Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, I’m 21 and female! I’ve been to my doctors and they’ve referred me to a specialist to get assessed for autism. When people first meet me they say ‘there’s nothing wrong with me’ or ‘I look normal’. I’m very aware that I’m different and have been aware of this since I can remember! The reason I’ve only just gone to the doctors is because I have a very supportive boyfriend who has helped me lot and I was too scared to go before. I want to know the details of what happens from the very beginning of the assessment right up to the very end! I’m scared they will either misdiagnose me or say I’m not autistic! Which I understand might seem like a good thing to some people but when you’ve been struggling your whole life you feel like you just want the answers! And im certain and so are others that I’m autistic! Thank you for reading!
I am almost at the end of my assessment. Just waiting for the results. I did it privately but went to the same place that I would have been referred to if I had gone to my GP. Mine started with an initial assessment meeting which included the Autism Quotient questionnaire. Following that I had a letter saying I should have a full assessment. This involved a cognitive assessment, an ADIR interview with my Mum, a sensory profile and then an ADOS assessment. Each one was carried out on a different day and by a different person. They then have a meeting together to discuss whether to give me a diagnosis. I have a results meeting next week to find out. Like Trogluddite I have actually enjoyed the assessment procedure. Right from the start I felt I was talking to people who understood me. They obviously have good knowledge of how autism presents in females and have done a thorough job of assessing me. This is in Worcestershire by the way.