Published on 12, July, 2020
Okay so it's been a very long time since I've been on message boards of any kind so I apologise if I'm wary or shy. I don't know how to start so I'll just jump right in.
I'm writing a novel (or trying to!) and my main character has autism. I've been doing a lot of research for her and the more information I read, the more things seemed to click that that was how I felt, or it was as though they were talking about me personally. I tried to speak to both my husband and my doctor about this and they both flat out said no. My dr said "everyone is on the scale" and doesn't see hte point in sending me off for testing, while my husband tells me that he's grown up around a few autistic people as a teenager and I'm not like them, so I obviously don't have anything going on with me. This just makes me want to not talk to him about things like my mental health now, which is something I brought up in a huge argument we had today. He sides with the dr, which is so frustrating. I'mnow doubting myself, which is making it worse because I've known all my life there is something different about me, but I've never been able to put it into words. Even now I struggle because I don't want people to look at me and think I'm doing it for attention - it's bad enough they think that with my fibromyalgia and my chronic fatigue syndrome (though not my husband as he is my registered carer).
I didn't know where else to go and I was just looking through the internet when I found this place. Sorry for just blurting everything out, but I'm rubbish at working out how to say things lol.
Hello
I'm new here too. I'm sorry to hear that your GP wasn't open to the idea of a referral. I have one next week with a different GP to the person I saw previously about another matter and am wondering whether to do some online tests etc and take the results somehow to show the other GP.
I hope that you find the resources that you need and some kind treatment and continue to enjoy your writing!
We are all looking.
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Oh wow, thankyou so much! I'll have a look through, it definitely looks helpful :)
Hi BookBadger
I'm sorry that you've had some difficulties in your journey to potentially getting a diagnosis. You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis.aspx
Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section:http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
You may like to have a look at the following page which includes personal accounts, which may help:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/stories.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/professionals-involved.aspx
If you have further questions, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice about getting a diagnosis. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday 9am to 3pm).Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an advisor.
I hope this is of some help to you,
ChloeMod.
Hello and welcome to the forum! It can be weird when we first start to realise that we could be autistic and the pieces of the jigsaw start fitting together, so to speak. My husband didn’t think I was autistic. I got diagnosed. Now he can see it. Your Dr is wrong to say that everyone is on the scale’ no they’re not, unless they’re actually autistic. Autism is a spectrum condition and all autistic people are different. Just because you don’t fit with someone else’s preconceived idea of what an autistic person ‘should’ be like, doesn’t mean that you’re not autistic. Maybe do some more research, maybe do the AQ50 and the EQ10 and the Neurodiversity quiz online and see what results you get. If you still think you are autistic then compile a list of your autistic traits and how these impact on your daily life and take this, along with the online test results back to your GP and be a lot more firm about being referred for assessment. Good luck!