Assessment at 50

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad time. Some of these assessors seem to want an entire library full of supporting evidence!! It might be a good thing that you've been referred to someone who specialises in older females diagnosis, at least they 'should' have a decent level of knowledge of how autism presents in females as opposed to expecting us to fit the classic male phenotype. Did you make a second appointment? Good luck with the rest of your assessment!

Thanks that gives me an idea

Very good . From self referral to appt took a month . Got sent bunch questionnaires in the post during that month,  then the single 4 hour appt.  Done by exactly same people who do NHS, the only difference was that by going private I didn't have to wait 2 years. 

Bagpuss7 do you mind if I ask what kind of experience did you have with a private assessment? Just broadly speaking? 

 found the diagnosis helpful, gave me answers to why I do things I do Bish The people I have told at work have been very supportive

JohnS mine was private, 1 single appt with clinical psychologist

I think it's due to the rapid increase in complexity of modern life.    Even only a couple of decades ago, life was sooooo much simpler so us aspies could get through every day without burning out.

Gas came from the gas company, electricity from the electricity company - only one phone supplier, no mobiles or internet, no social media, only 3 channels on TV - life was simple.

In that environment, we are the same as everyone else.

We just don't have the built-in abilities to cope in the modern world so we either stand out like sore thumbs or we have to mask like crazy to fit in.

Either way, we lose.

I think that the apparent sudden 'growth' in neurodiversity is a very fast evolution over a few generations in response to exposure to the electronic mass media. How? I don't know. I just know how much more attached I am to tv and films than actual people, and how younger people live their lives inside of video games and ridiculous fantasies about celebrities.  Are we getting ready to live their lives inside in a perpetual state of virtual reality when the planet dies? Maybe.

Very concise, and very relevant. I would also add that our imaginations often need liberating, after year's of just doing what what was required by the current system, and continually putting on a brave face just to survive.

It isn't inconceivable that one day we will wake up to find that the majority of people globally are unsuited to the current monetarist mess. The 'neurodiverse' numbers explosion in the last few years seems to be an indication that our current economic regime is now fast becoming unsustainable. Are we going to invest in real human lives, or in luxury castles for the few in the sky? Something that Boris, Nigel, the two Jeremies, the multinationals, climate deniers, populists and robotics urgently need to take on board is that there are now so many precarious people globally, that however THEY decide to run the global economy in the next few years, WE are never again just going to sit back and let THEM get on with it. We simply can not afford this imposed lifestyle. Now, we can either be allowed to assert our ideas constructively, or things will inevitably take a violent and reactionary turn. (And it isn't that easy, right now, to keep hope alive.)

I have spent years trying to conform to a system that on one hand labels me as useless, and on the other hand profitably and cynically exploits my desire to constantly prove my usefulness. But this hasn't left me feeling like I was on the wrong planet. (It is perhaps our supposed betters who might eventually favor the highly dubious pleasures of life on another exclusive planet. The rest of us have no other option but to remain on this one.) If anything, I would say that I have a lot of things in common with diverse people who still favor some traditional common sense; but see no reason why we can not adapt and allow some of our more traditional human values to endure into the future.

Sorry to place this issue in a political perspective, but I have been thinking for years that it is very necessary to once again say these things. The time for blind obedience to our decrepid political system is definitely over. This is actually a social perspective. The irony of 'high' society preaching the doctrine that there is no such thing as society! There are some things in the UK that still work, and these still appear to have a strong element of society; and can still appeal to people of a wide range of opinions. So more power to the elbow of support groups I would say. Try to support others, and they will usually try to support you. And diversity makes our lives more interesting, I have found.

I have, and I do not regret it.  I now have the missing pages from my instruction book.

But, there is very little for adults however it may be that your best support is your own mind and intelligence and with an assessment you will have the information.

WHat you do with the information is entirely your decision.

Do you mind me asking what it entailed and how long it took? I have a letter from a private Consultant Psychiatrist to my GP diagnosing me with Aspergers but said a second assessment with a Psychologist was always useful. I think this second assessment is a morning or afternoon. But I don't know what it involves (I did write 8 pages of A4 explaining my experiences and life history) 

Had my diagnosis last month at 49.

I am currently going through the relief/confusion cycle. My assessor suggested that I inform work to ensure I get proper workplace adjustments where necessary and so far, whilst progress is a bit slow, my employer has been very supportive. Generally I have only told the people I work with directly and close friends/family as I felt they needed to know. So far so good.

One of the guys on here recommended reading Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder): How Seeking a Diagnosis in Adulthood Can Change Your Life by Philip Wylie which I am finding very useful and informative.

Thanks for asking. 

I had an awful time. Was sent off to get more childhood evidence. The assessor also referred my case to somebody who  specialises in older females diagnosis. I was offered the chance to make a second appointment.

How did your first assessment go?

Hey!

I'm 51. Had my first assessment a few weeks ago. Been rambling on here for a few weeks now. I wouldn't have muvh of a clue what was going on without the help of these folk. 

I started figuring it out at 59, and eventually got a diagnosis as 61. At 63, I still get a daily cycle of very short-lived partial rejection to fairly complete acceptance by the end of the day. I was told that cycle would probably go on for about a year, but I suppose it is lasting longer because there is no one else in my expatdom who wants to know anything about it. But I have never completely rejected the diagnosis. I was very heavily convinced by the evidence I collected myself, and if anything I now have even more evidence. I can't use the NHS after all these years abroad. I basically had to refer myself to clinicians in other countries, and go private. It was actually quite easy to find clinics prepared to do that; in more than one country, but of course not in the country where I live. Here I was just fobbed off with anti-depressants for the usual anxiety and depression. I was told that autism was completely out of the question for me, and I reckon the medication prescribed was just a means to hiding me in the local system. I was never keen on starting that medication. Too much negative evidence around! So I dropped it quickly; even before I went abroad for diagnosis. The diagnosis, in the UK, was a relaxing breeze; but support, both in my country of residence, and in the UK, is almost non-existent. So, You might say I have created my own DIY coping strategies. I note those aren't really much different from my previous coping mechanisms (which, unfortunately also contributed to such a delayed realisation). Things could be a lot better, but the usual set of comorbidities have been quite easy to render fairly harmless. I suppose I'm quite resourceful for a person who most people wrote off years ago, in imagination terms.

I currently seem to be one of the older posters on this site, but I was inspired by hearing about a guy diagnosed at 73. And the clinician told me about having done assessments on people in their late 80s.

This site provides quite lot of support; as there is a wide range of perspectives on it. I note Plastic felt a diagnosis had contributed to the end of a career. I foresaw that might be a problem, and elected to retire just before diagnosis. But I reckon another career will eventually turn up, if I can find a 'place' that allows my imagination to flourish. It already is flourishing, really; I just have to use that ability to support myself (and family) at this stage. Not so easy, but very little ever has been that simple. :-)

I was also diagnosed as an adult, if it helps. 

Yes, assessed and diagnosed aged 30.

It has helped me understand myself and feel more at peace with the difficulties I experience. As for work, I wouldn't advise disclosing to those you work with directly. You could always go through the HR/occupational health process so that your diagnosis is recorded officially but I wouldn't recommend telling anyone else actually... No one knows about my diagnosis and I'm going to keep it that way. Only my parents as they were interviewed as part of my assessment and my medical team. Not that I think anyone should be ashamed of their diagnosis but I have been in groups with other autistic people and their experience of telling people hasn't been helpful. Of course, everyone will have a different experience but telling others is potentially a big risk.

Whatever the outcome, your assessor will almost certainly be able to identify where your difficulties lie and will offer the best imaginable advice on what-if any as autism has no "cure"- course of action you could take to deal with whatever type of spanner it is and where in the works it is situated. They aren't going to say something like " No, you're not autistic, goodbye," " NEXT1"

It will be good,don't worry, and......GO!

• I am 60 and had my assessment in January of this year, I was fairly sure that I was autistic but it was only when I had it confirmed that the implications started to dawn upon me. The process continues to this day and I fully expect it to stay with me, I view this as a positive development and am excited at the prospect of solving more riddles about myself  I am also extremely grateful to my GP for taking me seriously and recognising the appropriateness of my assessment request.The same goes for my assessor who. I have to say is the Only person I have spoken to in my entire life who has ever really understood me and I found what she had written in her assessment very moving.  
• The whole thing has been life-changing and it has given me a very real sense of optimism about my future because I am slowly unburdening myself of a significant amount of the guilt I feel about past failings.
• Look forward to it, opportunities for real change in our lives are few and far between so give it everything you have got,  I hope your experience will be at least as good as mine, good luck!

thanks