Involvement of family- adult diagnosis

belles12345 said:

  I don't want to involve my family, for personal reasons.  The psychologist said that they will skip that part and go onto the subsequent part of the assessment, however if they haven't got enough evidence (apparently my signs are subtle), they many need to speak to a family member.  

I am aware that there may be other instruments they could use, but I have not been advised of these.  Is it the case that sometimes family must be involved (ie. when the outward signs are subtle)?

Hello Belles12345

I think that anyone who knows you really well and can provide information on how you exhibit the behaviours the assessor is searching for might do... after all sometimes it is not possible to have blood-relatives present.  

Under the pressure of the assessment situation you will exhibit more revealing behaviours than in everyday life. All that 'subtlety' will be gone.
I am female and an Aspie, and 'coped' and 'masked' the condition as best I could in my everyday life, for decades. But I can honestly say that on the day of my assessment I was the 'worst' I had ever been, because of the pressure of the situation and the significance of it. For those few hours my masking and coping strategies just fell away, revealing 'Aspie Woman'.

I was insistent that none of my 'family' were to be present and none were, just my partner of five or so years. I also had a friend of twenty years on standby incase more information was needed, which it wasn't. 

The assessment is a worrying time - with all that uncertainty of outcome. I wish you well with the process.

belles12345 said:

  I don't want to involve my family, for personal reasons.  The psychologist said that they will skip that part and go onto the subsequent part of the assessment, however if they haven't got enough evidence (apparently my signs are subtle), they many need to speak to a family member.  

I am aware that there may be other instruments they could use, but I have not been advised of these.  Is it the case that sometimes family must be involved (ie. when the outward signs are subtle)?

Hello Belles12345

I think that anyone who knows you really well and can provide information on how you exhibit the behaviours the assessor is searching for might do... after all sometimes it is not possible to have blood-relatives present.  

Under the pressure of the assessment situation you will exhibit more revealing behaviours than in everyday life. All that 'subtlety' will be gone.
I am female and an Aspie, and 'coped' and 'masked' the condition as best I could in my everyday life, for decades. But I can honestly say that on the day of my assessment I was the 'worst' I had ever been, because of the pressure of the situation and the significance of it. For those few hours my masking and coping strategies just fell away, revealing 'Aspie Woman'.

I was insistent that none of my 'family' were to be present and none were, just my partner of five or so years. I also had a friend of twenty years on standby incase more information was needed, which it wasn't. 

The assessment is a worrying time - with all that uncertainty of outcome. I wish you well with the process.