Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, I have a 9 yo dd who I have suspected from babyhood to be on the spectrum but Iv ignored and tried to manage symptoms on my own (badly). She is high functioning but I wonder if there are any benefits in seeking a diagnosis when she has no learning disability or physical impairments. she is a high achiever at school but I just am worried that I don't have the knowledge or tools for her as she enters her teens.
Without a diagnosis, I would not have been able to access the support I needed to sit my A level and university exams when my sensory issues and phobias became too great for me to sit them in a conventional exam hall with other students. Academic ability alone will not necessarily guarantee an individual can complete their education, and sensory problems can intensify in autistic individuals as they get older and social dynamics/environments become more complicated. If your daughter ever were to hit some kind of 'crisis' point and need immediate support, her diagnosis may help her to access the right kind of support as quickly as possible. (Imagine having to go through the process of pursuing a diagnosis to get access to support while she is in some kind of meltdown because of an unexpected situation.)
Actually, no, I tell a lie: I did my A levels, went to uni, dropped out, went to uni a second time, dropped out, got my diagnosis, went to uni a third time, got a First (in a subject that was completely unrelated to my first two attempts). I'm veering way off topic, but I just wanted to correct myself! Sorry.