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Referred to autism assessment - lots of questions

jonliled

Hi everyone,

I'm 32 and was diagnosed with inattentive type ADHD a couple of years ago. I was referred to a psychotherapy assessment a few months ago to deal with my anxiety, but the team there referred me to do an autism assessment instead. Having spoken to several different healthcare professionals/therapists, I feel pretty certain that I'm on the spectrum, but I'm having a hard time processing it all.

When speaking to the psychotherapy team about my struggles, I felt certain autism plays a significant role, but when they asked me to fill in the screening form (AQ-50 I think) I had a really hard time relating it to my lived experience. The best way I can describe the mismatch is that I feel like I understand social cues and relationships, but it takes a lot of conscious effort/energy and I worry constantly that I'm either misunderstanding others, or that I'm being misunderstood myself. The questions in the screening form felt either far too specific (e.g. "I am not very good at remembering phone numbers.") or too vague (e.g. "I find it difficult to work out people’s intentions.") to relate to. I also didn't feel like they capture the anxiety and exhaustion - which is all I really care about if I'm honest. Can anyone else relate to this? 

It's been a few weeks since I was referred, but it has suddenly started feeling overwhelming. I'm not sure how long the NHS wait list for autism assessments is now, but my daughter had to wait ~18 months so I suspect it will be a while. I was told to start living with the assumption that I'm autistic, but I'm not really sure how... I'd really appreciate any perspectives or advice from other late diagnosed people! 

Parents

  • In answer to the idea you could start living as an autistic person now this is what I do. I am awaiting assessment and for quite a few months I have been making adjustments to my life to help me feel better in myself. I wear noise cancelling headphones (Loop) as much as I need to, definitely in supermarkets, other shops, car journeys, work, places where other people will be. I wear my sunglasses more often, even on dull days. I spend more time stimming because I was already doing these things but now I intentionally will do them if I’m starting to feel disregulated. I arrange less social activities, and feel no guilt in saying no to things. 
    I have also read so much about autism, it’s my special interest and doing this makes me feeL happy but also learning about my habits and behaviours is helpful. 

Reply

  • In answer to the idea you could start living as an autistic person now this is what I do. I am awaiting assessment and for quite a few months I have been making adjustments to my life to help me feel better in myself. I wear noise cancelling headphones (Loop) as much as I need to, definitely in supermarkets, other shops, car journeys, work, places where other people will be. I wear my sunglasses more often, even on dull days. I spend more time stimming because I was already doing these things but now I intentionally will do them if I’m starting to feel disregulated. I arrange less social activities, and feel no guilt in saying no to things. 
    I have also read so much about autism, it’s my special interest and doing this makes me feeL happy but also learning about my habits and behaviours is helpful. 

Children
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