Recent screening appointment.

Finally after over a year of waiting I finally had my first appointment which lasted just short of four hours long. I managed to complete this appointment with a short break of 15 minutes inbetween but when I got home fell asleep for an hour. 

After the appointment i was offered a few leaflets with numbers on to ring if I felt stressed and a little leaflet on autism. My appointment isn't finished yet as they are getting information from childhood relatives before calling me back for the next steps.

I must admit I didn't understand the point of taking the information offered as I don't know if I do/don't live with an ASC? I reluctantly did take them but haven't read them yet, maybe I will if my diagnosis comes back that I do have an ASC?

When they asked about repetitive behaviours would eating sandwiches, biscuit, chrisp and banana each day at work for my dinner come under this part even though I change my choice of sandwich flavour?

  • Sorry you found the experience exhausting, I did too.

    About lunch (I think that's what you mean by dinner?)...

    I'd say no but I'm no professional. 

    Plenty of people have a combination like this and a different sandwich filling sometimes everyday. Breakfast and lunch tend to be very similar meals for most people each day. Of course, there are people who don't, who will have a different lunch but for the majority of people it's easier or habit just to have a fairly standard sandwich lunch. Nothing at all unusual about a sandwich, crisps and fruit and something else. I've seen many dietitians so I know this is a lunch they'd actually recommend.

    Speaking from my own experience of seeing dietitians, when it comes to food repetition what they see as abnormal is very restricted or very repetitive choices beyond what might be seen as "normal". For example, I eat one flavour of soup and only one flavour of soup and it must be a particular brand and only that particular brand. I will eat it for days and days and days at a time for lunch and not change anything about the meal at all unless prompted or I will put the same children's meal in the oven for my evening meal every single night unless prompted to make something else. I mean every night for weeks or months. I never consider a different flavour or adding something to it or anything that would change it. If I travel (very rare) we have to pack plenty of the handful of foods that I eat so I can have my regular foods because I won't cope or eat sufficiently without them.

    Obviously it is a repetitive dinner, you have the same dinner structure everyday, however, it is not any different in terms of repetition than what is seen in a huge proportion of the population. Though I could see your dinner being a repetitive behaviour if you become very distress if you can't have this meal combination or of having a different sandwich filling provokes anxiety. Obviously a bit of anxiety around being hungry or whatever might be expected if you can't have your usual dinner or a bit of disappointment around not getting to have what you usually have and were expecting.

    Sorry, I hope that helps. If it were me, I wouldn't think too much about your dinner. It sounds like actually what dietitians have been recommending to me for years. It sounds like you are doing well with this.

  • I find it hard to self observe maybe it would be better to have a camera on me 24/7 for exact traits?

    I do tap my fingers on my control pad when I get excited playing on my games console or even making funny noises when sat watching TV with my wife as she keeps having to tell me to shut up.

    Not being a professional I cannot really say if I do don't have a repetitive behaviour as it's hard to judge myself? Regarding my sandwich if I couldn't have it I would just make sure I ate it later on when i had time to.

  • Hi 

    The food thing would certainly fall in routine. And probably repetitive behaviour. Would you react if you couldn't have a sandwich at all? 

    With repetitive behaviour look at small things do you tap your fingers or feet? It could be small movements that you do alot that you barely even consider.