Hi,
This week visited my GP to request a referral for formal diagnosis of my strongly self-suspected ASD.
I consider myself to be very high functioning, but this has come from self-learned behavioral changes and learning from others by observation. I have felt I could be autistic for a couple of years now, having always felt different in many ways. I think I would have been happy to remain self-diagnosed, but I see possible advantages in a formal diagnosis as it will be more likely to be accepted by my family.
The GP did not seem highly interested, although the GP asked a question or two about symptoms and asked if I'd taken any 'tests'. I verbally gave a couple of symptoms and the difficulties I have, then handed over a list of 20 or so symptoms and examples I prepared. They quickly looked through and said "leave it with me and I'll see what I can do about a referral".
I'm not quite sure what to expect now. I don't feel the GP has a specialism or over familiarisation with autism, which is fair enough. I am not really anxious about what comes next, rather curious. I've read up about what can happen on this website and elsewhere. I am in my 30s, so I think the GP may also have been even more unfamiliar with ASD in adults.
I feel a formal diagnosis is all that I am seeking really. I am hoping it will provide some relief in final confirmation of what I have felt for some time, and also maybe it will provide some explanations to my family over how I was quite a difficult child in many ways! ASD is not understood in my family, and we have family members who I certainly feel have it, but this is generally met by skepticism when I suggest it.
One thing I did do before visiting the GP was get some of my old school reports from age 5-6 and I was slightly surprised how suggesting it was that there could be an interaction issue - and that an ASD diagnosis didn't come about during my earlier years. School was not easy for me, but compared to what many people have gone through I feel I have not had it too bad.
That's my little story anyway, wishing you all the best!
