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When seeking a diagnosis is it essential to have input from someone who knew me in childhood?

Don Rocinante
6 hours ago

Thanks to everyone who responded to my previous question. I got looks of helpful answers.

My next question is about having an assessment. 

I have read that assessments ask for information from someone who knew me when I was a child. My problem is that I can't think of anyone who I could ask to do this. There are reasons why I don't not think either of my parents would be suitable options.

Is it a necessary part of an assessment for diagnosis to have information from someone who knew me in childhood? Is it even worth bothering asking my GP about seeking diagnosis if I know that when they ask me about this I already know there is no one to ask?

Parents
  • 5 hours ago

    The diagnostic classification standards for autism do specifically refer to symptoms being present during childhood:

    • Under the DSM-V criteria (which Psychiatry UK, for example, used last year when assessing me): "Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life)." 

    • Under the other major guidelines, ICD-11, essential / required criteria include: "The onset of the disorder occurs during the developmental period, typically in early childhood, but characteristic symptoms may not become fully manifest until later, when social demands exceed limited capacities."

    I have limited memories of my childhood. Something that helped me enormously in preparing for my assessment was requesting a copy of my full medical records from my GP. They provided me with photocopies, including everything from my archived paper records (which are transferred between practices if and when we change GPs).

    This helped in two ways. Firstly, it prompted various forgotten - and relevant - memories to resurface. Secondly, it provided hard, third-party evidence from various stages of my childhood. To share just one example from mine: there was clear evidence of sensory sensitivities that had proved an issue during physical examinations.

Reply
  • 5 hours ago

    The diagnostic classification standards for autism do specifically refer to symptoms being present during childhood:

    • Under the DSM-V criteria (which Psychiatry UK, for example, used last year when assessing me): "Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life)." 

    • Under the other major guidelines, ICD-11, essential / required criteria include: "The onset of the disorder occurs during the developmental period, typically in early childhood, but characteristic symptoms may not become fully manifest until later, when social demands exceed limited capacities."

    I have limited memories of my childhood. Something that helped me enormously in preparing for my assessment was requesting a copy of my full medical records from my GP. They provided me with photocopies, including everything from my archived paper records (which are transferred between practices if and when we change GPs).

    This helped in two ways. Firstly, it prompted various forgotten - and relevant - memories to resurface. Secondly, it provided hard, third-party evidence from various stages of my childhood. To share just one example from mine: there was clear evidence of sensory sensitivities that had proved an issue during physical examinations.

Children
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