I think many of you are just as pissed off at life as I am.

I just took a little bit of time (well several decades actually) to find constructive ways of expressing it. 

Everything out there in normie land is a "system" and just like a hydraulic or other system it can be learned and tinkered with.

I may get tongue tied and confused about social stuff, but once you identify the levers of control, an Autist is just as capable of pulling it, as any one else.

I've a tee short my kid bought me and it says "Weaponised Autism"...

Don't get me started...

Yes - I pay for the NHS, over and over, and every time they tell me to go away there's nothing wrong with you , just keep crucifying yourself at some job and make yourself worse - so you can pay more tax to pay for us to tell you to go away again...

I pay/have paid for everything twice over. The harder I tried at work, the more money they gave me to compensate for not having a life

All because I cannot stand there and say "I deserve this" / "I am entitled to this"

I think, unfortunately, that relatively few autistic people are as assertive as you.

Questions about delusions sounds more like the suicide checklists I have been asked a few times. 

I am a woman and was diagnosed in December too. 

I got my NHS waiting period down by being "pushy", turned up at the GP's having already got evidence from the asperger test site that I was on the spectrum, and pretty much demanded the adult AQ test. So I got a quick referral to the trick cyclist.

As soon as one party started saying the other had not sent the paperwork though, I escalated it immediately to the regional authority via a formal complaint. I got my trick cyclist appointment real quick... As I pointed out, I was NOT going to spend months in "limbo"...  

This might be just their day job, but it's my LIFE...

As you may have read elsewhere, I'm not a fan of the NHS way of doing things. THEY WORK FOR ME, it's not the other way round. 

I have an NHS diagnosis. I have a partner of 21 years, graduated university, have been in continuous employment/education for 20 years and have a 9 year old child.

I recommend you see another doctor in the practice either a young doctor, locum or one you know is more open minded. I took a list of traits and details of who to refer me to. Good luck. 

It obviously didn't for me. You do have to do some homework and find a suitably qualified person. My psychiatrist specialised in ASD and ADHD in children and adults. I also had a screening AQ test before I was accepted for assessment and before I coughed up any money. I had a wait of a little over 3 weeks from applying to having an assessment. The average wait from GP referral to assessment on the NHS was 315 days, before Covid.

wouldnt the private diagnosis make the same mistake and assumptions though and thus make you lose your money?

Well, I have been diagnosed as autistic, by a consultant psychiatrist, and I have 3 university degrees, am recently retired after 36 years of work, mostly in scientific research, have presented work at conferences and symposia to audiences of up to 300 people, been married for 25 years and have never met a social worker (that I know of). I think your GP is a patent idiot!

PS If you have about £900 available, you can bypass the GP entirely and get a private diagnosis.

Dont know if this will help but I was a gp for 15 years. I have also recently been diagnosed as autistic.

No excuse but there is widespread ignorance about autism among medical professionals. Being upfront, before my light bulb moment I was prob almost as ignorant. There are over 30,000 diseases and conditions humans get and more being discovered all the time so not a shocker really, esp when you think that professionals even in the neurodevelopmental world are still missing women who mask etc

However What there is no excuse for is the the fact that he dismissed you. What he should have done is say "I have to honest this is a condition I am unfamiliar with and if it's okay I'll do some reading about it and find out what the best way forward is then get back to you." That's what I would have done,  you have every right to be furious.

What I would do is see another doctor in the practice, pick one you like avoid the other guy as he clearly doesnt know his limitations. Do the brief AQ before you go and if you have any trouble tell them that the NICE guideline, 

(Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management

suggests referral to an autism service if you score more than 6/10 on the short AQ. NICE guidelines are the UK's evidence based guidelines all doctors should aim to follow, so they will know what you're talking about. If you can be bothered read the guideline yourself.

I'd prob go in gently mind sometimes you catch more flies with honey....

Hear hear. That last line particularly..

I agree. Keep talking to GPs until you find one who is knowledgeable of adult ASD. I am yet to go down the path of being formally assessed, but when I do, I won't be shut down by a GP. 

Ive heard similar stories from people seeking all kinds of diagnosis. They know themselves or their children much better than a person who spends 5 minutes a year with them. 

This has happened quite often to most of us who have managed to get to adulthood without a diagnosis, What I suggest is you seek seconded opinion with another GP who has up to date training in Learning Disabilities & Mental Health You can request this when making your appointment. Apparently every GP surgery is suppose to have one doctor with the training for mental health and learning disabilities. Bring someone else along to the appointment as the GP will less likely to dismiss the you. If the doctor says "their is no point", then follow up with " I know that I am not typical, its affecting my day to day life and I would like to explore as it is quite possible I have autism so i can get a better understanding of myself and how to develop coping mechanism that work for me" .

A GP does not have the legal obligation to gate keep you from being assessed and has to at your request. you also have the right to choose who where you want to be assessed because their are two main route for under 25 year olds including CAMHS team which I highly recommended avoiding and your distracts Community Health and Care NHS Trust. If that fails their is the right to choose option where you have to find a assessor who operates under the NHS right to choose like physiatry UK. 

True!  Sad, but true!

The only one I trusted just left our practice and now I'm too scared to talk to any of them. They don't know my background, so just snap at me.

i had a somewhat similar disvalidating experience you may remember my post from a while back - "horrific experience with autistic specialist"

what this person told you is UNTRUE. autism is primarily a "hidden" difference and there are so many myths about it. autistic people are simply people of a unique nuerotype - different to 95% of humans. they are no "rules" about what an autistic person can or cannot do, since there is no evidence autism is even a condition or disorder. everything people think about autism is completely based on a negative narrative focused on "deficits" comparing autistics to Nuerotypicals negatively, based purely on observations, which are inherently flawed as it's a outside in view rather than an inside out one. that's not to say there aren't deficits, but they are not what defines autism or autistic people. being misunderstood, forced to live a Nuerotypical lifestyle, being bullied, never fitting in, not understanding nuerotypical people - that is the experience of it - along with potentially massive strengths.

i am doing a degree and am autistic. i have learned to drive and am autistic. i have a unique set of strengths which only autistic people have. 

elon musk is autistic. bill gates is. mozart is. they all suffered for being different but have achieved great things. my dad is autistic. my mum is autistic. autistic people also suffer for being autistic, primarily due to it being a disability. it is primarily this due to society not understanding, rather than it being a disability in its own right.

there is no such thing as a "bit autistic" it is simply a completely different brain. yes there are similarities to not autistic people- but they are simply due to us both being of the species homo sapiens.

if a not autistic person would read about autism they would not notice it Because they are not autistic. because they cannot understand the experience of being autistic it is easy for them to say it's all in your head leading you feeling conflicted. i encourage you to trust your inner "litmus paper". what feels right to you. no reading or thinking about anything can change your neurology - only help you discover it. if you feel you are autistic you probably are.

online is the best place to find accurate info about autism- websites like nueroclasic, youtubers like the nuerodivergent rebel, are all trustable as they run by autistic people. anything by not autistic people will either be nonsense or somewhat accurate but missing the point. the nhs has some good info about autism which is accurate. 

Who needs to change their G.P? It's not like you ever get to see the same one twice in a row these days..

Your GP is frighteningly ill informed if he thinks all people with ASD are permanently depended on carers and never get an education. And if you do get a diagnosis this GP is hardly best placed to support you from there.

I'd advise changing your GP.

As I found out, you need to get a separate diagnosis for ADHD, if you ask for help for that side of your spectrum.. 

I would definitely make up the better prepared list of traits you mentioned in a format that can easily be emailed or incorporated into a letter to go on your file and get a second opinion. Sounds like the GP you saw has a very outdated view of autism. This is what holds me back from seeking a diagnosis the idea that you can’t be diagnosed if you have any “successes” in life. Good luck to you, shame the ADHD team can’t get involved as it often runs hand in hand with autism