Published on 12, July, 2020
This morning I received a call from the Psychologist at the NHS Assessment Team. He wanted to tell me that they had diagnosed me with ASD and to get my feelings about this before they sent the report to me. I couldn't really answer his questions because I didn't know how I felt about it or what exactly was ASD. He said up until recently I would have received a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, but the terminology had changed in recent times. Now, it is known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It's one thing going for the assessment and toying with the idea, it's an other thing being diagnosed and told you have autism. It feels as if the world has just shifted under my feet.***edited***
Is that exclusive? How are you, O?
I looked it up after you said that the W.H.O puts it at around 1 in every 270 people have ASD
Welcome to the most exclusive club on planet Earth!
I actually like that I didn't look at it that way, thanks :)
That is a beautiful way to put it :)
Haven't really got anything useful to say except I am 'with' you. What I mean is... I can understand what you describe - the difference between the idea and the confirmation. It's different. Go easy on yourself as you process it. You're not alone.
O said:it's like I'm moving further and further away from who I was.
You haven't changed - you've just been given the keys to who you are.
Well I did a lot of research before I even sought a diagnosis and I pretty self diagnosed myself and then I went and got a formal assessment to see if I was right and I still research now just because I want to learn as much as I can about myself. I feel like I'm very much a different person now than to who I was before my diagnosis so it's all part of me finding out who I am.
I've been having a lot of "ohhh so that's an autistic thing" moments since my assessment that I do, that before I wouldn't even even think about, I just almost catch myself doing things and being like "oh so that's an autism" it's kind of cool because I'm understanding who I am more but also it is a bit jarring because it's like I'm moving further and further away from who I was. I don't like sounding all "deep" but that's the best way I can describe it, so I'm just trying to learn to accept that and move forwards and so far I feel like I'm moving forwards to good place rather than a bad one.
Now, I have to figure out what the hell it actually means!
haha yes you are I thought the same when I got my diagnosis, its both freeing and extremely thought provoking at the same time :D
I'm officially neurodiverse!
:)
yes i went into shock because i was there for a different reason ........not autism !....... anyway here we are
i cant remember a thing from the talk either ----- they got very concerned because i couldnt speak ----- yes everything went into a blurr ------ all i have are the leaflets they gave me. This is why they want to talk again.
That is such a good idea i could have done with that.. I do intend to go back to thank the people who helped me because they were so nice to me. .
Thank you. That's very kind of you.
Hi Tassimo,
Welcome to the 'club' I'm newly diagnosed too, I'm still processing it. The terminology was changed in 2013 in case you actually wanted to know the date.
The forum has been great for me just to speak to people who understand, I'm looking forward to reading more from you :)
That's normal - as emotional content increases, your ability to recall reduces - e-mail is easier to process - it gives you time to decipher the text before replying.
Yes, he did... I think... I'm sure he said that he would include some useful websites (this being one, but I already new about it from a friend) in the assessment report and that the local authority would be in touch to offer some post diagnostic support. To be honest, I can't remember half the things he said. I felt like I was in a car accident and everything was going in slow motion.
did they mention levels and recommend any post diagnostic support meetings ?
yes it can be a shock so they just want to chat with you to reassure you that they are still there and maybe point you into any post diagnostic groups or meetings