Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
I'm a 24 year old cis-female. I was referred to Healios by my GP for ASD assessment after asking for an ADHD assessment (still on NHS waiting list).
Process was very quick from referral to the final report but I was given no diagnosis for ASD. I scored more than triple the threshold on the RAADS-R screening but hit non of the markers for the DSM-5. This is incredibly frustrating and now I feel like I'm back to square one.
I was unable to speak to my parents or use them as informants as I'm no contact with them.
I had an appointment with Healios on Tuesday to discuss the outcome of my assessment.
My assessor told me that although I show a lot of autistic traits and scored 204 on the RAADS-R screening, I hit none of the markers for the DSM-5. She told me that my experiences in childhood and adolescence (neglectful & abusive parents, moving during adolescence, abusive and manipulative relationships, being 'quirky') could be a cause of my current behaviours and traits, and while I don't disagree that I hold a lot of unresolved trauma, I don't necessarily agree that I'm not autistic. She also told me that my experiences point towards ADHD and she's mentioned this in my report to pass on to the ND team I'm working with.
I told her that I feel that I'm so efficient at masking that I've become a hindrance to myself.
I understand co-morbidities and similarities between ASD and ADHD but I just feel like I've slipped through the net.
Trauma is a big thing for professionals to use to deflect the true issue. And obviously, many autistic people do have past trauma. It’s oar for the course. ADHD can be similar, but I’m thinking if you identify and know you are autistic, you’ll need to get a second opinion, a private assessment, or just stay self diagnosed. Often times, they see you as functioning, and will say no. Or it’s down to their budget how many people they give a diagnosis to. Again, it’s often about how they ask you the questions during assessment. If they don’t ask the right way, you won’t give the answers they need to tick off the markers in the DSM 5.
I ‘knew’ my daughter was; they said she wasn’t. I knew I was, but I was told by a professional (not in an assessment), that I certainly couldn’t be autistic, and that everything was attributed to my upbringing, and other people, bullying me as a teen. Bull. We then both went through a lengthy private assessment to get a result, that quite frankly, has made life more bearable.