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Getting diagnosed?

Somelegs

Hello hello I wanna ask some questions so I hope this is ok for me to put here...

So 1) I know online tests are pretty dodgy for accuracy but has anyone got experience of taking a test and then ended up getting diagnosed later? Was the test correct?

2) Is going to see if you get a diagnosis worth it if theres a chance you dont have it? Doctors are stressful!! Is it a relatively easy experience?

3) Are there benefits to getting a diagnosis even if you dont need extra support? Lots of sites all say it's mainly useful for getting support at work or if it affects your life considerably.

4) Are there downsides to getting a diagnosis? Maybe socially?

5) And is it common for people to have a number of the "listed symptoms" and not have autism at all? Most sites seem to follow up everything with "idk we might be wrong tho!" :/

Sorry if these are dumb questions!! Lots of sites have kinda vague answers to stuff like this that always seems to end in "just go see a doctor!!" 

Parents

  • Hi, I'm not diagnosed but I am going through the process so I can only answer from my own experience and from what I have found in my own research into the process.

    1/ From my understanding some of the tests are actually the same as or are based on those used by the professionals I've taken several myself after already deciding that I may be autistic and they all indicated that I have autistic traits. I've only spoken to my GP so far, who agreed to refer me and I'm currently waiting on my initial assessment so I'm not sure on how things are going to progress for me.

    2/ I wouldn't say it's easy, and the process seems to vary quite a bit depending on where abouts you are located. The advice I followed was to make a list of difficulties I had that made me suspect autism, and then speak to my GP about it. Doctors are quite stressful, so it's probably a good idea to prepare for a referral appointment! I thought I had prepared but then I lost my train of thought, tripped over my words and rambled. But I did share my list of issues with my doctor and did an AQ10 test with my doctor and he made the referral. 

    3/ I guess this depends. Personally, I feel that a diagnosis would give me a peace of mind that the issues I've had all my life actually have a reason behind them. It might make it easier for me to request reasonable adjustments at work without feeling like I'm being an inconvenience for no reason, but I've got through life this far without any specialist support.

    4/ I'm not sure about that one myself, but you don't have to disclose your diagnosis to people if you don't want to. 

    5/ From my understanding everybody is different, and autism shares traits that also show up in a lot of other conditions, but that's partly why websites always say that if you are concerned you should get seen professionally, because it is so varied.

    But as I say, I'm not professional myself, and I don't have a diagnosis at the moment and I'm still pretty new to all of this so I can't speak for everybody.

  • in reply to AJ

    Ahh thank you! This is really helpful, thanks for the detail

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