Help and advise needed in West Sussex

hello everyone. I won't go into all the details now as there is just so much to say, but for various reasons and incidents I have begun to believe that my 22 year old daughter may be on the autistic spectrum. She currently lives independently with her almost three year old daughter, and works full time as an admin apprentice at a college but has recently hit rock bottom. I fear she is abusing alcohol and smoking canabis. She says she cannot socialise without alcohol and she only feels 'normal' when she's drunk. She says she has always felt different and never really fit in. She was a late talker, but is very intelligent but she struggles with certain things. She has been taking antidepressants for three weeks. I haven't broached her yet with my suspicicions. Obviously there are lots of issues to deal with but I feel that a diagnosis might be a positive step. She might be kinder to herself if she knew why she struggled. 

Does anyone know if there is any where that does adult assessments in our area? What does my daughter say to the GP? And how do I broach it with my daughter? 

huge thanks in advance 

Parents
  • Thanks Coogybear, that was very helpful. I think if she's open to it, an informal assessment could be a good starting point. I ordered the book about aspergers and drinking to cope. I will read it and see if it resonates witg things my daughter has said. Part of me thinks she would be relieved to put a name to her 'oddness' as she calls it, but I could be way of the mark. It's just so hard to know. She is at a very low ebb right now and I don't want to make things worse for her. At the same time, if she has an underlying condition that triggers her depression/anxiety and leads to her wanting to drink so much, but that condition is never diagnosed, I can't see how that will be good either. I wish kids big and small came with an instruction manual. I just don't know what to do for the best. 

Reply
  • Thanks Coogybear, that was very helpful. I think if she's open to it, an informal assessment could be a good starting point. I ordered the book about aspergers and drinking to cope. I will read it and see if it resonates witg things my daughter has said. Part of me thinks she would be relieved to put a name to her 'oddness' as she calls it, but I could be way of the mark. It's just so hard to know. She is at a very low ebb right now and I don't want to make things worse for her. At the same time, if she has an underlying condition that triggers her depression/anxiety and leads to her wanting to drink so much, but that condition is never diagnosed, I can't see how that will be good either. I wish kids big and small came with an instruction manual. I just don't know what to do for the best. 

Children
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