Am I unusual

firemonkey said:

I didn't write copious notes detailing why I might be/was autistic.

Among other potential reasons, it seems to me that some of us have approached this differently than others simply because of the fundamentally different natures of our autism assessments themselves.

Under some assessment providers, all or a lot of important information is gathered and recorded via interviews with us.

Under others, that same information is instead gathered by requiring us to submit pre-assessment questionnaires, within which we need to consider and note down all kinds of difficulties, examples, details, etc.

I’m grateful that, in my case, it was the latter. Because I’d have struggled hugely to recall and articulate all of that information in a face-to-face interview.

Mine consisted of a couple of question and answer sessions with my chosen daughter present.Some tick box questionnaires- with my chosen daughter having a questionnaire to fill in. My sister, who's younger than me provided a letter. Finally there was the ADOS.

I didn't, as some do, plan things in order to minimise the chances of a negative result. I was certainly far less confident  as to whether I was autistic than the vast  majority of those who were self diagnosed. 

That's not to say there's a right or wrong way to approach things, but it does point even at a pre diagnosis stage to the heterogenous nature of being an autistic person.

I struggle to identify with most other autistic persons,be it here or elsewhere. The descriptions of everyday life are markedly different.  In my case far more basic and lacking in depth. I think there's a sizeable difference between ASD + SMI vs ASD- SMI. 

Mine consisted of a couple of question and answer sessions with my chosen daughter present.Some tick box questionnaires- with my chosen daughter having a questionnaire to fill in. My sister, who's younger than me provided a letter. Finally there was the ADOS.

I didn't, as some do, plan things in order to minimise the chances of a negative result. I was certainly far less confident  as to whether I was autistic than the vast  majority of those who were self diagnosed. 

That's not to say there's a right or wrong way to approach things, but it does point even at a pre diagnosis stage to the heterogenous nature of being an autistic person.

I struggle to identify with most other autistic persons,be it here or elsewhere. The descriptions of everyday life are markedly different.  In my case far more basic and lacking in depth. I think there's a sizeable difference between ASD + SMI vs ASD- SMI.