Published on 12, July, 2020
I am 29, and am deaf and female.
I recently went to my gp, as my control over my emotions is not working. I have always been "over sensitive" but it has gotten worse as I became an adult and living with my partner.
I was referred to the Mental health team, and during there assessment I was asked if I have ever been tested for autism. I said no.
I went back to my gp and all I have got is a referral for therapy, no further detail. I asked about being tested and she said wait till you have had the sessions.
This was all on the 12th October 2018.
And also the gp is asking if I am reading to much into my deafness but I have a younger sibling who is deaf but does not display these traits.
I am lost, it feels like forever, my symtoms are worsening and I am getting worried. It feels like no one believes me, my dad has agreed that there are traits but the rest of my family are saying I am doing this for attention.
My boyfriend is on the verge of leaving me because I can't explain to him what is going on, he thinks I am hiding things on purpose.
Any advice would be great.
Hi Dismal Daze here is some information on autism in women. I have just been diagnosed at the aged of 58. My hearing loss mystified everyone as my verbal comprehension was worse than it should have been from my audiograms. Now I know I also have autistic cognitive processing issues, especially when tired or stressed.
Samantha Craft: female Aspergers checklisthttps://the-art-of-autism.com/females-and-aspergers-a-checklist/
Tania Marshall: female autism profile https://taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/moving-towards-a-female-profile-the-unique-characteristics-abilities-and-talents-of-asperwomen-adult-women-with-asperger-syndrome/
The Lost Girls (how autism can look different in women)https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/the-lost-girls/
The NHS waiting list for autism assessment is around 2 years in a lot of places. While you are waiting to be assessed make sure you get plenty of support. Perhaps your dad could learn more about autism in women and encourage your boyfriend and the rest of your family to be more open minded and understanding? I used this forum and the NAS helpline a lot to get advice and support.
Before going to see your GP again I'd suggest doing some "prep work" to make sure you can make the case for a referral if it seems appropriate.
The NICE criteria for adult autism identification are at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG142/chapter/1-Guidance#identification-and-assessment. Print those out and take them with you.
Print out and do the adult AQ and EQ tests which you can download, with the answer keys, from here: https://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests. If they suggest an autism diagnosis may be possible, take the completed tests and the answer keys with you.
With a mind to the NICE identification and assessment criteria in mind, write a short (no more than 2 sides of A4) "life history" where you try and highlight where in your life you've suffered from the problems in the criteria.
Having all that stuff pre-prepared should make the visit a lot less stressful - your GP will be mostly reading :-). And hopefully if you can make a clear case then getting a referral should be a breeze.
One thing to bear in mind is that ASD can often "present" slightly differently in women. I think some of the others have some good references for that which they can hopefully share.
Hi Dismal Daze,
I'd recommend going back to your GP and asking to be referred for an autism assessment. I don't see that it's your GPs choice to make you wait for one avenue before trying you on another. Be firm and ask for the referral. All your GP has to do is refer you in to the local Autism provisioning process, they don't need to do anything else themselves, so they really have nothing to lose by sending you to the professional autism people. Let them decide if you have it or not, your GPs only involvement is to make the initial referral and then view the results when it's all done.
It might help if you go with a list of why you think you might have it, focusing on the social difficulties you have, and follow up with autistic traits you and others see in you. Also, mention that the Mental Health team asked you about it, as they probably noticed something about you that prompted them to ask.
When I went to my GP, she didn't really know what autism was, so I just handed her a report I'd written on myself, and told her to make the referral. She just said "okay" and did it. Just be firm that you want to go for assessment.
Hope that helps.