Autism or learning disorder diagnosis from an old home movie?

[StarquestStig]

I have always had a rough time with learning from a young age and it seems like things are getting harder as life goes on. Ive been talking to my psychiatrist about everything as much as i can when i can about the various issues i face and have been told that i may be somewhere on the autism spectrum although i am highly functioning and it is often difficult to even figure out why i am struggling much more how to go about solving some of my problems. I feel like i often cant demonstrate just how my attention suffers since i have learned many ways of coping with it that may be masking it. I kinda feel sometimes like i kinda got screwed in that i never got a good solid diagnosis from an early age with whatever im struggling with since i live in a tiny town with little resources and my parents who really do love me but maybe have somewhat sheltered me in a way by not seeing my quirks as potential issues if that makes sense. just typing this and trying to figure out what im trying to say is taking forever. I have an old vhs tape of recordings from im guessing when i was 6 months old to about 18 months old. I watched it a few months ago and just got done watching it again tonight. one thing that is obvious to me is just how poorly i notice what goes on around me. my parents will repetitively call my name and make noises to get my attention and i just keep on doing whatever it is that im doing. any of the other babies on the tape at various points are very aware and often showing different emotions like smiling or crying and i just am off in my own little world, crying once throughout the tape and smiling a handful of times the rest of the time i just play with different random things ignoring everyone around me for the most part. I kinda wonder if this tape may be helpful in diagnosing any attention or learning issues i may have. would there be someone to watch this and do a diagnosis or is it too late for such a thing? has anyone even heard of such a thing? how hard would a doctor laugh at me lugging my old VCR into their office?(oh wait thats not a good question :biggrin: ).

 

[xionghaizi]

you could just explain about watching the old video. if they don't believe you, then you could ask them if they like to see the video, if they still don't understand then it's probably cause they aren't usually familiar with late diagnosis. you should ask them about how late diagnosis work, cause I don't actually know.

 

[FootiePJ]

I have always had a rough time with learning from a young age and it seems like things are getting harder as life goes on. Ive been talking to my psychiatrist about everything as much as i can when i can about the various issues i face and have been told that i may be somewhere on the autism spectrum although i am highly functioning and it is often difficult to even figure out why i am struggling much more how to go about solving some of my problems. I feel like i often cant demonstrate just how my attention suffers since i have learned many ways of coping with it that may be masking it. I kinda feel sometimes like i kinda got screwed in that i never got a good solid diagnosis from an early age with whatever im struggling with since i live in a tiny town with little resources and my parents who really do love me but maybe have somewhat sheltered me in a way by not seeing my quirks as potential issues if that makes sense. just typing this and trying to figure out what im trying to say is taking forever. I have an old vhs tape of recordings from im guessing when i was 6 months old to about 18 months old. I watched it a few months ago and just got done watching it again tonight. one thing that is obvious to me is just how poorly i notice what goes on around me. my parents will repetitively call my name and make noises to get my attention and i just keep on doing whatever it is that im doing. any of the other babies on the tape at various points are very aware and often showing different emotions like smiling or crying and i just am off in my own little world, crying once throughout the tape and smiling a handful of times the rest of the time i just play with different random things ignoring everyone around me for the most part. I kinda wonder if this tape may be helpful in diagnosing any attention or learning issues i may have. would there be someone to watch this and do a diagnosis or is it too late for such a thing? has anyone even heard of such a thing? how hard would a doctor laugh at me lugging my old VCR into their office?(oh wait thats not a good question :biggrin: ).

I know how you feel; I have always had problems with things like learning, memory, attention, executive functioning, sensory issues, auditory processing issues etc., from the time I was about 4 years old I knew I was different from other kids and that I wasn't normal. Growing up my parents refused to get me help, in 1990 I was diagnosed with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome didn't exist at the time. My parents didn't want me to be labeled, so they raised me like I was a normal kid with no neurological issues; I suffered greatly because of this. When I was 29, I said enough was enough and I went to my state's disability office to apply for services so that I could get tested. I was setup with an appointment to get tested, and a couple of weeks after I was tested I received my diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. I remember when I was in elementary school, teachers and other adults would refer to me as strange/weird, even as an adult I have been told I am like a "big kid", kind of implying that I am an adult who is childlike.
You are not too old to seek a diagnosis, a diagnosis will help you be able to get accommodations in college and work. To get diagnosed you can see a psychologist or neurologist and they will give you the tests necessary to diagnose you. I am still struggling greatly as life goes on, I want to work as a special education teacher; I currently work as a substitute teacher and I struggle to get through work everyday. The thing that is especially hard for me is the social interactions that are required with the other staff and faculty members, it is very draining. If I were to get a full-time teaching job, I don't know how I would manage all the other tasks that require a high-level of executive functioning. At the age of 33, I have never been able to hold down a full-time job because of the level of functioning that is required.

 

[dogboy]

would there be someone to watch this and do a diagnosis or is it too late for such a thing? has anyone even heard of such a thing? how hard would a doctor laugh at me lugging my old VCR into their office?(oh wait thats not a good question :biggrin: ).

I think your therapist will believe you. I told my therapist about my encounter with a ghost when I was 18 years old and he believed me. I suppose it depends on the relationship you have with your therapist. I have a very good relationship with mine, so I guess I'm lucky. Anyway, I don't think there's anything unbelievable from what you're saying. It might be typical with being autistic.

 

[StarquestStig]

thank you for the reply's guys. I guess what i was wondering was if they may be able to spot things in the video that i may or may not have right. im sure he will believe what i say but he says he isn't an expert at diagnosing learning disability's or autism so maybe ill see if he knows anyone who is.

 

[Deleted member 44276]

First of al as MBD and a gazillion of the 100 + associated side diagnosis of sed MBD (minimal brain dysfunction from birth ) , then Severe ADHD from 5 .then last diagnosis MILD ASD (2000 ) let me say with sed describing from youre tapes thats ONE of the symptoms of possible ASD , and as one my self i EMIDIETLY spotted ASD traits in you from youre description of the tape dear , also from the description of youre other problems i would also say MAYBE also ADHD (its not that uncommon for utliest 2 Diagnosis infact that actually the norm ) So i would defenetly suggest you try to get evaluated so they can find out IF and if so WHAT diagnosis you may have so you can get the help you need to get this in some order.

And reg the Video i would defenetly bring that to the evaluation as well as it will help them see how you were as a child. and youre therapist SHOULD be able to refer you to some more experienced in this cind of diagnosis therapist.

And last its NEVER to late to get a proper diagnose dear. As you see my last was 2000 and according to sed shrink i probably have Multiple more diagnosis yet to find out and i agree i find new ones my self even up to this day when searching the Webb and do tests for my different problems in life :graduate:

 

[WoodlandWanderer]

You won't get a diagnosis just from one childhood video of course, but it could definitely be of help when being assessed. A good doctor is never going to laugh at you.

I would recommend getting referred to a specialist for diagnosing learning disabilites / autism. As your psychiatrist said, they're not an expert on the matter and only a professional could give you a diagnosis. I'm borderline ASD myself (doctors decided against an official diagnosis when younger for various reasons) but I have a diagnosis of a different developmental disorder with some overlap.
Being high-functioning is both a blessing and a curse, especially if significantly above average intelligence. Being able to discover and implement your own coping mechinisms to hide a lot of your difficulties has it's benefits of course, nobody likes to look abnormal, but it leaves people surprised when you hit something you can't overcome so easily and they can't understand why. It's especially unhelpful if combined with supportive parents it's stopped you getting a diagnosis when you otherwise might have. A diagnosis that you might need for the extra support now that you're finally an adult and have a lot more to deal with. I personally found the transition to adulthood was the point I hit the wall of not being able to cover so easily anymore. I'm still not fully there yet.

You're never too old for a diagnosis - late is better than never. Sometimes things become more apparent in adulthood and it might be an easier decision than a borderline one when you were a child. I know for autism one of the things they will want is as much detail about your childhood behaviour history as you can give them, as well as your adult history. The same probably goes for other developmental disorders too. If you still have a good relationship with your parents, that should be helpful. They can say a lot more about the ages you can't remember, and they will have noticed different things to what you did. Old educational reports from school can also be useful.

Best of luck to you. My gut feeling is if both you and your psychiatrist think there's something to it, it's worth checking out.

 

[KimbaFoxNatsume]

Being high-functioning is both a blessing and a curse, especially if significantly above average intelligence.

I'll second this statement. It can be hard when you look normal on the outside, I can go out in public and not be immediately recognized as challenged, but on the inside, I'm an anxiety-filled mess who would rather I didn't have to interact with people in the outside world. My experience as a higher-functioning autistic is that it's a bit like being trapped inside yourself - there's an intelligent mind in there, it's just not hooked up in all the right places it should be.

 

[Deleted member 44276]

One thing you must try to keep in mind here is that back in our days ( you see im not that mush younger then you ) they dident know diddly about either of this diagnosis and like you i have been dealing with the so called Pro`s of THAT time pretty mush al my life and it have given me NOTHING completely waste of time ,BUT this days they have gotten to know sed diagnosis WAY better and are actually ABLE to help dear .and NOONE can force you to take meds hon nor can they force you take any treatment. (and like you i haven't will NOT take any meds or treatment as im already as broken soul as i can be and have learnt to cope with it al ) but for the younger generation i say its WELL worth it to give this a chance as without it the ods of making it is less good

Ultimately its up to YOU if you feel getting to know and understanding youre possible diagnose dear and only YOU can decide if its worth it or not.

Btw the few things you have mentioned is AL Symptoms for POSSIBLE ASD dear (This sed im NOT a pro and only a pro can determan this and also this cind of diagnosis are HIGHLY individual:graduate:

 

[LittleSissieJolie]

When I was diagnosed in 1966 the only closest-to-a-vcr my family had was a camera Grandpa had that was (state of the art at the time) a miniature version of a movie camera like the Bigfoot footage one. We also had a Reel to Reel tape recorder/player. He used it to talk to us when he was stationed in Austria, just before he retired. If some or all of that seems Flintstone prehistoric relics, IT IS! One step above or below using carrier pigeons. It would have been a great diagnostic tool if Grandpa had taken film of me. However, the Air Farts doctors did a good job of diagnosis. The Aspergers diagnosis was in the future. They called it "high function" and also autism was only recently, (then) a diagnosis. 1948. 12 years before I was born. I shudder to think of what I barely avoided. Lobotomy, Ritalin, LSD, exorcism, snake pit, regular beatings... Humane treatment vs being a Lab Rat, "let's do electric shock, see if that helps, if it doesn't it's cool, he's a spaz anyway."

 

[Jaseinfantlist35]

i was diagnosed with learning difficulties at age 7 and i was diagnosed with autism more recently even thought people have been telling me for years they thought that was autistic

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