Published on 12, July, 2020
My wife found a clause (trying to rediscover it) which stated that it was not necessary to call in those with an ASD.
However ATOS managed to convince my wife that it was necessary to see how I am affected by my stroke.I started losing my balance more frequently circa 2014 the MRI scan in 2017 found evidence of scarring in the rear of my brain.
Previously having low care low mobility with DLA I came to realise this was going to be different.
The ATOS assessor appears to be qualified to at least a senior sister in order to be able to work alone but is she experienced
working within ASD? It would appear not. Equating a pre-arranged interview facing someone across a table as being identical
to not engaging with anyone socially is totally absurd. I did engage with her because she created rapport with me, not me creating
it with her,or us creating it jointly..As she appears not to have not been listening too closely I am drawn to concluding that her
shorthand skills need an urgent review in addition to her lack of understanding diversity within ASD. I am not going into this
too deeply as I am getting ready to go to appeal at a tribunal. But a copy of my complaint against ATOS will be presented at
my tribunal hearing..
I asked for a review of my PIP last year. In the review they deducted points which I had for mental health and gave me extra points for physical health. They also shortened the length of time before the next review. They don't seam to be able to understand if someone has more than one thing wrong with them. I had a hysterectomy due to womb cancer and they say I should recover, but I also have more permanent health concerns which they refused to acknowledge in the review. Where I lost the points was because I engaged with the interviewer, similar to you, because she created a rapport with me. Refusal to acknowledge when someone is extremely socially isolated can be very hurtful.
They have always insisted that it is not having a condition but how you as an individual are affected so nobody can just rely on being an Aspie. I would suspect that taking the diagnosis to the back of a theoretical list of symptoms with the symptoms themselves becoming more important might work better for anyone reading this as a PiP virgin? Bearing in mind there is enough diversity within ASD so that maybe 3 or 4 people could have a mixture of differences. Please this is just a rough estimate anybody so kindly refrain from compiling a list.
The DWP recently responded with "you engaged well with the assessor answering all of her questions, showing no signs of anxiety" (on maximum dose Citalopram specifically for anxiety though it is an antidepressant). I am not going to waste my time trying to get through to some pencil pusher that having an obligatory interview and answering questions cannot ever be compared to social interaction by any stretch of the imagination unless the person alleging it has an undiagnosed ASD? But I will put that point in my appeal.. My wife is going to be my representative pulling no punches as I recognise my errors.