Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
PLEASE I have an upcoming assessment outcome meeting this upcoming Wednesday and need tips on how to prepare for it, to make the most of the 30-45 min call.
PLEASE HELP! i need tips, guidance, quesitons to ask etc at the outcome meeting as have been waiting years for this assessmeent and dont have anyone attending with me.
Thank you in advance!
SOME DETAILS ABOUT MY CASE & ADVICE I NEED:
- Assessors came to conclusion very soon after my assessments.
- I was referred for assessmnent as i seem to show female traits of ADHD and hence may have associated ASD. I dont think i have autism but aparently am reading that you only get diagnosied if symptoms are severe enough - not enough to have symptoms themselves. i find this is odd! what if you've been masking even withouht realising to ensure you're great at things - not the outsider - or the "thick" one etc.
If i get a negative diagnosis, is this because my ASD traits dont cover ALL categories (e.g dont think im obsessive, and no issues with authority, but do have "masked" building & MAINTAINING relationships/friendships issues, and can ave very strong opions/morals, NEED a template/order etc to enable me to draft a document etc)?
Can i still have "mild" autism for which i can get some guidance/advice/tips /tools, that will help me a) in PERSONAL aspects of my life (relationships, how to organise activities/work so head is clearer, etc), b). in the WORKPLACE (i.e. to ask for "Reasonable Adjustments" more dove-tailed to MY need (to avoid workplace prejudice and instead get some simple but effective adjustments for "office" work e.g. ways of working, how to give me tasks, giving me more structure etc) - These being my MAIN REASONS for asking for diagnoses after a coma a few years back) as i started to notice i could no longer MASK the extra work i was doing to "behaive" exceptionally well at work, especially with being at home (so no one to copy/mimic from)?
i fi DONT have ASD at all, can i ask for any other support or sing-posting etc. or is that it? my famiy dont remember me as a child, so i cant get a FORMAL diagnosis anyway, even for Mild/moderate autism. my younger bro is the severest end of Autism & learning disabilities so is non-verbal but IS quite well behavied and displays many NON-typical autistic traits (in that way, like me, as siblings). This is WHY i believe i am NOT autistic at all compared to him.
Thanks so much - all adice welcome. I've looked so much that i am word-blind right now so want to hear form ASD people themselves! :)
Hi I am the same. I get my results tomorrow morning and am beside myself worrying about it. Anyway good luck and I hope it all goes ok for you .I will write questions down ready I think as I know my mind will go blank or I will babble and go off track, one or the other
thank you so much. I am currently going through an extremely challenging time with a former employer (hint hint) related to help for these kinds of "disabilities", so i really do need some hints and tips as only sleeping for a couple of hours a night just to be able to cope with upcoming major "events" when I just feel like i dont have the extra support I need (but dont even know how to articualte the help i need because i dont have confirmed if i do have ADHD, with ASD or without).
Oddly enough, the ASD assessment has come around sooner (around 3-5 years later!) but person who would do the ADHD assessment, i think is trying her best to STOP it happening so using other experiences ive had an an excuse to suggest i dont have ADHD even before undertaking ANY assessment.
if you are "high performing" or "normal achiever" i.e. GREAT AT MASKING, or have HAD TO MASK since early childhood (having been accused of being a liar when reaching out for help for something else quite serious!) , these assessment centres dont seem to want to diagnose you. Im fine with NOT being ASD, but i still need some clarity on what the isseus are then (because they DO cover some/may categories here).
Thanks
I am the same great at masking, but had total burn out last year as I just ran out of energy to keep masking, I was very poorly and almost hospitalised. Anyway long story short, I felt the same at my assessment, but as I had one practical assessment and then the interview assessment, with 2 different people it helped as 2 opinions combined. I was thinking the worse but I got my diagnosis today and it was confirmed diagnosis of autism and cptsd. So what I am trying to say in a long babble, is just be you and tell them all your struggles and try ( i know hard) not to overthink it. I wrote down all my issues from childhood to now and examples of the quirky things I do, and it was handy to refer to at the assessment. Good Luck
Thansk so much. i also have C-PTSD and your statements really resonate with me.
Im so muddle about all my struggles that i now go blank when i have to answer and also go WAY OFF tangent. In short, i must be a nightmare to asses, especially as my siblings dont remember me as a child so i couldt even get a Formal diangisis anyway (no way of knowing my childhood issues).
A lot of neglect and me being left along due to age gap i suspect. I had speeach isuses but others "made sure" i was the very brights and confident one! However everything now crashing down on me and dont know how to cope with small talk/chit chat. Ive lost ALL my skills (i used to mask really well, emulating very confident successful people), but now feel a mess.
Thanks again. Wishing you all the best! :)