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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

Parents

  • Hello Atypical 

    I'm so sorry to hear how distressed that situation made you feel. 

    As I posted earlier on this thread, I did not take up the offer of a referral from a GP and after reading more about the diagnosis process I know that I made the right decision for me. I'm sure I would have been devastated to go through all that and be told I'm "not Autistic".

    I understand completely why you sought a diagnosis, but for people like you and me (also female, aged 55) we've learned to cope so well that many of our traits are "masked", particularly when we're dealing with people we're not close to. 

    I've just finished reading a book written by an "Aspie" which is a guide to self-diagnosis. The opinion of the author is that there are many undiagnosed Aspies /Autistics who manage to get jobs, have one or two close friendships and maybe a partner. Some even have a social life and/ or children too. But that doesn't make us neuro-typical. We are born with brains that function slightly differently to the majority of people and we know we are "different". 

    Learning about the challenges of autism has made me feel proud of myself. Despite the fact that dealing with people all day is very tiring I manage to work and my analytical, creative mind makes me better at some tasks than my colleagues, which leads to praise for the results I produce. Despite finding it difficult to learn in a classroom environment, I've managed to gain useful NVQ qualifications in learning support and accounting, an open university diploma and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.

    I no longer feel guilty about turning down invitations to work social events, as I understand that there is a valid reason why I don't enjoy them and I don’t see why I should feel bad about not doing something that makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm polite when turning down the invitation and happy to tell people it's because "I have aspergers" if they are curious as to why. I thought colleagues would say something along the lines of "you can't have aspergers, you don't seem Autistic" but they've been surprisingly accepting. Two of my colleagues have relatives on the Autistic spectrum, so they understand a bit better than many other people. 

    I don't want to be thought of as "disabled" so if I talk about it I explain not only the challenges I have (e.g social exhaustion, sensory issues, becoming overloaded when stressed) but also the strengths it gives me (such as analytical and creative thinking, attention to detail, high levels of accuracy). As well as the natural abilities I've also learned good communication and organisational skills over the years.

    Keep posting here - everyone seems very accepting of each other and I hope you continue to find it useful and informative. 

    Take care 

    Pixie 

Reply

  • Hello Atypical 

    I'm so sorry to hear how distressed that situation made you feel. 

    As I posted earlier on this thread, I did not take up the offer of a referral from a GP and after reading more about the diagnosis process I know that I made the right decision for me. I'm sure I would have been devastated to go through all that and be told I'm "not Autistic".

    I understand completely why you sought a diagnosis, but for people like you and me (also female, aged 55) we've learned to cope so well that many of our traits are "masked", particularly when we're dealing with people we're not close to. 

    I've just finished reading a book written by an "Aspie" which is a guide to self-diagnosis. The opinion of the author is that there are many undiagnosed Aspies /Autistics who manage to get jobs, have one or two close friendships and maybe a partner. Some even have a social life and/ or children too. But that doesn't make us neuro-typical. We are born with brains that function slightly differently to the majority of people and we know we are "different". 

    Learning about the challenges of autism has made me feel proud of myself. Despite the fact that dealing with people all day is very tiring I manage to work and my analytical, creative mind makes me better at some tasks than my colleagues, which leads to praise for the results I produce. Despite finding it difficult to learn in a classroom environment, I've managed to gain useful NVQ qualifications in learning support and accounting, an open university diploma and a Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults.

    I no longer feel guilty about turning down invitations to work social events, as I understand that there is a valid reason why I don't enjoy them and I don’t see why I should feel bad about not doing something that makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm polite when turning down the invitation and happy to tell people it's because "I have aspergers" if they are curious as to why. I thought colleagues would say something along the lines of "you can't have aspergers, you don't seem Autistic" but they've been surprisingly accepting. Two of my colleagues have relatives on the Autistic spectrum, so they understand a bit better than many other people. 

    I don't want to be thought of as "disabled" so if I talk about it I explain not only the challenges I have (e.g social exhaustion, sensory issues, becoming overloaded when stressed) but also the strengths it gives me (such as analytical and creative thinking, attention to detail, high levels of accuracy). As well as the natural abilities I've also learned good communication and organisational skills over the years.

    Keep posting here - everyone seems very accepting of each other and I hope you continue to find it useful and informative. 

    Take care 

    Pixie 

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