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Do prior records help or inhibit diagnosis?

IrkaBlue

I'm a 22 year old waiting for her assessment, and I'm guessing most of you know how hard the wait is, though, I'm fighting back after my supreme meltdown in December to get in work. Trying not to put my life on hold beyond avoiding returning to study until I get a diagnosis.  

I was assessed when I was a young child at the local neurodisability centre for children. So, ah, I'm guessing these will be on my medical records? 

- They believed I had learning difficulties (that was proven otherwise)

- I was discovered to have poor coordination and fine motor skills (I fall standing up)

- Repeatedly saw audiologist (not deaf, probably just shy)

- Speech and Language Therapist (they concluded it was muscle slackness behind my speech difficulties)

- Educational Psychologist

--

This was in the late 1990s and early 2000. My GP has since referred me for an Adult assessment when I confided in her that part of why I was depressed came down to me feeling alien no matter what. The wait is difficult and I'm wondering if these prior records will be useful or negative in how they influence the opinion of my assessor/s.  

I can't help but to overthink this, even though deep down, I know I have an AS disorder. There's always been an oddness to me, and there are too many traits of (ASD) with comorbid conditions, for me to feel as if I'm trying to label myself falsely ( which I thought for some years).  

Now, I can't help but worry that they'll think I'm attention seeking? Or think I know better than professionals. I feel that I began to mask too soon (I had older sisters to copy), and my tomboyish was because (my first few pre-school friends were boys). I'm frustrated. But I know that most girls with Autism tended to present with learning difficulties (as far as most were concerned).  So, certainly, I'm rather frustrated that I believe I was 'missed', even though, naturally, I do understand the factors that would have contributed to it. 

I'm a researcher by study, started out in Psychology, so I like to think I can be objective in my own 'self-diagnosis'. I'm just so scared of exposing how vulnerable I really am by being completely honest. I feel a bit like a helpless child again, or maybe I never properly grew out of that immature part of myself? I've always felt this odd mix of 'old soul/naive child'.  

Has anyone had a similiar experience, or have any guesses on how this could work out? 

-Irka 

Parents

  • All data from childhood will be of great value for the diagnostic process. If you can go to the assesment with a family member who has known you since day dot, that makes the psychologists job all the easier to rule out personal bias, confabulation and all that.

    When I went to my assesment, my mother came with me - and I took along a folder of my NHS assesments regarding my difficulties, which helped also in that some of the referral paperwork had been lost in transit. I had to take the psychologist through the details of the paperwork, but having studied psychology since 1991 it did not take long to go through it - and joy of joys the psychologist knew how to speak in concrete terms and sentences, and when abstractions were required (for my mothers sake) he introduced them as such.

    It was the first time I had ever had an entirely positive interaction with an NHS psychologist, and I felt understood and was in no way cut off or sidelined in regard to anything I said. It was a fantastic experience, and this was added to in that the psychologhist and I had a bit of a techinical chat about deph psychology and psychoanalysis - which most people know little or next to nothing about, so that was really very refreshing indeed. 

    Do you know yet when your assesment is, and have you made any plans about going with a family member?

Reply

  • All data from childhood will be of great value for the diagnostic process. If you can go to the assesment with a family member who has known you since day dot, that makes the psychologists job all the easier to rule out personal bias, confabulation and all that.

    When I went to my assesment, my mother came with me - and I took along a folder of my NHS assesments regarding my difficulties, which helped also in that some of the referral paperwork had been lost in transit. I had to take the psychologist through the details of the paperwork, but having studied psychology since 1991 it did not take long to go through it - and joy of joys the psychologist knew how to speak in concrete terms and sentences, and when abstractions were required (for my mothers sake) he introduced them as such.

    It was the first time I had ever had an entirely positive interaction with an NHS psychologist, and I felt understood and was in no way cut off or sidelined in regard to anything I said. It was a fantastic experience, and this was added to in that the psychologhist and I had a bit of a techinical chat about deph psychology and psychoanalysis - which most people know little or next to nothing about, so that was really very refreshing indeed. 

    Do you know yet when your assesment is, and have you made any plans about going with a family member?

Children
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