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Diagnosis - what to expect

feenix101
over 5 years ago

Hi.

I have thought that there is a good chance that I have autism for a long time.  I went to my GP, she said she couldnt do anything, so when I was at a neurologist appointment to discuss a physical ailment recently, I brought it up with him and he is arranging some brain function assessments to see whether I have some form of the condition.

My question is, what is the testing process for an adult?  By that I mean, what kind of questions do they ask, or what kind of things do they ask you to do?  I know nothing about the process and I would be very interested in any information anyone could provide me with.  If this is an inappropriate question, please feel free to delete it and I apologise in advance.

Cheers

Peter J. Kenvin

Parents
  • over 5 years ago

    Hi feenix,

    In my case, the doctor referred me to the local Autism/Aspergers Service, who did a short initial assessment, with one person asking questions and the other observing (as I found out later).  This flagged up several indicators which suggested a full assessment should be made.  They asked general questions about when I was younger, and things like problems with relating to other people.

    Just under two years later, I had a full assessment which lasted about 7 hours, and my mother was present throughout too.  The assessor went into great detail, especially about my childhood.  At the end of the session, I was diagnosed with ASD/Autism Spectrum Disorder.  I also did a cognitive test which later showed that I have processing difficulties - this is not a standard part of the assessment, but due to problems in employment the assessor thought this would help me, which I was happy to agree to.

    I think it helps to gather as much information as you can which will assist the assessor.  As well as having my mother in the assessment (which obviously not everybody will be able to do), my sister also provided information on paper about her observations of me - she is a TA who has experience of working with children with autism.

    Obviously, others may find their path to assessment is slightly different, but I hope this may help you. 

Reply
  • over 5 years ago

    Hi feenix,

    In my case, the doctor referred me to the local Autism/Aspergers Service, who did a short initial assessment, with one person asking questions and the other observing (as I found out later).  This flagged up several indicators which suggested a full assessment should be made.  They asked general questions about when I was younger, and things like problems with relating to other people.

    Just under two years later, I had a full assessment which lasted about 7 hours, and my mother was present throughout too.  The assessor went into great detail, especially about my childhood.  At the end of the session, I was diagnosed with ASD/Autism Spectrum Disorder.  I also did a cognitive test which later showed that I have processing difficulties - this is not a standard part of the assessment, but due to problems in employment the assessor thought this would help me, which I was happy to agree to.

    I think it helps to gather as much information as you can which will assist the assessor.  As well as having my mother in the assessment (which obviously not everybody will be able to do), my sister also provided information on paper about her observations of me - she is a TA who has experience of working with children with autism.

    Obviously, others may find their path to assessment is slightly different, but I hope this may help you. 

Children
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