Dentists and a bit more of my jumbled life.

Bless you Roy. Ditto with a lot in your description. Doctors and dentists created medical phobias which now make it difficult to get medical treatment. Thoes were the traumas that mental health failed to understand, until my little autistic brain did what it does best; played tenacious detective until it cracked the problem of my own autism.

Meanwhile, the dental care I've had over the past three years has been under 'Special Care Dentistry' and these guys and gals will be your answer. 

Special Care are an NHS service who treat all sorts of people who find dentistry difficult, from NTs with simple dental anxiety to people with learning or physical disabilities which make conventional dentists problematic, also children and adults with ASD.

My initial referral to them was for simple dental phobia. But as I went through meltdown after meltdown over sensory things no one could wrap their head around, they exercised the patience of Jobe. 

Whilst the mental health services blamed me and put me in the bin, my lovely dentist NEVER gave up on me. As soon as I twigged I might be autistic, she recognised it. She'd seen those behaviours before. Now that I have a diagnosis, we have a plan to help me. We know what we're dealing with now. I did say to her that she was a better psychologist than anyone in the mental health services.

Some of the big hospitals also have specialist dental depts. to treat people with autism that work closely with local Special care.

I'd ask for a referral to them, you'll be in good hands and no one will judge. If talking is a problem, why not write to your GP and ask for one.  I only wish there were a Special Care Unit for all the other types of medical care I struggle with.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Hi, Thank you for your really helpful reply. I do exactly the same as you and everything has to go under the microscope.

I’ve just remembered that I actually ended up in hospital with dehydration, I was that traumatised I stopped eating, drinking and shutdown. I was just shy, quiet, sensitive?

Shyness is a aversion to something with anxiety.

I’m going to get my diagnosis first as I feel like a fraud. I am definitely autistic, I could write a book on my traits and issues.

Im having to go private as I can’t wait for another 2 years for nhs diagnosis.

Im going to use a place called Oxford Autism, they are on the recommended list with NAS. When you were diagnosed, What sort of things am I likely to be asked? Should I make notes before hand. How many people are there likely to be in the room? I’m finding the whole thing very daunting but know I must push on.

Thanks again.

Hi, Thank you for your really helpful reply. I do exactly the same as you and everything has to go under the microscope.

I’ve just remembered that I actually ended up in hospital with dehydration, I was that traumatised I stopped eating, drinking and shutdown. I was just shy, quiet, sensitive?

Shyness is a aversion to something with anxiety.

I’m going to get my diagnosis first as I feel like a fraud. I am definitely autistic, I could write a book on my traits and issues.

Im having to go private as I can’t wait for another 2 years for nhs diagnosis.

Im going to use a place called Oxford Autism, they are on the recommended list with NAS. When you were diagnosed, What sort of things am I likely to be asked? Should I make notes before hand. How many people are there likely to be in the room? I’m finding the whole thing very daunting but know I must push on.

Thanks again.

Hi again Roy,

Firstly, your dentistry doesn't have to wait for an autism diagnosis. Special care will deal with it just on the basis of your childhood traumas with dentists, but do be open with them about the fact that you are waiting on an assessment for autism. That way, they'll be on the look out for sensory issues and know what's going on if you do go into melt down or shut down and know what to do.

As for the assessment; there are different methods and approaches to this but I'd expect there to be at least two assessors and for them to be probing the criteria on the DSM 5; the social and communication bit, and the repetitive behaviour bit and sensory issues. Google DSM5.

I would collect together any old school reports you have, any old diaries if you have them, any mental health reports if you have those. If you have older relatives who can't come to the assessment but have memories of you as a child, make as many notes about what they observed as possible. Old photos or video of you as a kid might reveal something.

Think in advance about your friendships. How did you make friends or not; social situations which didn't go too well. Your jobs - which ones suited you, which made you miserable and why, How are you in interviews?

What interests you and why? - I went though an 18 month obsession with crocheted socks; speifically crochet, with a specific yarn type and ALL I would crochet was socks. I designed my own too. Everyone got socks whether they needed them or not and my sock yarn stash was huge. I photographed all that for the assessors. If you've got an extensive collection of anything, or an obsessive hobby of any kind, photograph it so they can see the extent of that.

Certainly, start listing everything that irritates your senses or makes you anxious. Conversly, anything that gives you intense sensory pleasure? They will definately want to know about that episode with the dentist and the below in hospital. How were you with food as a kid and now? Clothes? Sport? Anything you excelled at. What's public transport like for you?

Is there anything in life that just must be a certain way for you? Any stimming, verbal tricks?

How did you learn to talk/walk?

The list goes on, but be very detailed. It's the one time a psychologist appreciated the detail I gave her. Hey! We do detail, right? And it really helped them that I put so much work into collecting the details for them. They will welcome the detail.