Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I've been undergoing autism assessment by a team of Clinical Psychologists for the last few weeks. I hear the outcome later today.
I am a woman in my late 50s and the component parts of my ASD assessment are as follows:
I first emailed the service provider requesting information on 10 August.
The Formulation Meeting will be held sometime next week (mid November). This is where everyone in the team gets together to consider all the evidence and reach conclusions about likely causes of difficulties, and potentially helpful recommendations.
I will get feedback from a psychologist at a meeting next Friday 16 November.
Although I am paying for this assessment privately, the provider re-invests any profit into providing services for autistic people.
I looked up 'formulation' and it seems this is a psycho-social group decision-making process, combining narrative accounts with evidence derived from the application of ASD diagnostic criteria. This approach aims to reduce the risk of individual bias by promoting creative thinking and collaborative problem solving.
Needless to say I am looking forward to finding out what diagnostic decision has been reached. It will be fascinating to see if the professionals agree with the conclusions I reached by reading, reflecting, and talking to people in this community!
There are varied formats for assessment so it would be interesting to know what other people's experiences have been.
I can't seem to edit my original message so I'm adding an update in the thread. The feedback was that I do meet the DSM-5 criteria and I have got a diagnosis of ASD.
We had a useful discussion about things I can do now to reduce anxiety levels, ways of working on relationship issues, and what to consider in relation to work.
I am going to get an email summarising today's discussion with the action points we discussed. I also asked for a brief letter confirming my diagnosis I can show to my GP and employer. The full report will follow in a couple of weeks.
My husband came into the meeting after the first few minutes. I thought it was easier for him to hear things straight from the psychologist rather than me relaying the information to him afterwards.
I came away from the feedback meeting feeling much more positive. A big part of the strategy is to help me recognise building blocks of anxiety, reduce miscommunication and plan activities to minimise the risk of going into meltdown or burnout.
Thank you everyone for being so supportive while I have been going through the assessment process.
That's great news, Sunflower, especially to hear that it's lifted your spirits and you've had some feedback that can be put to use in coping strategies. Congatulations!
Just thinking about a quote I posted on another thread. When my house of cards tumbled down, things actually fell into place.
Yes it is really difficult. I have had quite long periods in my life when I didn't contact my parents for exactly that reason. What made me quite sad today was my mum telling me she had asked a psychotherapist friend to have a chat with me after a massive scene as a teenager which I now recognise was a meltdown. My mum was told there was nothing the matter with me and it was good that I was able to act out at home.
Of course when I was a teenager in the 1970s people didn't think of autism where girls were struggling to cope. I explained to my mum that it may have been better to have lived most of my life not knowing. I might have had stringent limitations imposed on me, or imposed them on myself if I had been diagnosed earlier. As it was I muddled through somehow until recently when the house of cards finally came tumbling down.
Sunflower said:Tried to reassure them that my difficulties were nothing to do with their parenting.
I've struggled with that one with my own Mum. Over the decades, when I've had my severe depressive episodes and alcohol abuse, she has always questioned whether her and my Dad's parenting, or their separation, are to blame for how my life had ended up. I have never at any time believed that to be the case.
Sunflower said:Wish my mum could find some peace through acceptance like I feel I am beginning to do.
When I did talk to my Mum about my diagnosis, we realised the similarity between us, and with other family members, particularly her younger brother (I didn't meet him much, as he's as reclusive as me, but the similarities between me and my uncle were always very striking.) It makes her self-blame for my condition all the more ironic, as her acceptance and understanding of my autistic traits meant that I always felt I had a sanctuary of sorts at home.
Like your Mum, she never has a moment when she's not worrying herself to death about something, and like me, lies awake half the night with tormenting thoughts going through her head. She finds some sanctuary now that she's retired and can dedicate herself to her beloved garden, craft hobbies, and my brother's kids, and my step-Dad couldn't be a more fitting partner for her.
Unfortunately, with the way that my life has turned out, I feel that I'm often the worst of her worries, and I often lose touch with her for long periods because I get so anxious about what I should say to her about my problems - she worries like hell if I'm honest with her about them, or invents her own worries if I keep quiet about them, and she's someone that I could never try to deceive by wearing my usual mask.
Thank you so much. I've had a lovely quiet day today - just me and my dog - she is a bit poorly so has been sat on my lap dozing most of the day. I had a really nice chat with my elderly parents on the phone this morning. Tried to reassure them that my difficulties were nothing to do with their parenting. I am absolutely convinced they are both autistic. Wish my mum could find some peace through acceptance like I feel I am beginning to do. She's tormented by anxiety and depression. One of the factors in my decision to seek diagnosis was the wish to avoid ending up as distressed as my mum. I am so relieved to have a diagnosis as it will help me manage my life better and let go of painful things in the past.