Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
My informant completed the ADI-R today, and they called me when it finished and told me what they had said. A lot of things don’t match up to my experience - for example, they said I can carry out small talk (I struggle massively with this), that sounds didn’t bother me as a child (I used to run away from the hoover/cover my ears, and would cry during storms because of the noise) and that I don’t mimic people (I’ve been doing this my whole life, to the extent even my accent can change). I scored over the threshold for all areas, except for 1.
I feel I strongly identify with a lot of autism traits, and when my informant told me the assessor felt a lot of my symptoms sound like social anxiety, I don’t think this matches me, I feel it’s more than that. I found my ADOS-2 assessment so overwhelming, I couldn’t complete some activities as I got so stressed I cried.
Does anyone have experience with below threshold ADI-R scores and still getting a diagnosis? Until today, I was convinced I’d be diagnosed, now I’m not so sure.
Thanks.
My mum filled out one form and that was the full extent of her involvement with my assessment, but the scoring on that was below the threshold. It didn't stop me from getting a diagnosis, because the assessors prioritised my own memories of childhood and understood that my biggest struggles were at school, where my mum couldn't see them.
It sounds like you've been able to provide some information about your childhood too, so I imagine they'll take that into consideration, especially since they've observed you in person too.
Thank you for your response. I did manage to do that, and I filled out the questionnaires in as much detail as I possibly could, practically short essays. Hopefully they’ll see enough of my perspective.