Treatments and therapies without a diagnosis

Hello, this question is with regards my 31 year old sister. Does anyone have any opinions or advice regarding whether it would be advisable and possible to avail of different services and treatments without a diagnosis for autism. The reason being that my sister had an assessment done some years ago which informed us that she is not on the spectrum. We have doubts about this, and so if possible would prefer to avoid putting her through the ordeal, time and expense of seeking another assessment. She has other comorbid conditions, so I feel it may be of benefit to try to treat her perhaps holistically initially, in the hopes that the specific therapist will know how to proceed. Basically i would just love to get her started on something. As a 31yo, she has really fallen through the net and needs help getting back into gear.

Any ideas would be welcome. 

Thanks very much

Parents
  • MarinaTs,

    I believe am echoing the previous two comments. I am concerned that you wish to 'treat' your sister when she does not have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition/Asperger's. 

    It is possible that at the time of the previous assessment she may have had Autism Spectrum Condition, but was coping well enough not to be given a diagnosis.
    Or that the psychologist (hopefully a specialist in Autism/Aspergers) got the sense from your sister that she was not ready for a diagnosis. By that I mean;  it is important that a person who suspects they have ASC/Asperger's, goes for assessment because they personally want to be there and are ready to accept it.

    I am puzzled by your saying she has co-morbid conditions. As she does not have an ASC diagnosis... how can she have conditions co-morbid to ASC. Do you mean that she is showing outward signs of having ASC/Aspertger's?
    The outward signs and behaviours of ASC can worsen if environmental factors are causing increased sensory problems or anxiety... and anxiety goes hand-in-glove with Asperger's. Is this the co-morbidity you are talking about?
    A reduction in the anxiety inducing factors can alleviate the problem, but you need to know what the problem is first.

    Each individual with ASC/Asperger's will have a different set of problems and advantages. A diagnosis highlights these and gives an idea of what needs to be done to help the person deal with the unpleasent parts and make the most of the advantages. But it is all up the person who has the condition and what they want for themselves, and what they feel they would like to target through treatment.

    You say your sister has 'fallen through the net'. Unfortunately falling through the net happens to a lot of us, and many reach diagnosis after being treated for years for conditions that they do not have... GP's asking the 10 questions of the quick-version AQ Test would give them an indication of the real problem, and avoid mis-diagnosis... but I think few GP's do this.
    Without correctly establishing the real cause of the problem, they often treat the patient for a mental health condition rather than Autism Spectrum Condition, which is a developmental difference.

    You say that you "would just love to get her started on something" and I appreciate that you want to help her. But what does your sister want for herself?

Reply
  • MarinaTs,

    I believe am echoing the previous two comments. I am concerned that you wish to 'treat' your sister when she does not have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition/Asperger's. 

    It is possible that at the time of the previous assessment she may have had Autism Spectrum Condition, but was coping well enough not to be given a diagnosis.
    Or that the psychologist (hopefully a specialist in Autism/Aspergers) got the sense from your sister that she was not ready for a diagnosis. By that I mean;  it is important that a person who suspects they have ASC/Asperger's, goes for assessment because they personally want to be there and are ready to accept it.

    I am puzzled by your saying she has co-morbid conditions. As she does not have an ASC diagnosis... how can she have conditions co-morbid to ASC. Do you mean that she is showing outward signs of having ASC/Aspertger's?
    The outward signs and behaviours of ASC can worsen if environmental factors are causing increased sensory problems or anxiety... and anxiety goes hand-in-glove with Asperger's. Is this the co-morbidity you are talking about?
    A reduction in the anxiety inducing factors can alleviate the problem, but you need to know what the problem is first.

    Each individual with ASC/Asperger's will have a different set of problems and advantages. A diagnosis highlights these and gives an idea of what needs to be done to help the person deal with the unpleasent parts and make the most of the advantages. But it is all up the person who has the condition and what they want for themselves, and what they feel they would like to target through treatment.

    You say your sister has 'fallen through the net'. Unfortunately falling through the net happens to a lot of us, and many reach diagnosis after being treated for years for conditions that they do not have... GP's asking the 10 questions of the quick-version AQ Test would give them an indication of the real problem, and avoid mis-diagnosis... but I think few GP's do this.
    Without correctly establishing the real cause of the problem, they often treat the patient for a mental health condition rather than Autism Spectrum Condition, which is a developmental difference.

    You say that you "would just love to get her started on something" and I appreciate that you want to help her. But what does your sister want for herself?

Children
No Data