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Hi all

splitlogic

This is honestly a little awkward and weird for me, so please forgive if this is a bit of a rambling introduction!

I'm not officially diagnosed yet (I'm still trying to navigate what this process would look like), but when the possibility was proposed to me, I started doing research. I was honestly really resistant to the idea at first - I'm just me! I also had a really flat image in my head of what autism "should" look like. For context, I'm a female in my mid-30s. So I think even when I was younger, a lot of things got brushed off as being over-sensitive, quiet, etc. I was diagnosed as having social anxiety and panic attacks, which later I realized were largely induced by a large amount of sensory input. (I had tried explaining that - the lights were way too bright, too much noise and movement, etc.) So honestly, the more I looked into it and the different experiences people have had, it was amazing how much just sort of... clicked into place and made sense. 

I'm sort of cycling through periods of different feelings with the idea. I was really angry (or something close to that, maybe more disappointed in an intensely frustrated and abandoned way) that I was dealing with these problems alone all this time and feeling like something was wrong with me for not being able to handle things, thinking I was lazy, crazy, or... I've felt excited - like maybe I can actually change something as I rediscover myself and start noticing more. Part of me is scared to pursue getting a diagnosis (among other reasons), because I'm scared that maybe I've got the wrong idea (and then how will I fix it?) 

I've also felt really alone with this, which sounds crazy when I have friends and relationships with others. Honestly though, most of these are really superficial or honestly exhausting to maintain (yes, I'm that person sometimes even guessing - what's the right number of days between texting? Is it weirder if I do call with nothing particular in mind or weirder if I don't? What did they actually MEAN by that one sentence a week ago that somehow just isn't adding up in my head).

So I guess what I mean by that textbook is - I'm here to try to gain insights and maybe feel a little less isolated. I'm very happy places like this exist and it's lovely to meet you all!

 

Parents

  • Hi and welcome to the community. 

    These NAS resources might be helpful in deepening your understanding of autism and recognising traits in yourself:

    NAS - What is autism?

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic (covers over 60 signs)

    For learning more about getting assessed, this article is a good place to start:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    It's from the NAS's diagnosis hub, which covers all stages of the process (including what happens during an autism assessment, what professionals are involved, etc). 

    The NAS "how to request..." article also includes links to some screening questionnaires that you can complete, to get a better idea of whether your suspicions are correct. But you might prefer to use the website below for this. It provides a useful commentary for each questionnaire, and enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for you), saved as PDFs and - if the results support your suspicions and you decide to seek a formal diagnosis - printed off to take with you to the GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 seem to be the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, but recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool).

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

    For those who live in England, the same NAS article also includes information about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose (which enables access to private providers who might have shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS).

Reply

  • Hi and welcome to the community. 

    These NAS resources might be helpful in deepening your understanding of autism and recognising traits in yourself:

    NAS - What is autism?

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic (covers over 60 signs)

    For learning more about getting assessed, this article is a good place to start:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    It's from the NAS's diagnosis hub, which covers all stages of the process (including what happens during an autism assessment, what professionals are involved, etc). 

    The NAS "how to request..." article also includes links to some screening questionnaires that you can complete, to get a better idea of whether your suspicions are correct. But you might prefer to use the website below for this. It provides a useful commentary for each questionnaire, and enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for you), saved as PDFs and - if the results support your suspicions and you decide to seek a formal diagnosis - printed off to take with you to the GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 seem to be the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, but recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool).

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

    For those who live in England, the same NAS article also includes information about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose (which enables access to private providers who might have shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS).

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