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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.

Parents

  • 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.)

  • 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.

Reply
  • 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.

Children