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Not Autisitic enough

Al 1

Hi Everyone

i have just been for an assessment at the Nhs centre in Sheffield. I comcluded a session of 2 hours of assessment mainly verbally asking me questions and at the end of it I was informed that had I been assessed as a child then I would of got an ADOs test. It was explained that whilst I have many Autistic traits then this is not enough to warrant an ADOS test, which feels a bit like telling someone with 1 leg that can't be provided with a wheelchair unless they have no legs.

i went because I had an idea after my son was diagnosed and I also think my dad has had it for years, given I now know quite a lot about the condition. I racked my brain back to my childhood and now present day and I am clearly Autistic, but clearly the view is that if you are not Autistic enough then basically you can't get the same support Which is very fustrating for me. I was further told that basically I had adapted through learnt behaviour and that I found strategies and routines in my life that suit my situation and by default I have indirectly protected myself in some ways. When I basically explainer at the end  of how I could be defined with Aufistic traits, yet effectively not be Autistic enough it was positioned with me that 'The reason I taken this literal view was based on my Austism'.

So basically, I am just sharing this with this network to look for other people's experience where they may feel let down by the process to gain an ADOS test and the relevant support.

Thanks for listening and appreciate any feedback.

Al

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  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Hi Al,

    A diagnosis only needs to  be made if you have been made ill or are in need of some support that is warranted by your condition. This point was explained by Simon Baron Cohen in a recent Horizon programme on autism. If you are managing in life and are not suffering from depression, anxiety or unemployment etc then there are no additional services that you can benefit from. If you have been made mentally ill as a consequence of autism then a diagnosis is essential, if you cannot get employment because of the condition then a diagnosis is essential but otherwise it is just information and the NHS does not start treating people because they are unusual.

    You probably are on the spectrum and will probably benefit from treating yourself in the light of this insight. There are lots of books to read and this forum is also useful and nobody here on this forum discriminates because of the official diagnosis status that someone has. I have had a diagnosis for the last two years and have not really benefited from a great deal of treatment or any specific services - I get help when I am struggling or having a crisis - but there is no great resource or facility that you are being denied access to as far as I can see.

    Autism affects people differently, some people are profoundly affected and cannot work at all and cannot leave the house due to the trauma of life, others have a life that is probably affected by it but are managing reasonably well, others have enough luck, good upbringing, common sense to simply be happily eccentric and different. My life has mainly been in the latter section but modern life has moved the goalposts and I have struggled to the point of having a fragmented and fractious work life that has resulted in depression and anxiety. I, unfortunately, needed a diagnosis but I can see that others who are more fortunate could have similar autistic traits but have followed a different path in life and as a result have no need of formal assistance.

    A diagnosis is also a two edged sword. It brings some benefits but it also confirms that one is sufficiently incapable, of the things that other people manage, to warrant a disabled label. Be careful of what you wish for perhaps?

Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Hi Al,

    A diagnosis only needs to  be made if you have been made ill or are in need of some support that is warranted by your condition. This point was explained by Simon Baron Cohen in a recent Horizon programme on autism. If you are managing in life and are not suffering from depression, anxiety or unemployment etc then there are no additional services that you can benefit from. If you have been made mentally ill as a consequence of autism then a diagnosis is essential, if you cannot get employment because of the condition then a diagnosis is essential but otherwise it is just information and the NHS does not start treating people because they are unusual.

    You probably are on the spectrum and will probably benefit from treating yourself in the light of this insight. There are lots of books to read and this forum is also useful and nobody here on this forum discriminates because of the official diagnosis status that someone has. I have had a diagnosis for the last two years and have not really benefited from a great deal of treatment or any specific services - I get help when I am struggling or having a crisis - but there is no great resource or facility that you are being denied access to as far as I can see.

    Autism affects people differently, some people are profoundly affected and cannot work at all and cannot leave the house due to the trauma of life, others have a life that is probably affected by it but are managing reasonably well, others have enough luck, good upbringing, common sense to simply be happily eccentric and different. My life has mainly been in the latter section but modern life has moved the goalposts and I have struggled to the point of having a fragmented and fractious work life that has resulted in depression and anxiety. I, unfortunately, needed a diagnosis but I can see that others who are more fortunate could have similar autistic traits but have followed a different path in life and as a result have no need of formal assistance.

    A diagnosis is also a two edged sword. It brings some benefits but it also confirms that one is sufficiently incapable, of the things that other people manage, to warrant a disabled label. Be careful of what you wish for perhaps?

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