• Replies 7 replies
  • Subscribers 77 subscribers
  • Views 406 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Hi - 58 year old female here

Skyblue

Hi 

I've just joined the forum.  I have an autism assessment in September.  I've been aware of autism for a long time and noticed some similarities but not really thought about it seriously.  it's only since Mel Sykes made her announcement a few years ago that I've started to really wonder.  

In some ways, I really feel I meet the criteria but other things are not as obvious which makes me wonder am I 'autistic enough?''.  I suppose I'll soon find out.  Whatever happens, I know I don't fit in the mainstream and would really like to connect with people more on my wavelength. 

I've got some questions to ask but just wanted to say hi, for now.

  • Thanks everyone for the kind welcome and thanks, Bunny, for the resources. 

    Look forward to chatting more soon. 

  • Hi Skyblue
     
    Welcome to the community.
     
    Your thoughts about not being 'autistic enough' are common leading up to diagnosis and afterwards and I see members have already shared their experiences of this.
     
    I hope you soon feel at home here.
     
    Best wishes for your upcoming diagnosis.
     
    Christine Mod

  • Hi , 

         Im 53 ive been awaiting diagnosis for years . I didnt spot many of the autistic traits i have until everything fell apart around me  and people actually started pointing out how "different" i am . But now after studying autism for a while i realize i have a lot of them and some are quite extreme and i  still think like you do ( am i autistic enough ) . The waiting for  a formal diagnosis has been like torture and even after my diagnosis  i may still question myself as to if im autistic enough , Looking through this forum i believe its just something most of us go through.

  • Hi to you, 

    "Autistic enough" is somewhere I also visited. I feel one of the issues of autism is that it is a spectrum - so, autistic people are uniquely autistic. Making comparisons for reassurance doesn't really work. So, some people seek a formal assessment whilst others prefer to self-identify.
    My assessors frequently picked up on things, and their significance, when I didn't even know I was doing or saying. Likewise, with events from the past, they could interpret what I had simply documented. I had the assessment because it was the right time and I couldn’t cope, any longer, with my own attempts as self-assessment. I just kept going round in circles. 

        

  • Hi Skyblue. I am a late diagnosed 52 year old woman with a whole life time of being different! You can ask me anything, but what I did was research everything to the smallest detail and wrote it all down, used tips and guidance from the internet to sort of interpret the DSM 5 criteria for autism because the language used is quite ambiguous. I did all the questionnaires on Embrace autism and I did them multiple times scoring very highly consistently. I wasn’t certain I was autistic enough to get a diagnosis but it turns out I very clearly am, and since the diagnosis I seem to show more traits than I did before but apparently that is quite common. Please ask me anything. 

  • Hello.

    I think most wonder if they are autistic enough, it's not unusual. Even after diagnosis you can spend years wondering if you exaggerated, somehow fooled them, if you're really an imposter.

    The people doing the assessment should know what they are looking for. You don't have to have everything.

    Feel free to ask questions. Most things don't have simple yes/no answers though. Everyone's experience is different because everyone's life has followed different paths, but some trends are common.

  • Hi and welcome to the community! Wave

    There are plenty of late-diagnosed and late-realised people here, so you're in good company!

    While you wait for your assessment, you might find these NAS resources helpful. They explain the main signs / symptoms / characteristics of autism, so could be helpful for identifying and noting down, ready for your assessment, any additional things that you might recognise in yourself:

    NAS - What is autism?

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic - includes over 60 signs

    This article might also be helpful:

    NAS - Autistic women and girls

    It includes, for example:

    "Autistic characteristics in women and girls may differ from those of other autistic people. They might seem to have fewer social difficulties than autistic men and boys, but this could be because they are more likely to 'mask' their autistic traits (though the stress of doing so can result in anxiety and overwhelm)"

    You might also find the resources in the NAS's diagnosis hub helpful - they cover all stages of the process and include, for example:

    NAS - What can I do while waiting for an autism assessment

    Many of us have also experienced doubts about whether or not we're autistic; this is often referred to as imposter syndrome. We can experience it both before and after diagnosis, and not necessarily only for one period of time. You might find these resources helpful:

    NAS - How will I feel after receiving an autism diagnosis - includes an example of someone else discussing their experience of imposter syndrome. 

    Psychology Today - Why do I feel like an imposter after my autism diagnosis? - 6 ways to overcome imposter syndrome after a later-in-life autism diagnosis

    Authentically Emily - Autistic imposter syndrome