Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
I had my ASD assessment this morning and was told that I am not autistic because I only meet 2 out of the 3 criteria for a diagnosis. I originally scored 45 out of 50 for the AQ50 and I really felt like I was going to be diagnosed wih ASD.
The one that I failed at was to do with habits, routines and dealing with change etc. At the time of the assessment I didn't really think that much into this side of things because I have always been more focused on the socialisation side of ASD.
I don't really like to do anything other than stay at home and don't have any special interests other than films/tv so I never really thought about whether I have routines or habits. There are little things I like to do and I struggle with ambiguous instructions but other than that, I can't think of any other routine type things.
I was just wondering if anyone has had a similar issue or any advice? I don't know whether I should contact psychiatry UK to just let them know of the things I have thought about now but I don't want them to think I am making it up because I failed the examination. Sorry for the long post.
Between the assessment and the feedback to your GP, they should be compiling a report and should be specifying what they think the problem is if you are not autistic.
In this window I most certainly would send them any additional information you think may have been overlooked. They won't think you are making it up, you can just say that you are concerned some information might have been missing from the process and you are very keen to be reassured that whatever the answer is, it is the right one based on all the facts.
The diagnostic process isn't perfect and not all clinicians have their training uptodate. There are three possible scenarios here: a) you are autistic, but the clinicians have misunderstood something or did not have sufficient information, b) whilst it is nonsense that "everyone is a bit autistic" there are individuals who have an elevated number of traits but fall just short of a diagnosis as the criteria stand - you could be one of those c) your experiences are better explained by something else whether to do with mental health or the development of your brain, another form of neurodivergence, perhaps.
If the clinicians remain adamant that you aren't autistic, I would next ask them what they think is responsible for your characteristics and experiences. Have a good look at that and see if with an open mind you think it fits. If it doesn't, you may need a second opinion.