Upcoming diagnosis/assessment

Hi Ade, 

You're describing my fear about going forth for assessment; that as a woman I'll be told that it's 'just' social anxiety and my other 'quirks' will be overlooked or ignored completely.

I've added social anxiety as an area to read up on in addition to ASC so that I can more clearly probe the differences and areas of overlap between each. I also hope that it will mean I'll be in a better position to clarify why I think I have ASC and not 'just' SA.

It must be very difficult for clinicians to diagnose especially at the edges of the current understanding of ASC which seems to be where the difference in gender presentation sits. 

I am heartened to hear that the clinician has offered your wife a second appointment and would encourage her to accept it. With an August appointment date, this gives her time to read up and reflect more closely on her experience. It's time to try to identify where she thinks her challenges lay and how she thinks she fits the diagnostic criteria. 

Chatting with women diagnosed with ASC on community forums and seeking out the work of researchers  /authors who write about the female presentation of ASC, for example, Prof. Tony Attwood & Sarah Hendrickx, would be of benefit too (videos on YouTube). The NAS module 'Women and Girls' is also excellent and may help her recall more details from her childhood etc.. 

The Royal College of GP's 'Autism Toolkit' is helpful and has female specific info:

http://www.rcgp.org.uk/clinical-and-research/resources/toolkits/asd-toolkit.aspx

Hope that's of help. 

Saz

Thanks Cloudy,

I guess I will get more answers when I get the report.

My wife however I think feels disappointed that she wasn’t diagnosed with ASD, she was offered a further appointment to explain herself further but refused because it wouldn’t be until the end of August.

In my opinion she is at least borderline ASD, with more than just social anxieties, it’s confusing as to why “J” didn’t think she had ASD too. She’s so confused now, thinking “what’s wrong with me if it’s social anxieties then why don’t I ever get over them”.

Im just worried I guess that she has been missed as a woman on the spectrum.

I suppose it’s looking for a reason for why you are the way you are, because I have that reason now, I can look back and say “That’s why I have been like this all my life” it explains myself to myself.. I’m rambling now lol.

Thanks

Ade

Good to hear everthing wasn't too stressful. "J" will probably explain it all in the report. I must say mine was pretty spot-on as to what related to her diagnosis. Hope you got the answers you needed and welcome to the club, I guess!

Well both my wife and I went to the assessment today, it’s been a hard day!

My psychiatrist said my wife could go back for another appointment to talk more but it wouldn’t be until the end of August, we both said we couldn’t stand the wait and she said she would give us our diagnosis now verbally, and send a report to both us and our GP.

Anyway she believed my wife doesn’t have ASD but instead social anxieties. But she said that I definitely have ASD and she will be writing Aspergers in her report..

So as from today I am officially autistic!

im a bit numb at the moment and tired and we are still digesting the assessments.. which were carried out one after the other, so both of us effectively went through two assessments today.

Initial thoughts are that she was very nice and seemed to work with us good, although the assessments felt maybe a little rushed, and it makes me wonder how anyone can assess someone’s ASD in 90 minutes.. but apparently she did and I am, so that’s that!!!

Thanks

Ade

Lol, yeah I could only get on just myself. Everytime I've checked over the last few days 503!

No problem at all, glad I could help! Hey, I overplan overplanning! If people were to see what's inside my backpack they'd know! It's a window into my mind........

It doesn't matter that you self-refferred, just getting an assesment is pretty hard if your GP doesn't think you fit the criteria.

No problem! Ask me anything you need to know about it. They never told me on the day but I did have an inclination because she went down a lot of lines of enquiry. The questions she was asking seemed to lead somewhere, some were a little strange but those were mainly things she asked my mom. I went back about a 5 days later and "J" gave me my diagnosis. She also sat and we talked about what to do next. She gave me a few numbers and some advice on what my diagnosis entailed and who to contact. I got a paper report and a diagnosis letter with just the condition on it, in case I needed to inform someone of my condition and not show them all the personal stuff on the report. I think it took about 3 or 4 weeks.

Don't worry about it too much. Like I said she is very good, the follow-up appointment after the assesment was very thorough. I think you feel a bit like I did. It's more about getting answers to certain things that you need to know than the Autism question. I didn't know much about Autism when I was referred but I knew that I had some issues to say the least! "J" explained how the things were related to my Autism. The relief of not being schizophrenic was the main thing that I felt that day.

Good luck with everything and feel free to ask me about anything else.

I’ve been getting the 503 message the last few nights too..

Thanks for the help and support, I do over plan things I guess :-) 

Thats the thing, I referred myself basically just by going to the doctors and saying I want to be assessed, I don’t know my GP that well and he said fill in the AQ and we’ll go from there! So I don’t really know anyone that tells me I’m autistic..

Just wondering if you could answer one more question though, did you find out any hints about whether they thought you had ASD on the day or did you have to wait for the report, and did you actually get a paper report yourself?

thanks so much

Ade

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I kept getting that 503 message for the last few nights. I couldn't log in. Glad that I could help you with it!

Don't worry about it Robot. I went into the assesment with very little knowledge about Autism at all. If you are seeing "J" she will piece the information together for you. I got asked some questions that I didn't have a clue why she'd asked. Just be honest and be yourself. Take your notebook and if she brings up something that you have wrote about then tell her what you wrote. She won't mind if you take your wife to fiil in gaps. It helps to have an "observer" from the way my assesment went.

I've seen many a mind doctor over the years! "J" is very nice and it's not intense. I found her quite easy to speak to, quite calming in fact!

Lol, you are already excelling at being Autistic! Your overthinking and planning are certainly top marks! It's things like that that she will notice too. Honestly just go in and be yourself. You hardly ever get an assesment if the people reffering you don't have a strong inclination.

All the best and I hope it goes well!

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Cloudy Mountains you are right it is in Edgbaston and the ladies surname begins with “J”. Thanks for putting my mind at ease. 

The letter doesn’t mention anything or anyone to bring with me so I’ve emailed her to ask.

I’ve never seen any sort of mind doctor before, so it’s all new to me.

I just hope she can pick out of me all the things she needs because I’m terrible at thinking of things to mention, although I have been writing in a book since February everything I can think of that may be related to autism.

I seem to feel like I’m going to blow the interview and fail at being autistic!!

I guess I have trouble piecing information together.

 Anyway thanks for making me feel better about it all.

Ade

Hello Robot,

It sounds like a full assessment. You've already done the AQ test and I had my assessment about a month and a half after my AQ test.

I have my suspicions that you may be seeing the same lady I did. I had my diagnosis in Birmingham and I had exactly the same conditions outlined. I'm guessing the appointment is in Edgbaston and the doctor's name begins with J. The referrals seem to be commonly performed by one or two professionals in Birmingham and the surrounding area. If it is with the lady I'm thinking of she will take at least two hours. She's very thorough and will ask you a lot of questions you may not think are relevant. I didn't to be honest. When you get the report you will see that she is very good at building up a picture of how your condition affects you. I took my mother and my ex partner. Probably the two people that know me best. I'd take your wife in with you if you feel comfortable with it, it does help her have a broader understanding of your condition. Try and be as honest as you can. I had to answer a few difficult ones but it's worth being as open as you can.

As for the diagnosis don't worry too much. I think you are in good hands. I hope you get the answers you need.

Again, hello and welcome!

Hello Possibly Autistic,

Thanks for your reply, yes it is quite fast, I thought I was in for a really long wait.

I come under West Midlands - Birmingham health authority.

Im just a bit confused about whether this is a screening or full assessment..

Thanks

Ade

Hi Robot,

I don't have an answer to your question as I've yet to be referred let alone receive an assessment. I'm very impressed by the speed of your referral to the assessment date. 

(If you don't mind me asking) Which county / health authority do you come under?

From what I've read elsewhere in the forum and my sense of my local diagnostic services, most people seem to wait between 18 -24 months for an assessment. 

Saz