Hi, having lived with the assumption that I'm autistic for about 15 months and found that assumption *really* helpful, I'm now trying to prepare for all possible outcomes of my recent evaluation.
If you've been for an evaluation and given a "no", what was it like for you?
Thanks
Hi there, I had my diagnostic assessment on Monday and was told I am not autistic. I had thought I was autistic for about a year. I scored 47 on the AQ and 141/200 on another neurodiverse test (I can't remember the name right now) but more than this I had so many aha! moments when I read descriptions of autism in females. So many things fell into place. I felt like I had found my tribe. This was such a comfort to me.
At the start of my assessment I was told I would be given the result at the end of the day with a follow up report 2-4 weeks later. I was also told only about a third of people they assessed met the criteria for autism.
I felt there were so many things we didn't discuss during the assessment but they obviously weren't the things they were looking for. They also explained there are lots of other things that "look like" autism but aren't.
The process was difficult and exhausting. In the end I was told I am not autistic and given examples of why she had reached that conclusion. She also gave examples of why someone might demonstrate the same behaviour but due to another reason similar to examples you gave on another post.
For me, this was never about a label but about trying to understand myself and explain my difficulties. I am slowly coming to terms with it after all she is the expert. I only wish more people would discuss a non diagnosis. I really didn't even consider it as a possibility.
I don't know what your outcome will be but if it is a "no" you might want to look up HSP as there is a cross over with the characteristics described for both groups.
I'm sorry if I have rambled on, I haven't posted online before.
Good luck!
Hi there, I had my diagnostic assessment on Monday and was told I am not autistic. I had thought I was autistic for about a year. I scored 47 on the AQ and 141/200 on another neurodiverse test (I can't remember the name right now) but more than this I had so many aha! moments when I read descriptions of autism in females. So many things fell into place. I felt like I had found my tribe. This was such a comfort to me.
At the start of my assessment I was told I would be given the result at the end of the day with a follow up report 2-4 weeks later. I was also told only about a third of people they assessed met the criteria for autism.
I felt there were so many things we didn't discuss during the assessment but they obviously weren't the things they were looking for. They also explained there are lots of other things that "look like" autism but aren't.
The process was difficult and exhausting. In the end I was told I am not autistic and given examples of why she had reached that conclusion. She also gave examples of why someone might demonstrate the same behaviour but due to another reason similar to examples you gave on another post.
For me, this was never about a label but about trying to understand myself and explain my difficulties. I am slowly coming to terms with it after all she is the expert. I only wish more people would discuss a non diagnosis. I really didn't even consider it as a possibility.
I don't know what your outcome will be but if it is a "no" you might want to look up HSP as there is a cross over with the characteristics described for both groups.
I'm sorry if I have rambled on, I haven't posted online before.
Good luck!
I have looked up the traits of HSP (highly sensitive person), which I hadn't previously heard of. They include: becoming overwhelmed and anxious when they have a lot to do, finding noisy, bright environments chaotic, getting "hangry", performing poorly under observation, being deeply moved by the arts, retreating when things become overwhelming, and becoming uncomfortable when there are loud noises such as firework displays or rock concerts. Obviously these can be autistic traits too, but there are 2 other HSP traits that for me don't seem to match - first, they recognise other people's discomfort and sense when they are feeling overwhelmed and need lights dimming or music turned down - I can usually recognise anxiety in others as I will usually "catch" that emotion and start to feel a bit anxious myself, but I won't automatically know what to do to make them feel better. Secondly, they avoid violent media e.g horror movies or graphic video games. I may or may not like this type of movie or gaime, but it's a personal preference thing, rather than something that I'm sensitive about.
Aspergers is characterised not just by sensitivity to certain stimuli, but also all-absorbing, intense interests and empathy and communication issues. Lack of empathy does not mean lack of emotions - it means problems interpreting the feelings of others. There may be a lack of eye contact, or too much eye contact (staring), muteness or non stop talking on a favourite interest without noticing others are bored, and a dislike of small talk.
Aspergers is also about expectation, preparation and control. I can manage change if I know about it in advance as I can prepare for it. Aspies can enjoy loud music or fireworks, if they make the choice to listen to / watch it. This is why we find people difficult to deal with - they often do things that are unexpected and social conversations are unplanned and unstructured (and sometimes boring if they're not about our interests!)
NT assessors will be following a set of guidelines which they use to make a judgement about whether a person is autistic. They may be influenced by their own views about what an autistic person "looks like" and an adult being assessed may have learned strategies to suppress many of their autistic traits to fit in, so for older people and women in particular diagnosis is not easy. And I sincerely believe it's often wrong.
Hi I'm sorry you were let down by diagnosis however I'm I a bit confused about why you would suggest a cross over and similarity to hsp? This is a form of vasculitis causing purpuric rashes and sometimes kidney damage it also affects children.
Yes, I agree too! Thanks for sharing your experience - it's very helpful to hear more about non-diagnosis outcomes! And I think that the discussion of how she came to the conclusion is very useful too. Finally I think you have done very well in trying to understand oneself and explain the difficulties in life, and I wish you all the best in the continuation of that journey.
Not rambling at all - very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to answer. Yes I agree that more discussion of what a "no" means would be helpful.....
