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Late middle age insight

Gaz Hunter

Hi.

I'm Gaz, and I'm 53, and I recently made the interesting discovery, by accident, that I fitted the profile of Asperger's syndrome. Which was a shock, but also explained a lot about the last 53 years...

I took the AQ test and scored 42. Now, I'm uncertain of the relevance of this but one of my friends took it as well, and scored 17.

So, armed with this, a week's worth of research and reading these community notes I made an appointment to see my local doctor.

Who told me *You've got a job. You can't have Asperger's. That's Autism. So you don't have it*, gave me 5 printed A4 sheets of information on Asperger's in infants and sent me home.

I'm feeling somewhat agrieved, and in no small measure let down.

Where do I go from here?

GAZ 

Parents

  • Hi Gaz, IntenseWorld is absolutely right. A proportion of us work, because we can, because we can get employment and sometimes, because we mask difficulties so well that we have no choice but work or starve. Not many  are so lucky, but masking well brings its own problems.  

    I have a diagnosis of Autism from one of the major UK diagnostic centres and I have used my "triad of impairments" to forge a successful career in communications.

    Your GP may explode with rage at the sheer audacity of us autists who insist on our rights to function, but we do insist. Arm yourself with your rights, wield a copy of the Adult Autism Strategy, advise you GP to follow the NICE adult autism diagnostic pathway and when he/she has recovered from the shock that a person with a disability can speak in whole sentences, ask if they are up to the job, or should you refer up to their local health authority to step in and obey the law? Not that it makes me angry or anything....Yell Phew - lucky I didn't get really riled!

Reply

  • Hi Gaz, IntenseWorld is absolutely right. A proportion of us work, because we can, because we can get employment and sometimes, because we mask difficulties so well that we have no choice but work or starve. Not many  are so lucky, but masking well brings its own problems.  

    I have a diagnosis of Autism from one of the major UK diagnostic centres and I have used my "triad of impairments" to forge a successful career in communications.

    Your GP may explode with rage at the sheer audacity of us autists who insist on our rights to function, but we do insist. Arm yourself with your rights, wield a copy of the Adult Autism Strategy, advise you GP to follow the NICE adult autism diagnostic pathway and when he/she has recovered from the shock that a person with a disability can speak in whole sentences, ask if they are up to the job, or should you refer up to their local health authority to step in and obey the law? Not that it makes me angry or anything....Yell Phew - lucky I didn't get really riled!

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