Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
I'm completely new to this community and was wondering if you could help me?
I am a 23 year old female who has been finally referred for an assessment for diagnosis.
I'm sure you're all aware of how difficult this can be, being a girl and every single medical professional never taking you or your parents seriously and so on because you outwardly appear 'normal' whatever that is.
I was diagnosed with an unspecified developmental disorder as a child because they didn't have enough evidence to say I had ASD (or perhaps because I lied a lot to avoid a diagnosis because I didn't want any more bullying or people to think I was weird) it's tough being a teenager!
since my referral I've been browsing this online community and other sites and I can resonate with a lot of the things people are posting and talking about. I too often find myself overwhelmed by sounds and lights as if the world is a living, spinning kaleidoscope. I love animals, they're all I want to talk about and I have loved collecting facts about them for as long as I can remember
anyway my question is...
What should I expect at an adult assessment for ASD?
what questions do they ask/how long does it take/is it really awkward/frightening
i am really nervous even thinking about it, thank you
Hi there,
The assessments seem to vary, from what I've read on here over the months. I can tell you how it was for me, though.
I attended my local autism unit at Sevenoaks. I was asked to take someone with me who'd known me all of my life, and my mother was still alive at the time and came with me. This was two years ago, when I was 56. The clinical psychologist I saw spoke to me for about an hour, asking me a variety of questions about my history and experiences, and how I responded to certain situations. I told her about being bullied all the way through school, and never being able to make friends there. I said I'd also experienced workplace bullying at times, and still found it difficult to make and maintain friendships and relationships. I told her about my history of anxiety, depression and panic attacks. I told her about my noise sensitivity and aversion to crowded places. She clearly noted that I was unable to maintain eye contact with her. After my interview, she then spoke to my mother - in private at my request - for about half-an-hour. It was mainly to ask about my behaviour as a child, my experiences at school, whether I'd gone through my normal developmental stages without any problems. When it was all finished, I was told I could expect to hear in about 8 weeks. In the end, it was just over that period. The diagnosis was unequivocal.
I know it's easy to say it, but try not to be nervous. Be yourself. Be honest. My assessment was relaxed - not at all awkward or frightening. At no time did I get the sense that she was trying to catch me out. It was all done very sympathetically.
Good luck with it.
Tom