Published on 12, July, 2020
I am about to undertake an autism assessment. I am 36 and have struggled with depression, anxiety, self esteem and social issues for as long as I can remember. I’ve seen countless therapists, doctors, psychiatrists over the years and none have never come to a conclusion about why life is so difficult for me.
Over the past year on two separate occasions one with a therapist and one with a GP, ASD has been mentioned. After a lot (like A LOT) of obsessing and research many of the signs I have read about make sense as to why things are so difficult for me.
As many of you will know my assessment needs someone who has known me since childhood, my only option here is my mum. We don’t have the most open relationship and I find it very hard to be honest with her about how I feel. I’m scared that because I have hidden my difficulties so effectively from her she won’t be helpful in the assessment. I have no idea how to approach this with her and wondered if anyone had a similar experience and any advice to share?
Hi LittleHouse. This issue was my biggest concern when I was arranging my assessment. I didn't have any parents they could talk to and the only people remaining who did know me as a child (cousins) just didn't know me well enough, only ever saw a masked version of me.
But the assessors assured me that this is a very common problem in the late diagnosed (52 in my case) and allowed me to work around it by completing the development forms myself and letting them interview two people who know me fairly well in adulthood.