Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone.
I've wanted to join this forum for months, but I've been really nervous about it! I've been waiting for my autism assessment for quite a while now and I've just received my pre-assessment questionnaires.
My family and I have suspected that I'm autistic for many years, but I've never felt able to identify as a member of the autistic community until I truly knew for sure. The traits have always been there, but I've found everything's heightening as I get older - particularly the sensory issues and processing delays. Saying that, I often get those moments where I feel like a fraud and wonder whether I'm just overthinking everything. Most of the time, I do believe that I'm autistic and would benefit from a diagnosis to help me get to know myself better.
I also have anxiety and OCD, and I'm due to start "heightened" CBT (whatever that means?) to try and tackle my compulsive behaviours. I am a little scared because some of my symptoms are definitely OCD (e.g. intrusive thoughts), but what if I accidentally start erasing the repetitive routines that are beneficial to autistic people??
I'm a huge music lover; I sing, play piano and perform in musicals. I also love dogs (being with them and learning about them)... I memorised the breeds at a very young age! In my spare time, I enjoy writing, particularly poetry and novels (although I'm yet to finish a novel as I flit from project to project, and I have a habit of signing up to things that eat away at my time).
I'd love to hear from people about their own experiences, particularly in relation to the autism assessment and seeking support from mental health.
Nice to meet you all
Hello! I was on a three year waiting list but my mum has said she will help me pay for a private assessment - just got my questionnaires too! There really confusing but I'm slowly getting there.
I love musicals and sing (soprano) but I couldn't perform. I was the same as you with dog breeds. I love going to the country park and seeing how many different breeds there are. People are always impressed if you can guess a little known breed, especially if they have a doodle look :P I was lucky enough to work with a breeder a few years ago. And I'm a writer too, so it seems we have a lot in common :)
Welcome to the forum!
Wow, three years is a very long time! I'm finding them really confusing too (although my neurotypical partner say they seem pretty straightforward, so maybe that's an indicator in itself!).
I'm an alto. I never had the confidence to perform as a child, but I started out in choirs, took singing lessons, and found my confidence grew from there. I love being able to identify a dog breed for people, but I do find I tend to start spouting random breed facts and realise I've said too much I'm so jealous - what breeds did you work with? What type of writing do you enjoy?
It does sound like we have lots in common