Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, my name is Michael i'm a 29 year old male. I'm not diagnosed with any form of autism but over the last couple of years i have been wondering more and more if i am. I was wondering if there was anyone else who came to realise that they were suffering from a form of autism later in life and if they could help or tell me how they came to realise.
My whole life i have struggled with social interactions and have always kept to myself. When i was younger i struggled in school and was always in the lower classes suffering with dyslexia. I was ambidextrous up until high school, when i was forced to choose one hand to write with as my handwriting was so bad.
I have always excelled in the arts, being a musician and loving to draw. Later in life i acheived a first class degree in audio production and now i am studying a masters in sound design at a film school in the uk.
Lately i have been suffering from social anxiety and really struggling to interact and it has become more obvious as my course relies heavily on socialising with many other departments. I'm having regular panic attacks and find myself being unable communicate in groups.
I tend to keep to myself most of the time although i really want to interact with others more. I have alway known something was not right as i have struggled to keep relationships in the past and never had a long term relationship. I also struggle to keep in contact with friends and have lost many friends over the years due to this. I only have a handful of close friends that i have kept in contact with over the years.
I guess i have always known soemthing is wrong but i've always ignored it. It's only lately as it seems to be effecting my career that i feel i need to face whatever the issue is head on. The more i read about autism and the symptoms the more i feel i may be suffering from a form of it.
If anyone who is or has been in a similar situation later in life can share their experiences or help with what steps i should take next, i would be really greatful.
Thank You
Michael
Michael86 said:You said you suspected that you had ASD before you went to the doctor, did you just go to an appointment one day and bring it up? I'm affriad of being dismissed if i just bring it up after not being to see a GP after so many years.
You said you suspected that you had ASD before you went to the doctor, did you just go to an appointment one day and bring it up? I'm affriad of being dismissed if i just bring it up after not being to see a GP after so many years.
It wasn't straightforward. I had got into a state about work - my managers were "confronting my performance" or bullying me depending on your point of view so I was in a fairly distressed and tearful state when I got to the GP. I had, however, got my suspicions and I wrote down a list of reasons I thought I was ASD. The GP was willing to take the written list and keep a copy for their notes. The GP didn't seem to know much about it but she made enquiries and was willing to refer me for diagnosis. I couldn't wait for the NHS waiting list so I went private.
If you go to the GP then
- write down a list of problems that you have - e.g. anxieties, unable to leave your room for months, problems with conflict etc
- write down the list of reasons you think you have ASD - test score, eye contact, communication problems and misunderstandings/arguments that you have had etc etc
It is normal, if you have ASD, to be reluctant and anxious about talking to a stranger like your GP so having it all written down will help to get your case across. Communication problems are part of the syndrome so there is a real Catch-22 about convincing the doctor that there is a real problem. I felt that the written list helped me get the story straight and get taken seriously. You can also tell the GP the online test score and the fact that it indicates a high likelihood of ASD. If the GP hasn't heard of the test the you can say that the test comes from Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre - i.e. it has some serious credentials.