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***
did they mention levels and recommend any post diagnostic support meetings ?
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.
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.