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Adult autism- how to get diagnosis?

happispirit

Hi,

I have 5 children 15, 13, 7, 5 and 3 and my oldest has been diagnosed as being within the ASD spectrum and in attendance at a SEN school,  with the second currently under Community Paedeatricians wwith a referral to CAMHS as its suspected she is on the spectrum as well.

My husband, (40), also displays a lot of the same behavioural traits and after being on anti depressants for over 4 years, we finally got a referral to the mental health team who basically have said, yes it could be your ASD but your old, we can't really say so easily, and discharged him. 

After such a long slog trying to get him some help, I am buckling under the pressure trying to cope with him, 5 kids and a degree course fulltime. Noone gets PIP, disability allowance, carers allowance or ESA - I would appreciate any advice on how to get his needs recognised and find some support. 

Thank you. 

Parents

  • Diagnoses for adults is still a postcode lottery and depressingly bad in some places. Yes there are difficulties diagnosing in later life, especially if parents are not around to give insights on childhood difficulties, or if there are complications as you describe. But it does sound like someone making feeble excuses.

    It would be worth going around again and asking for him to be seen by a different specialist - preferably the authorised autism diagnosis facility in your county or administrative area, rather than just someone in mental health not taking their job seriously enough.

    However I just wonder why you want him to go through with this. If it is to help him resolve past and present difficulties with an explanation and resolution/closure then that is good, and worth going for diagnosis.

    If he doesn't feel he needs that, but simply wants to gain insight into how it might affect him, he can read books on the subject, which will help him understand both his own issues and those of his children, or go on a course (there are some provided by NAS and seminars he could attend).

    That option doesn't give him the resolved explanation a diagnosis would provide, and he might therefore remain uncertain whether it applies to him (though you can continue having those doubts even after a diagnosis). Nor does it give him any options for support. But if just insight and self-understanding would be beneficial it might be the option.

Reply

  • Diagnoses for adults is still a postcode lottery and depressingly bad in some places. Yes there are difficulties diagnosing in later life, especially if parents are not around to give insights on childhood difficulties, or if there are complications as you describe. But it does sound like someone making feeble excuses.

    It would be worth going around again and asking for him to be seen by a different specialist - preferably the authorised autism diagnosis facility in your county or administrative area, rather than just someone in mental health not taking their job seriously enough.

    However I just wonder why you want him to go through with this. If it is to help him resolve past and present difficulties with an explanation and resolution/closure then that is good, and worth going for diagnosis.

    If he doesn't feel he needs that, but simply wants to gain insight into how it might affect him, he can read books on the subject, which will help him understand both his own issues and those of his children, or go on a course (there are some provided by NAS and seminars he could attend).

    That option doesn't give him the resolved explanation a diagnosis would provide, and he might therefore remain uncertain whether it applies to him (though you can continue having those doubts even after a diagnosis). Nor does it give him any options for support. But if just insight and self-understanding would be beneficial it might be the option.

Children
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