I've been given a non-diagnosis by HEALIOS, what do I do now?

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. 

Parents
  • I would recommend looking at the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for autism (they are available online). Make a very detailed list of all your traits and experiences and distribute them into the diagnostic criteria headings, making sure you have at least one trait or experience for every necessary criterion. Take it with you to any assessment. It sounds very cold-blooded, but if they are treating it as a box-ticking exercise, then being able to tick all the boxes is an advantage.

Reply
  • I would recommend looking at the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for autism (they are available online). Make a very detailed list of all your traits and experiences and distribute them into the diagnostic criteria headings, making sure you have at least one trait or experience for every necessary criterion. Take it with you to any assessment. It sounds very cold-blooded, but if they are treating it as a box-ticking exercise, then being able to tick all the boxes is an advantage.

Children