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Adult diagnosis

James

Hi all, just looking for a bit of advice and guidance on the following really:

I am 32 years old and my son, 6, was diagnosed with high functioning autism several months ago. My wife originally suspected it when our son was around 2-3, but I was somewhat dismissive at first as I saw his behaviour as similar to my own, both when I had been a child and also as an adult. Eventually, when our son was around 4 and after I had done more research into autism I became more convinced of his being on the spectrum (now borne out, obviously), but I also began to think that perhaps I might be also. Now that my son has a diagnosis and I have done even more research into the topic I have become fairly convinced that I am likely on the spectrum also.

I have mentioned this to my wife and she thinks it is quite likely and she often comments that my mind clearly seems to work in a different way to that of most other people, particularly around experiencing emotions and sociability.

I have not had a particularly difficult life; I have a wife and two children, I have a good job in management and I do not feel like I need any adjustments to make my life more complete or easier to live, however I feel like I would quite like to know for sure (or at least be given a trained professionals opinion on the matter) whether I am indeed autistic or not.

I suppose I really have two questions:

1) What is best way to approach obtaining a referral for diagnosis as an adult? Is it something I should raise with my GP or is there another way? Also what have other people experienced going through this process?

2) What benefits have people who have had late diagnoses experienced?  As I said, I am not looking for any adjustments to be made at work for me, or for anyone to treat me differently in my day-to-day life, but I do wonder if it might help me to have the diagnosis in some way, even if it just makes me feel more satisfied in knowing whether or not I am convincing myself of something that is not actually there!

Thanks for any help/advice.

  • in reply to James

    You're welcome! I hope your meeting with the GP goes well.

  • in reply to Trogluddite

    Thanks for your reply. It was quite informative and I have now done the AQ and EQ test (I think I have done AQ before, but the EQ test was a new one for me). My scores definitely indicate traits of autism, so I think I am probably on the right track with seeking a diagnosis.

    You raise an interesting point also about having a diagnosis potentially being useful in future in certain circumstances, even if it would not provide me with any significant benefit at present. I had not really considered that, but it has certainly made my mind up that a referral is the right way for me to go; I now have a GP appointment about a month from now to discuss the matter, so hopefully she will be receptive to the idea and I will not have too much trouble with gaining a referral.

    Thank you also to everyone else who has replied. I really appreciate the different perspectives and experiences you have shared.

  • I just got diagnosed today was my result a point ment. I am 26. I suffer depression so it was my psychiatrist that referee me nearly 3 yrs ago. I suffer socially and with emotions found out I am good at telling emotions in others ( learned I read so I know what there supposed to look like etc) struggle with how they feel to me.

  • Welcome to the forum.

    1) Yes, your GP is usually the first contact. Be warned that most GPs know very little about autism (after your research, it wouldn't be unusual that you know more!), so you may have a bit of convincing to do! It would probably be a good idea to take your wife with you, if you can, as she'll be able to independently vouch for some of your emotional and social differences. It may also be worth doing a couple of the quick self-assessment tests; two in particular, the AQ Test and the EQ Test, are recommended for screening purposes by NICE, so do carry some clinical weight (they are often used as the first step in a formal assessment.)

    NHS waiting times are very variable, anything from a few months to a couple of years, depending where you live. Once you've got your referral, or chosen a private option, things should get easier, as you're dealing with much more knowledgable people after that. Once I'd got over the initial nerves, I actually rather enjoyed my assessment interviews - it's nice to be taken seriously for a change!

    2) I do currently claim disability benefits, but the main advantages are, in my opinion; better self-knowledge, improved relationships, and much less anxiety and stress. Firstly, just to know that I wasn't imagining the difficulties that I'd experienced, and that there was a coherent explanation. Secondly, it pointed me in the right direction to learn more, particularly from other autistic people in communities like this one.

    If you have no particular need for formal recognition, you may find that what you discover in places like this is enough to satisfy your need to know, and most autism communities are happy to have self-diagnosed people around; we identify each other by shared experiences more than by paper certificates! Do consider, though, that you will inevitably age, or life could hit you with a curve ball, which could make living with autism tougher, so a formal diagnosis might still be beneficial in times to come. Don't let your GP put you off an assessment just because self-knowledge is all you seek; I know from experience that the better I know my mind, the better I can look after my mental and physical health (it was chronic mental health problems that led, ultimately, to my autism diagnosis.)

  • Hi, I'm a 23 year old women and I got diagnosed with Autism last year in October when I was 22 years old. I have always had trouble in my life with friends, relationships, understanding everyday things. I was getting more annoyed with myself and upset that I went into a depression state. My parents was looking up diagnoses that I could be, so we went to my GP to pull up those pointers that my parents had found. My GP referred me and it took about 6 months+ to have an assessment. When I went it was a complex assessment wanting to know everything about me. So they had my mum in one room and me in another and we swapped (since there was too different people). After they told me on the day that I am Autistic it was a relief. I now understand why I am the way I am. 

    However, what disappoints me is the lack of support you get once you find out. When we got the letter we had to check it over and call up the place to add in, remove or correct things. Once that was done we waited about 6 weeks or something to go back and have a little chat, hand leaflets an Autism wallet and then that was it. Since then my parents have been struggling to find help for me. They have been trying to find groups to help me get out more. I have been looking for jobs etc and been asking around.

    If you would like to know if you have Autism I would ask your GP to refer you (since it is free) otherwise look somewhere for adult diagnoses which could cost you (£250+). Once you have the assessment done (which you probably won't get a reply for at least 6 months+ to a year) and the answer then you can proceed to what you will do with that information. It can be a relief to know why you are the way you are.

    Hope this has helped sorry for the long reply haha xD x