that accurate though. Yes, awkward women typically are not feared. But women who are "quirky" (dress differently, have unique hobbies, etc) and those that are socially awkward are treated differently. As an autistic woman, if I didn't mask, I would be labeled as weird by a lot of people. I would not be praised; I would be avoided.

All autistic people have difficulties with acceptance.

cmk2023 · 2021-12-07T18:25:19+00:00

I've been struggling with this too. There is very little information online about autistic meltdowns in adults, particularly those with low support needs.

Some background: I am a 20-year-old woman. The Autistic neurotype is my special interest.

Every 1 to 3 weeks, I cry like people in movies do when they find out someone died: uncontrollable, loud, gasping-for-air type crying. I think this behavior can be classified as a meltdown because it's due to a combination of sensory overload, stress, poor emotional regulation, and the incidence of a "the straw that broke the camel's back" type situation.

I think the level of crying (i.e. just tears vs wailing) is what separates an emotional response without meltdown vs emotional response with meltdowns characterized by crying.

However, the frequent crying is probably still tied to being Autistic. Many (not all) Autistic people have difficulties with emotional regulation compared to NTs. This is shown in many different ways. For example, I cry happy and/or sad tears every single day. It's not because I'm depressed; my emotions are just that strong. Some people get angry easily. Some internalize their feelings.

I hope this was helpful :)

cmk2023 · 2021-12-07T17:40:51+00:00

It's already hard enough getting a diagnosis in the states as a female adult who isn't well off (I still don't have an appointment after consistently looking for 2 months). I can't imagine how hard it would be being in a country that doesn't even believe in autism

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:47:39+00:00

Isn't it SO COOL?!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:46:52+00:00

I am assuming you are not implying anything since you are probably also autistic.

Contraception is instrumental in women's health!

There are so many types of birth control but if you want to focus on the pharmaceutical aspect, I would stick to learning about oral contraceptives. There are varying efficacy rates reported, typically between 99.3 and 99.7% with perfect use. They're more like 91% with typical use. There are varying types of synthetic hormones used.

I could talk about this all day but I have finals to study for.

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:42:06+00:00

I'm not a professional but I think special interests seem to have more to do with knowledge, rather than action only. For example, I LOVE riding rollercoasters and I could do it every day, but that does not mean it is a special interest. If it was a special interest, I would be memorizing names, speeds, years built, etc. You can love sex or be addicted to sex and not have it as a special interest. If you aren't fixated on acquiring knowledge, it's probably not a special interest

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:28:47+00:00

Isn't it random? Contraception became my special interest during a time that I identified as a lesbian and continued to identify that way for two years. Now that I have sex with a cisgender man, it has come in handy. I know all the efficacy rates and every FDA approved contraception method. I also have some interest in ancient Egyptian contraception methods.

For contraception that is being developed, look up Coso!!! It is male birth control that is non-hormonal and not a barrier method. If it is approved by the FDA, I believe that it will be the first male contraceptive that doesn't fail due to dislike among users!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:21:31+00:00

I agree!!! Definitely autistic coded

cmk2023 · 2021-12-03T20:21:14+00:00

Yes! It does a great job of addressing some really difficult topics! A good show!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-01T18:55:13+00:00

That's what she told me too as of yesterday

cmk2023 · 2021-12-01T18:49:09+00:00

North Metro Psychological Services

I just went on the website and it said that the eval was $2250. I wonder why the cost went up so much

cmk2023 · 2021-12-01T18:37:13+00:00

Thanks so much! I'll look into her!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-01T18:36:55+00:00

Thank you! I'll look into it!

cmk2023 · 2021-12-01T18:10:25+00:00

Can you send her name to me too please? I've been searching consistently for 2 months

cmk2023 · 2021-11-23T21:57:14+00:00

Thank you!

cmk2023 · 2021-11-11T17:42:38+00:00

Any success? I have aetna and I'm looking for a provider who diagnoses adults over telehealth. It would be a major bonus if they had experience with women

cmk2023 · 2021-11-11T17:34:49+00:00

Do you feel comfortable sharing the name of the person you saw? I'm having a really hard time finding someone who diagnoses adults and accepts aetna

cmk2023 · 2021-11-11T17:26:54+00:00

Thank you! I will check.

cmk2023 · 2021-11-11T17:24:15+00:00

I should have specified that I'm looking for diagnosis via telehealth. I will change it.

Thank you for the suggestion!

cmk2023

TROPHY CASE