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Help needed desperately

NAS64600

Hi I had an ASD assessment a month ago. I was previously worried about my assessment as I did not have any real "proof" from childhood as I have no family members or friends to ask. In the assessment I made it clear that I was worried as any neurodivergence has never even been brought up by doctors or schools etc due to having childhood trauma on my files. I was worried as any concern I try to raise is ignored and this is what is focused on. It seems the assessor took that idea and ran with it too. 

I have two psychology degrees (one is a msc), my husband has worked with ASD clients for the past 10 years and I have a nephew diagnosed with ASD and a son that has ADHD and is almost through his own ASD assessment so feel I am fairly right in my feelings that I have asd as does my husband feel so too. I have the lives experience and the horrible impact it has had on my life (I'm 37). However I have obviously masked a lot which has caused be a lot of mental pain. 

I received the assessment report today which said I did not meet the threshold. I was completely shocked. It has triggered major panic attacks and what I would consider to meltdowns all day. I am completely distraught and (as I often get) suicidal now.

The worst part is that whilst reading through it my husband and I found at least 10 things that were misquoted or not true at all (neither of us said them) and a lot of relevant (dsm5 criteria) information/proof missing. It also states that whilst I have a lot of traits that do meet all the criteria's, she has said they are down to childhood trauma. Even though it was barely touched on and she does not even have the facts of what it actually was (her words in the report). She also said in one part of I have a diagnosed personality disorder, which I don't have so I don't understand why she would put that. I am absolutely shattered by it and want to gie up. 

I just want to know is there anything I can do to contest it? Surely they can't just write false reports about someone and then discharge you (which is what she has done)? She has said I can set up a feedback meeting which me and my husband intend to do, but will there be any point?

I feel like reporting them for unprofessionalism due to the innacurate reporting etc. I am just lucky that I have a very supportive husband who has been helping me calm down all day. I hate to think if this happened to someone else without that support, what would happen. 

I am very desperate for advice from anyone who had similar and if they were able to get a diagnosis after this?

I also had the assessment that sees to be aimed at kids rather than adults with the reading a book, tell a story etc stuff which just didn't seem like a valid way to assess an adult who has learnt to mask.

Parents

  • sounds like you're doing all the right things. You are so fortunate to have such a supportive husband. Your evaluator sounds like they were just phoning it in, as they say. Let's see how they do on the back pedaling. Will you go to the meeting with the mask loosened?

    Oddly, as a 1st grader in the 50s, my being autistic was talked about in front of me,  but being "just" a girl nothing further happened. Later in the 80s, on my own and never having managed to adjust to societal exigencies, I was mis-diagnosed with "simple schizophrenia with otherwise unspecified complications" ( I may have the wording a bit off). This was apparently common (see the book Neurotribes) for girls and women seeking an ASD* diagnosis.That mis-diagnosis felt like a stigmata I didn't deserve, wrong and isolating. It affected all my attempts to form trusting bonds with others until I got the autism tests back to see there was nothing ever wrong with me from the beginning.

    So I know this feeling of impotence and being dismissed as less than deserving. There's also the feeling of lost time, all the time I might have lived more fully, more openly my own authentic self.

    --

    Masking seems to be the the main issue for you. There are therapists who are trained to get past it, peel it off for you. good hunting!

    * toss "Disorder" from the  DSM-5 with regard to autism.

Reply

  • sounds like you're doing all the right things. You are so fortunate to have such a supportive husband. Your evaluator sounds like they were just phoning it in, as they say. Let's see how they do on the back pedaling. Will you go to the meeting with the mask loosened?

    Oddly, as a 1st grader in the 50s, my being autistic was talked about in front of me,  but being "just" a girl nothing further happened. Later in the 80s, on my own and never having managed to adjust to societal exigencies, I was mis-diagnosed with "simple schizophrenia with otherwise unspecified complications" ( I may have the wording a bit off). This was apparently common (see the book Neurotribes) for girls and women seeking an ASD* diagnosis.That mis-diagnosis felt like a stigmata I didn't deserve, wrong and isolating. It affected all my attempts to form trusting bonds with others until I got the autism tests back to see there was nothing ever wrong with me from the beginning.

    So I know this feeling of impotence and being dismissed as less than deserving. There's also the feeling of lost time, all the time I might have lived more fully, more openly my own authentic self.

    --

    Masking seems to be the the main issue for you. There are therapists who are trained to get past it, peel it off for you. good hunting!

    * toss "Disorder" from the  DSM-5 with regard to autism.

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