Autism assessment - ADOS Module 4

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).

When I had my two stage assessment just over a year ago at age 55, they didnt bother with any of the weird frog nonsense because I joked about having read online what the assessment entailed & hoped they weren't going to ask me to do any daft childish things like reading children's picture books.

She said that I wan't really supposed to have looked it up online, but I said that I do that with absolutely everything, especially medication or anything health related. The second stage of the assessment just seemed to consist of chatting for an hour on a variety of subjects, after which she confirmed my diagnosis straight away. My automatic masking & social skills are generally quite good , but obviously not enough to fool a trained professional.

My parents & several of my friends still think it must be some sort of mistake, because my autistic traits don't manifest in the ways most people expect, e.g. I like socialising & meeting new people, much preferring it to being on my own which I find very difficult. I know that the diagnosis is correct though, because it explains so much about why my life has always been so volatile & unpredictable.

I know that Autism in Women is sometimes considered harder to diagnose, because they are often better socially adapted. Despite not being in the least bit feminine (I really do look like Santa), I have been told that I confuse people because I mostly manifest 'Female Autistic Traits', but that didn't stop me from getting a successful diagnosis last year & I hope that you manage to do the same.

Hiya, I know this is an old comment but just wondered how you coped with your family & friends disagreeing with your diagnosis? 

It never occurred to me that that I might have autism until my work organised a Dyspraxia assessment for me and the assessor recommended that I get assessed for ASC. I'm awaiting my assessment at the moment but my family have been pretty open about the fact that they think it's a waste of time as they don't think I'm autistic.

It frustrates me a lot because although I'm unsure about it, I trust the assessor who raised it, she obviously saw something in me and the more I read about ASC, the more i think there could be something in it. It's just upsetting to be told by others what they think about it because they are not in my head and don't share my experiences and they are basing their opinions on the version of myself that I present to the world but they don't know how hard I work to be that version. 

Yes, I'll see what they come back with and probably go in armed with loss of questions.  I wish they could have told me straight away as I've been waiting a very long time, with smaller waits between each appointment.  

I probably don't come across as autistic in the way that most people expect either.  However over the years my "weirdness" has attracted comments.  

Yes, I'll see what they come back with and probably go in armed with loss of questions.  I wish they could have told me straight away as I've been waiting a very long time, with smaller waits between each appointment.  

I probably don't come across as autistic in the way that most people expect either.  However over the years my "weirdness" has attracted comments.