I am 49 and recently went for my autism assessment and they have rung me this week to say I don't fit the criteria as I can communicate well, understand and use body language and have good eye contact.
It baffles me that in 3 hours of questioning they can just say that.
Surly they should know that after a lifetime of masking some people can do quite well at acting the correct way.
Does the way adults are assessed need to be look at to reflect years of masking.
Gosh, that frog book!
I panicked when I was given the book and I couldn’t make out what some of the pictures were meant to be. I was concerned because I thought the frog might have been a toad and that I would have been talking about something unconnected to the story. An adult version using more easily identifiable humans and other features is needed.
Your assessment sounds comprehensive and I was happy with thoroughness of mine. I had been referred to an NHS clinic for assessment but due to the 4+ year long waiting list, I chose to go to a private clinic. They gave me great follow up support. I did lots of research to make sure the assessment would be thorough and would be in accordance with NICE guidelines.
I can communicate well, understand and use body language and have good eye contact.
These are all things that, while potentially difficult for autists, can be both learned and indeed perfected by autists.
I have spent my whole life consciously studying other people and replicating what they do, in order to fit in with society and its expectations. I really wish that clinicians moved away from the view that autistic people cannot do certain things, and move towards the reality, which is that many autistic people can do most or all of what neurotypicals do, except that it is orders of magnitude more difficult and exhausting for us. All clinicians have to do is abandon their pretended abilities to divine the workings of an adult autist's brain just by observation and merely ask us about how we cope with life and our problems.
You might be interested to know I saw that it appears some people can be traumatised by the assessment process itself.
I'd imagine that would be from revisiting painful memories and experiences.
I had an overwhelming sense of loss and intense sadness once I realised it was likely I was autistic as I re-evaluated my past.
I think there should be, The Frog Book Support Group, offering help to survivors and those lost in battle. 
I thought it was creepy and a bit disturbing.
Agreed. (Frog Book).
Mine was over 3 separate sessions with 2 different people, took input from 2 external sources, involved about 8 questionnaires.
The largest one was over 30 pages by the time I completed it and prompted for all the things you might need to think about. Such as sensory, behavioural, interpersonal, dietary, developmental, medical and communication related issues.
I had a couple of weeks to fill it in and added things as I thought of them. I hadn't realised having issues with being wet/showering was a trait till I saw it on this forum. One of the sessions involved any questions about this and any other items that were relevant (like walking on toes when barefoot). This removed the pressure to remember things on the day although I did make some brief notes. Some of the issues were fresh from my therapy sessions
They tried to consider other factors such as my unusual childhood and any emotional neglect and spent time on my adult relationships and work. I have other unresolved psychological issues I have buried.
I scored highly in the masking questionnaire which was probed in questioning.
My therapist also provided info related to why they thought I was autistic and why they thought I masked.
In the ADOS-2 session I scored 15. This was the only one I could not prepare for. I made it all the way through the frog book, but in too much detail. I thought it was creepy and a bit disturbing.
The 30 page report details the methods, process, tools, that it follows NICE guidelines, the results, sources of information and why they are relevant, background info from me, qualifications and that they are HCPC registered.
It was quite thorough.
But like I said elsewhere they already thought I was autistic from the initial discussion before we even started, which I did not realise. I ended up ticking all the boxes, only stimming is a bit weak.
I had also privately done some blood tests and showed hormone imbalance and high DHEA sulphate which points to adrenal issues and chronic stress, providing physiological backup.
I don't know if this is representative, it was done privately, but they were fully aware of masking and were looking for consistency. I tried to be as natural as I could and not try to guess what the were looking for.
They have agreed to answer my dozen questions and are reviewing my 3 pages of comments on the report.
I, and they, think this should be the model to be followed. But given they are a consultant that specialises in this area you would hope so. The only downside is they are too busy to offer me additional therapy.
Something like this gives a result that is hard to argue with.
A single session without preparation would seem a bit weak and does not gather all the evidence to make a robust diagnosis.
Would you consider contacting the place where the assessment took place?
If the assessment is done according to NICE guidelines, the assessment would be completed by a multi disciplinary team. It would comprise a neuro developmental history and a conversation based clinical assessment using ADOS-2. This would involve reciprocal conversation, observation and some simple tasks.
Masking, is normally well recognised now. Perhaps if you tell them that you don’t believe they took your masking into account, they would reconsider based on further information.
My assessment took place over several sessions. It probably would have taken nearer four hours in total, but I think three hours can be usual.
Hi and welcome to to the community. I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the assessment - others have posted the same story on here from time to time. It was one of the reasons I decided not to pursue a formal diagnosis and stay self discovered.
Just be reassured that you are still very welcome here.
The reason I wanted diagnoses at first was validation.
However I have been struggling with getting reasonable adjustments at the place I work, they are waiting for a professional assessment.
I know they should except my self diagnoses but they are been very bad at giving me any adjustments and instead gaslighting me.
This has been going on for over a year occupational health and union are involved but local gouvernement has its own weird ways.
This is rough and something I am concerned about when I have my assessment. I have wondered if I will find myself playing up my autistic traits, either consciously or otherwise.
My therapist asked me if I had thought about what my feelings would be if I was told that they didn't consider me autistic. I had thought about this a bit, and it was one of the reasons why I might have decided against diagnosis. My response was that I would think they were wrong.
You know yourself better than anyone and if you think, from everything you know about autism, that it best describes you, then you are correct. It's hard because the reason you wanted a diagnosis, I assume, is for the validation of your suspicions by someone else who knows what they are talking about. These people can (and do, regularly) get things wrong. It's just an opinion and you can choose whether or not to take it seriously.
I make apparently 'normal' eye contact, but I do it consciously
Snap! I do lots of things like eye contact and body language very consciously, too.
The other person is talking and I'm trying to listen to their voice and parse their words and ALSO listen to my own voice in my head telling me to "look interested" and "keep looking at their eyes, keep looking at their eyes" and "cross your arms, too" and "wait a second, is that arm-crossing mirroring or will it look defensive" and "their lawn looks greener than mine" and "why have they got so much random stuff in the boot of their car" and "EYE CONTACT, come on!" .... Is it any wonder we find social interactions very tiring and stressful. In a one-on-one like this, though, to the other person I might be coming across as reasonably "normal", but I'm having to work very hard at it.
If I meet a person I know who is walking their dog, I fall to pieces. I don't know where to look and start babbling to the dog, then the person, or making eye contact with the dog while talking to the person, or vice versa, then I just start wishing Scotty would beam me up—like NOW, Scotty!
Looking back I think I should have done my home work.
Were you asked for specific examples of things and then did you find it hard to think of any? It can be hard to think quickly under pressure like that. Even if you could think of something, you'd probably be wondering if it was a good example or not.
I had a mixture and I was seen by a psychologist, albeit a consultant that specialised in adults, people with trauma, and women in particular although that's no especially relevant.
I suspect it is more down to he people doing the assessment, although you would expect and hope for a consistent set of requirements.
