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Do I do it?

Kippen

Okay, so I'm at this point, do I or don't I go for an autism diagnosis?

I'm 20, female, and starting uni in September, I've always 'functioned' in society but was always different and for the last few years really have just kind of accepted that I am autistic and the few people I've spoken to about have agreed, I shan't bore you all with the details but 'fits like a glove' is pretty close to what I mean. However, I've never bothered with looking to get a diagnosis since everything I've read just says about how long and draining it can be with the nhs, and I can't afford to go private.

Now my issue is that the older I get, the more problems I am experiencing with my ability to adapt to adulthood, and my differences from others are become more and more obvious. So would a diagnosis be worth it at this point in my life? What are the pros and cons? Would it affect what support I can get in uni? Especially with how long it would take. How would I go about getting it started? 

I'm just really stuck as to where I go from here, and the fact that I'm worried about people disbelieving me because of how good I've gotten at acting 'normal' for the small amounts of time that I have to. Anybody have experiences like mine or any advice? Would be much appreciated :) x

Parents

  • The wait for a diagnosis will not necessarily be for years as some here state, I only had to wait for 15 months and it all depends upon which NHS Trust you fall under.

    I believe it would be worth going for a diagnosis and I would certainly ask your doctor if there is anything he could do to speed things up a bit as you are starting Uni this year.( I may be wrong but I believe the fact that you are so young is very much in your favour with regard to waiting times-don't quote me and please do not put a curse on me if I am wrong!)

    When you get your diagnosis you will be able to discuss with your assessor whatever assistance on offer is most appropriate for whatever shade of ASD is determined. This might be a bit tricky to arrange if your Uni is far away from home but some form of counselling to help you with any difficulties you may face trying to fit in and have a normal student life would be beneficial, just having someone to talk to who understands how the condition affects us and how best to deal with it would be great even if you were not going to Uni.- obviously, the more we know ourselves, the better equipped we are to deal with life.

    At the age of 20 you will still be trying to work out how to find your feet in this world and this is tough going-even for many NT's, when you're on the ASD Spectrum too that usually just multiplies the complications. I am not trying to scare you, I just urge you to give yourself every chance of the success I am sure you are capable of and enjoy it for the fantastic experience it most certainly is..

Reply

  • The wait for a diagnosis will not necessarily be for years as some here state, I only had to wait for 15 months and it all depends upon which NHS Trust you fall under.

    I believe it would be worth going for a diagnosis and I would certainly ask your doctor if there is anything he could do to speed things up a bit as you are starting Uni this year.( I may be wrong but I believe the fact that you are so young is very much in your favour with regard to waiting times-don't quote me and please do not put a curse on me if I am wrong!)

    When you get your diagnosis you will be able to discuss with your assessor whatever assistance on offer is most appropriate for whatever shade of ASD is determined. This might be a bit tricky to arrange if your Uni is far away from home but some form of counselling to help you with any difficulties you may face trying to fit in and have a normal student life would be beneficial, just having someone to talk to who understands how the condition affects us and how best to deal with it would be great even if you were not going to Uni.- obviously, the more we know ourselves, the better equipped we are to deal with life.

    At the age of 20 you will still be trying to work out how to find your feet in this world and this is tough going-even for many NT's, when you're on the ASD Spectrum too that usually just multiplies the complications. I am not trying to scare you, I just urge you to give yourself every chance of the success I am sure you are capable of and enjoy it for the fantastic experience it most certainly is..

Children
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