Verbal Communication & Social Interaction .

I have good verbal skills this was picked up at assessment but they said during exchanges I gave too much or not enough information. I've never had any physical speech problems.  I also feel that I have to constsntly work things out and interaction is not intuitive. Don't doubt yourself, stick with going for an assessment because it'll come back to you at some point in the future...the need to get assessed.

Thanks for your encouragement. Did you go private ?

Yes I did becase i mask very well and didn't think id be believed. I had an ADOS ASSESSMENT and a developmental assessment / interview. It was expensive but worth every penny. I got a really lengthy report which explained how I met the ados criteria and reflected on my experiences from the developmental interview. It also detailed recommendations.  It was all spot on.

I was actually on the NHS waiting list at the time and had completed the developmental interview. No disrespect to the NHS staff who carried this out but the private one was more in depth...Obviously this is just one experience of assessmemt.

I wanted to cancel my private appointment several times but my partner encouraged me to stay on track. I went into it with an open mind but I'm so glad I did it. It's helped me understand so much more and given insight into things which I hadn't really considered.

People who feel relatively normal, who don't question their place in social interactions, don't go looking for reasons why they feel different. If you feel different it's probably because you are.

Sorry it's a bit of a rambling post. I'm trying to show you I felt similar to you pre assessment.

Another edit - I got diagnosed with ASC subtype Aspergers (altho it's going out of use they said it still best describes the characteristics I showed). I think previously for "classic autism" there were speech and language delays but not for Aspergers. Now it all comes under the umbrella of ASC for both. I think!

Thanks out_of_step. That's very useful to know. 

I would hope, if you are parting with a lot of money, they would do both types of assessment. I was worried I had read so much about autism that it would  influence what I'd said in thr developmental history but all I did was give concrete examples from my own experience.  They even gleaned other information which I hadn't considered from this. The people who i saw were extremely knowledgeable and aware of the nuances within presentations of autism so we're able to ask the right questions.

The ADOS....is probably difficult to influence as its a very surreal experience. It confirmed what I thought about myself plus other stuff. It gave more meaning to my report as it was the judgement of two professionals against some set standards. This means I cannot doubt my diagnosis (which has happened a couple of times).  It really really helped me understand how I operate around other people.

For me, I had been searching for a long time as to why I felt different.  This involved looking for answers in my own head long before Google came along. None of my friends have ever considered themselves to be on the spectrum because they obviously don't feel "different" enough for it to cause problems. (Anxiety being the main one!)

It's not rambling at all. It's very helpful to me. Are those 2 types of assessments the standard in the private sector or is this something extra so to speak you felt you needed ?

Unknown said:

People who feel relatively normal, who don't question their place in social interactions, don't go looking for reasons why they feel different. If you feel different it's probably because you are.

I'm glad you said this. It really hit home for me. 

It's not rambling at all. It's very helpful to me. Are those 2 types of assessments the standard in the private sector or is this something extra so to speak you felt you needed ?

Unknown said:

People who feel relatively normal, who don't question their place in social interactions, don't go looking for reasons why they feel different. If you feel different it's probably because you are.

I'm glad you said this. It really hit home for me. 

Thanks out_of_step. That's very useful to know. 

I would hope, if you are parting with a lot of money, they would do both types of assessment. I was worried I had read so much about autism that it would  influence what I'd said in thr developmental history but all I did was give concrete examples from my own experience.  They even gleaned other information which I hadn't considered from this. The people who i saw were extremely knowledgeable and aware of the nuances within presentations of autism so we're able to ask the right questions.

The ADOS....is probably difficult to influence as its a very surreal experience. It confirmed what I thought about myself plus other stuff. It gave more meaning to my report as it was the judgement of two professionals against some set standards. This means I cannot doubt my diagnosis (which has happened a couple of times).  It really really helped me understand how I operate around other people.

For me, I had been searching for a long time as to why I felt different.  This involved looking for answers in my own head long before Google came along. None of my friends have ever considered themselves to be on the spectrum because they obviously don't feel "different" enough for it to cause problems. (Anxiety being the main one!)