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Diagnosis

boopBrownie

Hi

I just found this place. I was diagnosed back in March through the university services and I found it really difficult. There were multiple reasons why, but one of the things that really affected me was the report I had to read about myself.

It felt very harsh. It basically just listed a hundred flaws that I apparently have. There was a short section at the end that referenced "possible benefits of having autism" but all of the very vague ones were things that were either disproved for me personally in previous sections, or ridiculous extremes such as "maybe you'll be as smart as Albert Einstein :)"

I cried quite a bit and felt very disconnected from my friends and peers.

It's still something that I struggle with.

Parents

  • I was diagnosed around the same time you were- I'm sorry your experience was so negative. Unfortunately the diagnostic criteria being based on 'deficits' means that the reports can make you feel really down on yourself if they're not very carefully worded.

    My own diagnostic report had a strengths section too, but this was very personalised and talked about specific things like my job and my special interests. I think that's a much better approach than an entirely deficit-based report or one that lists strengths of autism generally rather than the individual being diagnosed.

    The book Unmasking Autism (by Devon Price) has a really good chart in it that lists some common autistic strengths, which you may be able to apply to more specific aspects of your own life. It's worth a look, as is the book more generally. There are also some threads on this forum that you can look at to see what other people's strengths are- that might help you to find your own.

Reply

  • I was diagnosed around the same time you were- I'm sorry your experience was so negative. Unfortunately the diagnostic criteria being based on 'deficits' means that the reports can make you feel really down on yourself if they're not very carefully worded.

    My own diagnostic report had a strengths section too, but this was very personalised and talked about specific things like my job and my special interests. I think that's a much better approach than an entirely deficit-based report or one that lists strengths of autism generally rather than the individual being diagnosed.

    The book Unmasking Autism (by Devon Price) has a really good chart in it that lists some common autistic strengths, which you may be able to apply to more specific aspects of your own life. It's worth a look, as is the book more generally. There are also some threads on this forum that you can look at to see what other people's strengths are- that might help you to find your own.

Children
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