Any advice on being assessed for autism?

That would be good.  Going to the gp was the best thing I did.  It sounds like you have coped well by coming up with strategies to get by. There are many signs of being autistic my son was so good at coming up with strategies that no one thinks he is autistic.  Socialising, making friends, sense of direction, and memory are some of the things he struggles with but would never admit. He doesn't even remember the names of the group of children he befriended at the start of the yr and just waits for their names to come in a conversation or not use the name. 

Thank you. I think I am going to write a list for my doctor and take it with me. Hopefully they will take what I am saying seriously. I am glad you have been able to better understand your son :) 

Thank you so much for your kind response. I certainly feel that I have found the right place. I am very very worried though about the months ahead and trying to get the right diagnosis. I am worried about not being taken seriously but I really do feel as if I have autism. 

The trouble is that I find I hide the struggle so well I think I am worried that I might still hide it when speaking to doctors etc. I have such a desire to act normal and have done ever since I can remember. I guess I am just tired of doing it. 

I hope if I do receive the right diagnosis I may not have to put on such an act anymore. 

I don't know if these are also signs of autism but I am extremely sensitive to being touched and this can cause me to have a meltdown. I also have this weird fear of being in my house alone. And routines I must stick to. And like, if someone looks me in the eye and asks me a question I can only focus on the eye contact and the question won't even sink in. Sometimes someone asks me a question and I can't even speak back. I don't know. So many things. 

Thank you :) 

I had my son referred by gp and the waiting was about 6-8weeks.  I got s call and completed a questionnaire that only need a tick for the statements.  He was seen and they just asked questions from both of us.  Then told me he was on the spectrum and will be diagnosed by the specialist and 6 months wait.  Give gp as much details as you can and they will be able to advise you and refer.  No one at my son's school believed my son had a sen but the gp was very understanding and said the referral wont hurt anyone at least it will put mind to rest.  The assessment helped me understand my son better as I feel I was making his life harder when I couldn't understand why he couldn't follow or understand instruction.  GP would be the best place to start at.  

Well you have certainly arrived at the right place! Unfortunately you may have to wait a longish time for the assessment but it does seem from what you have said that you are autistic-I am by no means any kind of authority on the matter but what you have said about yourself is virtually identical to what I have been going through (I have had 60 years of it though!) I have not thrown myself down the stairs yet but when young I used to climb up things-cliffs, sides of buildings, etc, and I knew it was dumb and that if I fell I'd die but I used to tell myself I didn't care because  I saw no way out of the state of mind I was in and that consequently  I would never be able to build up any kind of meaningful life for myself as everything I tried turned to crap and I could never communicate anything significant and never felt understood by anyone, ever. It was a half-arsed, near suicidal strategy, I did not have the courage to actually kill myself but thought that if I carried on doing it I'd eventually have a fall and that would be that. I became very good at climbing things though-crucially the hanging on by the fingertips and I began to see my entire life that way so gave up the practice 

Fortunately for you, the world is very different now and you will find that more people you encounter on this journey will know exactly what you are talking about and as you are so young you will have plenty of time to develop more effective coping skills and learn about all of the ways that the condition works on thought and communication with others.

There is no cure for this though-it is as a direct result of the way that our brains are structured and this was all in place at birth- I do not know the actual neurological mechanics of the brain but I have seen numerous references to how our brains are "wired up" differently thus excluding certain outcomes in our interactions and almost guaranteeing others because our circuitry will not allow for anything else.

We take this personally and see it as a "failing", evidence of perhaps even culpable inadequacy or just plain old stupidity but it is not our fault and as most of us, I am sure put an enormous amount of effort and energy into trying to fill in all of the gaps we perceive within ourselves it most certainly is not laziness or apathy. 

So,make the most of whatever resources you are able to access in this pre-diagnosis period, it's all going to be about management and coping strategies- there is nothing else but at least you will know what you are dealing with and will find support from a number of sources. 

A crucial solid fact that you must never leave sight of is that we had no choice in any of this and have struggled all our lives with a condition which at times to me seems like an act of genetic spitefulness, we have done no wrong but frequently pay the price demanded of the guilty.

Remember that you are still very, very young and that now you have (presuming again!) the knowledge that it is autism you are starting off from a far more advantageous position than most with this condition down the ages so you still have masses of potential and genuine hope for a far better life-Good Luck!

Been there, gone that.. November last year :) I wrote an 8 page dossier on my history and all the "odd" or "quirky" things I have done. Got referred to a private Psychiatrist in May (after giving up on the NHS, just for a simple review of my notes, to see if any further investigation was warranted). I got diagnosed with Asperger's and then referred to some private Psychologists for an ASC assessment. This included the ADOS observation test and two interviews (one with my wife present). These occurred over July and August resulting in a confirmation of the Psychiatrist diagnosis ie Aspergers but now the term they use is Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Cost was £300 for the Psychiatrist. £285 for the pre-assessment interview (For them to decide whether I full assessment was justified) and £1500 for the full assessment.

I just got my final report, so my saga took nearly a year!! But at least I know now - shame I didn't know when I was younger but Autism and specifically Asperger's were not on the radar in the early 80's :(

Im in exactly the same situation as you, except i had an appointment with my gp today and hes referring me for an assessment.

In the meantime, im on medication for anxiety and have started counselling

I also have outbursts, with me it seems to be when i am struggling to articulate something or process verbal instructions. I tend to overreact and it just builds up inside me and i cant control it, and i end up verbally lashing out. On really bad occasions ive kicked or thrown things too

Ive been getting a lot of complaints about it, so at the moment if i feel it building up i leave the room. People still see it as rude, but at least im not taking my anger and frustration out on other people. 

Thank you so much for replying to me and being so friendly and helpful. It has made me feel better already to know that I am not alone with these struggles. It's very unfortunate that it takes so long to get an assessment but I have also referred myself to a mental health service in my area in the Hope's that they too might be able to help me cope.  I seem to have so many difficulties. One which is particularly difficult for me is my fear of being in my house alone. At the moment it is exhausting as I have to literally take myself out and sit in my car alone if I have nothing to do. I am petrified. I don't know if fears like this are a symptom of autism but it is just one of my many struggles. I really appreciate everyone responding to me and I am here for anyone who wants to talk too. I feel like I don't belong on here because I don't have a diagnosis yet, but I am really convinced that I do have some form of autism. 

Hello.

apologies in advance for essay response

I hope your doctors appointment goes well. Be prepared for a long wait after that, depending on where you are in the country it can take quite a while to get an actual assessment (18 months for me although this I understand is the far end of the scale) 

That aside one useful thing that I wished id recognised before I was diagnosed, a lot of the resources, advice and coping mechanisms that you will/may get signposted towards after assessment are available now (such as this site) and coping mechanisms from other areas can be used as well such as various cognitive behavior therapy techniques.

The bits that weren't available before diagnosis were in person activities, in my case I was offered a variety of groups that I could join from social to educational to help learn about and deal with issues and cope better socially.

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In regard to the concerns and problems you describe I directly relate to your list, in particular the feeling of having hidden it for a long time  and finding it exhausting, which was what finally drove me to get the assessment. As you will find reading through posts in this community having a bit of paper confirming diagnosis is surprisingly liberating in terms of making it internally more acceptable to stop hiding all the traits (still hide most but even a little can make it a lot less exhausting)

I don't know if it will help you at all but my (self conceived pre assessment) coping mechanisms included -

Redirecting physical - For me id hit myself on the head a fair bit when i got stressed or overwhelmed. This used to cause all sorts of drama so i started repeating other actions that felt satisfying such as tapping my head, touching corners as i walked down corridors, playing air piano (i dont actually play piano but i find trying to hit the right imaginary keys distracting for some reason). These got so ingrained in my mind i found that most of the time when i got stressed or panicked i would go to these instead of the more destructive head blows. Not all the time but it made a big difference.

Situation cards - I freeze. a lot. the train is extra crowded. someone is being confrontational. social situation uncomfortable. I freeze and then first moment I am physically able i leg it, or if i cant do that i just freak out. It was always frustrating as when in calm moments I could see ways out of the situations or ways to deal with them better. So I wrote myself little cheat cards, about the size of a business card  with short bullet pointed actions for given situations. Now when my mind is screaming at me to flee i am on some occasions cognicant enough to look at the cards (I have them hidden in my phone case) . I use them as a mantra, repeating them in my head again and again, occasionally following my own advice but mostly just repeating in my head until im calmer.

I'll stop now, this response is already waaay too long. i hope it is of some help but either way good luck with your assessment and future

Hello and welcome to the forum! I have been diagnosed with Level 2 ASD. Please feel free to ask any questions and read my profile.

I too find it difficult to make friends easily, and uphold my end of a conversation for any length of time. I only seem to be able to connect through the written/typed word, rather than the spoken word.

I also tend to have meltdowns when I am frustrated or am overwhelmed. I know that this is a horrible feeling and it is difficult to control your emotions. Thankfully, the majority of the time I am calm, relaxed and nothing bothers me.

Have you tried writing something, such as a book or a script? That's what I tend to do when I start to feel overwhelmed, it's quite therapeutic.

With regards to being assessed...

When you speak to your GP, explain why you believe that you have Autism. They will then make a decision whether or not to pursue a diagnosis. After a certain amount of time (For me it was a month) I had to fill in a questionnaire (Tick-boxes), with regards to certain situations or symptoms. You then give that it and await the decision.

This can take time (A few weeks all the way up to a year), for me it was 10 months. If you GP it is worth getting a diagnosis, you will be given an appointment with your local Autism organisation. During the appointment, you will be asked questions about certain situations and reactions, you can bring someone with you to support you. After this, it can take a week or two to receive a report about the appointment. You will then get an appointment with a psychiatrist, they will then give you their diagnosis and advice on what to do now.

I hope that this helps.

Sounds like you are dealing with a lot. My melt downs tend to involve lots of crying. Sounds like you need to get a boxing bag so that you can vent in a way that doesn't hurt you. A diagnosis is a good step to understanding but it takes such a long time to get. In the meantime hopefully your doctor can find you someone to talk to and help you process everything. I really hope they are helpful.