Autism assessment

God that's awful!  How dare they start writing reports for you when you aren't being assessed.  That can't be ethical practice.  If you are being assessed it should only be because you know that you are in the assessment you asked for, not someone else's.  I hope you complained about that.  

I was diagnosed as not autistic at my first assessment. I would have presented similar to the way you describe, although my assessor was more polite and gave me more ideas about other diagnoses. This sent me down a blind alley of focusing on my poor mental health for years instead of the underlying cause i.e. autism.

I did eventually realise I was autistic, at which point I began reading everything I could get my hands on about autism and compiled a large Word document detailing why I thought I was autistic, showing every symptom I thought I had. Then I asked for a second assessment and this time was diagnosed as autistic.

IndigoMandala said:

I must say, at one point the assistant assessor actually fell asleep during my questionnaire/assessment. Unbelievable 

That's appalling. I would look into reporting that if possible- even without taking everything else you've said into account, you can't possibly have had a comprehensive and accurate assessment under those circumstances 

I’m just abit sensitive and traumatised, apparently this can be misconstrued and picked up as autism. Absolutely useless the nhs

i got put forward because mh detected it during a breakdown of my routine. I didn’t even think autism was anything like what I now know.

they really need to look into things as people having already been missed are then let down again. It’s negligent if this is happening to people. Life’s could be lost through people not having up to date knowledge 

I will do and thanks. Comments have helped me massively. 

Thanks I will have a look into the name and be good to find someone who knows their stuff

Thanks for the reply. Very similar to me. I will likely save up for a private consultation. It will be worth it otherwise I will spiral and just think about this until it’s resolved.

wish they never mentioned it but glad someone did as my life has been easier for me and my family with autism when I read up on it.

it explains a lot
To say now I’m just ‘a bit traumatised and sensitive’ is just a kick in the nuts.

I must say, at one point the assistant assessor actually fell asleep during my questionnaire/assessment. Unbelievable 

Autism isn't merely about not being able to do things. It is mostly to do with having to pay an unreasonable price in exhaustion, anxiety and poor mental health in order to do them, and keep doing them.

You need a second opinion.

They look at those things but so many autistic people are capable of them, and mostly a lot of it is to do with masking.

I can do a lot of that as well, the price I pay later is extreme fatigue and discomfort, but it doesn't make me any less autistic.

Don't let this deter you. Go for a second opinion.

Good luck.

That's just not good enough from them and is why I went private. Have they not heard of masking?! Or if someone has ADHD as well? Very outdated. I would recommend Sara Heath at Autonomy Plus who has just had a very long chat with me unpicking my traits, she would give you a much clearer idea of whether you were autistic or not.

My then teen daughters assessment outcome was the same. I always bleat on about it on here. We were just dismissed, even though it was blatantly obvious. I can’t describe how deflated my daughter was, and how her mental health went on a sharp, serious decline. And for me, I was numb, as I’d fought for years to get the assessment in the first place. They made me feel like I was a lair, and had exaggerated her symptoms. 
They knew I’d realised I was probably autistic at this point, and had the cheek to write me a ‘report’ at the same time they gave me hers! I wasn’t even being assessed! Basically, I can’t read it because it makes me feel angry, but she read it to me at the time. I remember a little. Basically I was fine, certainly not autistic, people were jealous of me because of how I look, hence the bullying behaviour I’d experienced, and because I came from an abusive home as a child, I just have trauma. I don’t give eye contact because I led a sheltered life. Wow. So true….not!

So, for you, I would assume you are autistic. You know you are anyway! You don’t need a professional to tell you that, but you do need a professional to recognise that, and diagnose you. I don’t know if you gave them things to read, covering all aspects of how you are affected? All the situations and experiences you’ve had. Because asking questions suited to a young male is not going to highlight anything, or make them aware of the steps you go through to hide and blend in. 

Think about a second opinion, but ultimately just seek out a private clinic where they, or one of the clinicians specialise in adult autism, or ‘special cases’ where they need better insight to look for the subtleties.

My blood is boiling for you as well as everyone else who keeps experiencing this s***!!

Hard to know what to say because my autism assessment was positive. I'd identified that myself, but had really good assessors who confirmed. They pro-actively looked for other explantations but were sure ASC was it. So, what I did was have a disco for one in my front room and celebrate - different from dealing with MH before that who were making everything worse.

I'd have accepted another explanation accounting for the sensory issues from my autism assessment, but they were sure. It makes sense and I am sure too.

Basically, I guess the shoes you are in are akin to mine before my assessment - everyone sees a problem, but no one is giving you any answers as to what it is and what to do with it. It's like the world is just spouting garbage at you before you find the truth.

I'd push  at MH until you get a concrete answer which sits well with you. I'm a big believer that none of us get better until we are looking at the truth and we do know the truth when we see it, whatever that may be.

If they are noting autistic traits but coming up with rubbish about eye contact, I'd really want that double checking. You might be autistic and they missed it, you might be otherwise neurodivergent and they missed it. If neither, what DO they think the problem is? They should be able to specify and it should make sense to you for it to be right.

They've missed something by the sounds of it and can't just leave it there, otherwise you'll sit in limbo forever without the support you deserve. Good luck!

Thanks this helps. Feel bad for other people who’ve had similar experiences. 

don’t get me wrong. I might not be autistic and I’m fine with that but.....I think they have missed things. Badly

What did you do after the assessment dawn? I’m basically in limbo really.  I completely think they have got me ‘wrong’. 

I tried explaining how I felt but said they can just tell? Also took into account my mums side. She didn’t really tell them anything. Self preservation really. 

also at the end there is recommendations for my work and it reads as autistic traits. Which they alluded too, everyone has. 

Absolutely!  Especially when they misdiagnose with something else.  I've had that... they trotted along with what they thought and then blamed me when it didn't work!  Meanwhile, looking back through the notes and my corres, I was so very clearly telling them about an autistic experience throughout without realising that was what I was describing, only for everything I said to be dismissed as delusional.

But hey!  Why listen to me? I was only the patient. Nothing I said had any relevance apparently, only their fixed ideas.

I just wish that clinicians who diagnose adults would take far more notice about what their patients tell them, and show a lot less misplaced confidence in their observational skills. Diagnosing a 4 year old is necessarily largely based on observation, but a 40 year old can tell a clinician much more about themselves than can be gleaned from any amount of looking at them. 

I was lucky, I went to the Lorna Wing Centre and they are experts in subtle presentations.  However, we've heard all the above before here and it really is quite disheartening.  I feel sorry for you.

One of two things is possible - the assessors are not upto date with current understanding and do not grasp that autistic people can have friends and can force themselves to make eye contact or approximate it by staring at another part of the face etc.  I wouldn't get the straight picture thing either because my Irlen's skews straight lines for me, I don't flap my hands, all my stims are in my feet and knees...the list goes on..., so they may not have been competent enough to spot any neurodivergence you have, be it autism or something akin.

The other possibility is that you aren't autistic and that something else is the cause of your difficulties.  I certainly would not be happy with a response that just said "dunno, maybe trauma".  If they don't think you are autistic they should have a more concrete explanation for you than that.  I'd be particularly upset by "dunno, maybe trauma" if they are also noting a childhood that does not seem to sound very "traumatic" to them.  It's not good enough, I think to conclude you aren't autistic without being able to give you another explanation that makes sense.

Sounds to me like you need a second opinion by someone who can look at all the possibilities; autism, an alternative neurodivergence, and alternative psychological explanation and tell you which.