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Does an official diagnosis help

GreenGardener

Hi. I have been seeing a therapist for about two and a half years now. We have recently been talking about my possible autism. My therapist has said that although she can't diagnose me, my charatiristics/ things that I struggled with would probably be categorised as autism. I have done research myself  and through speaking with family members, think I am autistic.

Is going through with a proper diagnosis worth the appointment s and stress? I am conflicted, some family members are encouraging me to peruse it, others think it's enough that I know myself and can get help in other ways. 

Did getting a official autism diagnosis help other people?

Parents

  • 'Getting the paperwork' was very useful for me. 

    It's mostly about seeking support. Instead of having to go 'I have problems with x,y,z,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h whatever, and I have a GP letter explaining them each individually' I can go: 'I'm autistic, here's my documentation showing that. I need this support'. It helps the paperwork for things like my university accommodations, DSA, accommodations for hospital appointments, and some work and volunteering accommodations, go through more smoothly. 

    It also meant that I had a better framework to look at what my issues were and how to help manage them myself. I could look for tailored resources, and it also helped the other professionals I worked with (e.g. my university nurse and the university mental health team) understand how to support me better.

    It also gave me a lot more confidence to ask for help. It felt like I was allowed to. So when an opportunity came up but it would have to involve flying alone, I had the confidence to book airport assistance. Previously I would just never have flown by myself and wouldn't have taken the opportunity. It also allowed me to feel more confident using a sunflower lanyard on things like public transport. A diagnosis isn't required for either of these things, but having it allowed me personally to feel comfortable doing so.

Reply

  • 'Getting the paperwork' was very useful for me. 

    It's mostly about seeking support. Instead of having to go 'I have problems with x,y,z,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h whatever, and I have a GP letter explaining them each individually' I can go: 'I'm autistic, here's my documentation showing that. I need this support'. It helps the paperwork for things like my university accommodations, DSA, accommodations for hospital appointments, and some work and volunteering accommodations, go through more smoothly. 

    It also meant that I had a better framework to look at what my issues were and how to help manage them myself. I could look for tailored resources, and it also helped the other professionals I worked with (e.g. my university nurse and the university mental health team) understand how to support me better.

    It also gave me a lot more confidence to ask for help. It felt like I was allowed to. So when an opportunity came up but it would have to involve flying alone, I had the confidence to book airport assistance. Previously I would just never have flown by myself and wouldn't have taken the opportunity. It also allowed me to feel more confident using a sunflower lanyard on things like public transport. A diagnosis isn't required for either of these things, but having it allowed me personally to feel comfortable doing so.

Children