Published on 12, July, 2020
I recently went through the ADOS module 4 autism assessment and am wondering what they were looking for. It involved some story telling (around pictures of flying frogs and some objects to bring in to another story), looking at and talking about a kind of child's map and explaining how to brush your teeth. The thing is, I'm 55 and can, I think do these things rather well. I'm perfectly used to making up bedtime stories to children and explaining everyday tasks. I also have a great deal of experience of masking and surviving in the workplace and I'm fairly sure my responses to these questions and tasks would have look at whole lot more autistic when I was in my teens before I developed a whole rake of coping strategies. I'm the same person, however. Can I be confident that the assessment result can be reliable?
I remember that book as well. Cheltenham, in January. Actually I quite enjoyed the book.I was told I couldn't be autistic as I used my finger to point at the frogs (I was working round the page, and it helps to have a finger there). "You were pointing at them to show the other person". Err - no I wasn't. I was also told that being in a long-term relationship, and holding down a job, also made it unlikely for me to be an Aspie. They also didn't have my parents there (dead) but did have my wife and I'd sent a 26+ page doc of problems during childhood & youth.The whole assessment seemed to be based at proving a deep level of disability, which as a 56 year old, high-functioning person, doesn't strictly apply. I do have many problems that inhibit 'normal' behaviour, and are hard to work around. I also have developed coping mechanisms (masking), but am less stressed if - for instance - I'm talking about a specialist subject, which includes talking about me.Unsurprisingly, they didn't give me a diagnosis.I went private a few months later, was tested using Baron-Cohen's AAA assessment (of which the AQ/EQ questionnaires are just the basis for the diagnostic interview), and was told I was Autistic wth problems at a clinical level, some severe. Which fits in with my life experience. Curiously, my wife was present at the diag interview, and said she would have answered most of the questions the same as I (apart from not being me, of course). After this, I went back to the local NHS Trust who said that ADOS 4 wasn't 100% reliable, and offering me a second opinion. I declined as I didn't want to go through it a third time.
Many thanks. That's really interesting to me. I am already planning my response to a non diagnosis and the probability of getting a second opinion or going private. I can't remember whether I pointed to the frogs. I do remember my elderly mother telling them that I never pointed as a child, though, and also that I was a very fussy eater. However, I've held down a job for 30 years and been in my marriage for about as long so, on the face of it, I have the trappings of "normality." That said, I have always felt different, never fitted in, have no long term friends and longstanding anxiety issues. For me these are significant factors. Apparently the multidisciplinary team will do soem kind of formulation before arriving at their conclusion. I do hope they share this formulation with me and that, if it doesn't indicate autism, it goes some way towards explaining my lifelong difficulties (incl. with people, in the workplace and with many kinds of societal expectations).
You held down a job for 30 years!!!!!!!!!
My longest job was 2 years.
I have been forced out after 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months etc.
Asked to leave training schemes after 1 week.
In my current job the probationary period is normally 6 months. They have bought my final probationary/disciplinary meeting forward to only 4 months in the job to try to get rid of me.
Sorry if I am going off topic, and as I have not been formerly diagnosed yet I can’t comment on the testing which to my mind sounds wrong if it is tailored to children! Do they not think we have the ability in my case fifty five years to learn certain things even when I don’t agree with the answer?
I have held down my job for over thirty years, started as a labourer when fairly young,,soon learnt how to operate mechanical excavators which gave me a side line, carried on doing labour and operating machines on our own jobs, moved onto hire jobs so in effect became my own boss,,driving to and from each job was slow but I have many memories good and bad to shareLol. I was solely responsible for “my” machine.
moved up to big track machines which adds responsibility as one wrong move and big damage,,I also got a company van to go with it.
When I started to suffer various muscular related health issues I switched to being a foreman, a role I was already doing in our jobs and at times using my skill and knowledge to run sites I was on hire too.
I now rarely operate machines but have been told my skills are amazing. Well knowing all about hydraulics and principles of leverage etc certainly helps get the most out of them.
What I will say is I settled for a menial job which didn’t demand much of me mentally,,physical ability and a good grasp of common sense.
I always felt I should have been a mechanical engineer or a designer as I cannot stop reinventing the wheel as such...Sadly my early school days were a disaster,,,I left with no qualifications, had no idea how important it all was TO ME.
just got through each day best I could, as I had always been treated harshly I decided if it was going to happen it would be on my terms. So i rebelled,,,They soon didn’t bother with me at all.
so chasing a career that was not over stressful worked for me, sadly more admin and being a junior boss has took its toll..I mask well and often succeed, but at times I struggle so much interacting and keeping everything going,
well long post after a very long absence,,