Published on 12, July, 2020
I have asked my GP surgery to give me access to my NHS medical records back to childhood. This is an attempt to find something from them which will prove to be the 'hard' documentary evidence of early autism that my autism assessor is demanding from me.
Despite the obstructive attitude of the GP's Receptionist I managed to fill in a form at the GP surgery, and was told it would be sent on to their main branch for processing. I won't be able to follow it up until tomorrow so I am still waiting....
My questions are:
How long does this usually take in reality (ie: to actually get to see the records)?
Will I need some sort of reference book to decode the medical jargon in the records, and if so what can I use? Or is it written in plain English?
What kind of thing will I be looking for with relevance to autism?
Do NHS autism assessors already look at your full health records? My assessor previously told me she'd seen my care records, but during out first assessment meeting I could tell she didn't know all about my medical conditions at all, (or did she?)
Would be grateful for any insight of previous experience with this, especially with regard to what is relevant to signs of autism.
Thanks.
Aha! Re-reading my medical notes just now. Remembered how I got an injury to my mouth when I was 2 years old. It needed stitches so there is a note. I was whirling round and round like a dervish quite feverishly. Ignored warnings to stop because it was dangerous. Lost my balance and hit my mouth on the furniture. Does that sound autistic or not? Still have the scar
I always used to spin round loads when I was a child. I also used to enjoy going on swings for hours or roundabouts really fast for a long time. My two year old who's having her first autism assessment next Tuesday, can't walk to well yet but she will sit shaking her head from side to side for half an hour plus which would give the same sort of vestibular stimulation that would be achieved by spinning/swinging/going on a roundabout.
I'm done with Christmas Cards said:Ended up with carpet burns on my forehead
And generating 500kV?
Also, pulled my fringe down over my forehead and put head down onto carpet so that hair is trapped between forehead and floor. Then Pushed myself round in circles like a small aeroplane landing with a broken nose wheel. Used to *love* the feeling of carpet rushing over my fringe. Ended up with carpet burns on my forehead :-).
Yep :-)
Yes! Head first! You?
Did you ever do the going down the stairs on your belly?
I still do upside down on the sofa now, lol
Sorry I have a bad tendency to use technical jargon! Good old Google :-)
Googled proprioperception. Very very interesting. All helps with the balance.
It's interesting how a lot of things that I did as a child, I can now see were types of stimming. I used to love climbing and was the only child in my class to be able scale the ropes in the hall when I was at primary school, I've got good dexterity in my feet which allowed me to use my feet to grip as well as my hands so I was very quick too. Trees were also good! I also did Gymnastics for years and would spend my evenings practicing Gymnastics for hours. I now realise though, that all that climbing and stretching is another type of stimming, the stretching through climbing or doing gymnastic moves gives proprioperception feedback!
I spent half my childhood upside down as well.
Quite a lot of the things kids do actually translate into yoga moves like the 'downward dog', which is really interesting because I love doing yoga. It's such a natural way to feel good .
I used to enjoy it when my dad spun me around by my arms and I also used to spend ages hanging upside down from my swing frame when I was a child, my 2 year old has been doing 'head inversions' (down face dog) since before she was 1. She's now progressed to doing headstands for lengthy periods of time, I keep finding her 'being a bat' in her cot or up against the front room stair gate. It's to get the head rush effect, another type of stim.
From that article
"Swinging the child within a soft blanket filled with pillows or lying with the head inverted slightly may also inhibit arousal level "
Oh my God! My parents used to swing me in a bed sheet like a hammock.
And I would hang upside down off the sofa.
Too weird!
Now was this to help my earache, or did they know something else?
Wow. Medical notes say I had fluid drained from my ears twice. So I was effectively shaking it? Ewwww....
Vestibular stimulation in the context of spinning is basically when you shake around the fluid in the middle ear because you enjoy the sensation.
This is the more sciencey version:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/vestibular-stimulation
The world looks so much better when the horizon is in motion don't you think? I did like the playground to a dangerous extent. I used to do a similar thing with my head to your daughter as well. Must Google 'vestibular'