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Excited and nervous about assessment

Spreadsheets&Pizza

I got some really good news today that my assessment has been booked for next month and whilst I'm really excited to potentially get some of the answers that I've been looking for, I'm doing my usual thing of worrying about all the things that could go wrong - what if I forget to mention important things, what if the person/people doing the assessment don't spot some of the things they should....worst of all what if they say that I'm not autistic?? An autism diagnosis seems like it fits all of the issues I have and I'm hoping that is the diagnosis I get because if it's not then I'm not a regular autistic person I'm a really weird neuro typical so f*** knows where I start with figuring out all my issues.

Any advice on how to tell my overactive worry brain to shut the F up for the next few weeks?  

  • I expect the trained assessor will look to put you at ease. They should probably send ~5 questionnaires prior to the meeting and one of those is for someone who knows you well or even a parent when you were a child (if you are okay with that). Assessments in children is easier than adults given the masking and other environmental factors that continue to influence you as you mature.

    Other indicators are the Medical Conditions Associated with Autism · Gastrointestinal (GI) problems · Epilepsy · Feeding issues · Disrupted sleep · Attention-deficit/hype.

    Also excessive worry and anxiety are fairly common too :-)

    So maybe think about 'what's the worse that can happen' and then put in a box (easier said than done). So for you that may be 'okay i I do not have autism but clearly i am neurodivergent, so exploring those ADHD, Highly sensitive etc might be appropriate but the assessor can probably advise you on good next steps either way.

    All the best

  • In terms of worrying about forgetting things, you could take a list of things you want to say.  You can also bring up anything you think is relevant that they don't ask about.  I actually made a long list (six pages!) of stuff I wanted to say and was able to email it to them after the first assessment.

  • That's really good news! I get where you are coming from though, as I would be feeling the same way.  I haven't even had the chat with my GP yet, I need to brace myself for that. My way of coping with the stress from overthinking things is to chant. In my case it's the Hare Krishna maha mantra, but anything suits. Singing the same lines of a favourite song over and over to yourself would work. Also cold water swimming is good for settling the mind. I live on the coast so I do it when the tide, weather and daylight is favourable.