Autism appointment

Its great to hear it was a positive experience. Thanks for the feedback.

Expecto_Patronum said:

She asked fairly short to the point questions and it got easier to talk to her as it went on. There was no pushing for what she thought I needed.

If you have the energy I would recommend giving feedback to the organisation to say that the service was great and that you felt it was helpful. This sort of thing helps them realise that they are on the right track, can give the person a pat on the back (great for their motivation) and helps keep the focus on this sort of approach.

Thanks for bringing a positive story about your experience - with so many nightmares being reported here it is nice that there are some doing it right.

Thanks for the advice. It really wasn't too bad. She asked fairly short to the point questions and it got easier to talk to her as it went on. There was no pushing for what she thought I needed. She would make suggestions and then guage my reaction. She was very honest that they are a small company and she doesn't have a whole array of services to offer me. But she has some links to other organisations that may be able to support. She is also happy to be a go between for me for services. For example, my current struggle trying to get an answer out of NHS for my next steps therapy wise. She says they can do a bit of nagging on my behalf which at the very least takes a bit of the strain off of me. She is also happy to email back and forth if any other issues arise in the mean time.

It's not a miraculous service that suddenly has all the answers but probably the best thing I've come across so far.

Good luck. I don't have any suggestions really other than to try not to worry (which is easier said than done). As others have said, taking some notes can be helpful.

I can totally relate.

Although I haven't attended one of these hubs,  I have had telephone conversations with someone from Autism East Midlands. I do believe this place employs ND people, which makes interactions easier.

They know the score, what we struggle with so to speak. 

Therefore I wasn't embarrassed by the long pauses after I was asked a question or for having to say I didn't understand what they were trying to explain to me or completely forgetting what I wanted to say.

Hopefully this hub will be run by ND people too and you will totally at home and in good company.

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Notes are one way. If your mind goes blank this can help.

If you struggle to speak, show your points to them.

Alternatively, you can kind of ignore their questions and go off on a tangent. Once you start speaking you may be able to steer it back.

If you don't understand, don't be scared to say and ask what they mean. Communication is 2 way. It is not just for you to understand, it is for them to help you understand.

Thanks. I just know I plan for these things in my head. Think I know what I'm going to say and then in the moment it all goes out the window.

Expecto_Patronum said:

I'm really bad at these situations though.

Have your written notes in a format that you can use in case you go non-verbal in the meeting.

Start with "I can get non-verbal so I prepared these notes. Please be patient", then list out the questions (adding any relevant facts) that you want answered.

Have the notes say what you cannot, asking the questions as articulately as you can and have spaces to write the answers, or better still, record it on your phone if you have one.

Having it all structured on paper saves time, gives a space to capture the answers and should save a lot of embarrasment.

That would be how I do it anyway.