Published on 12, July, 2020
As in the title really. I’m scoring high on self-diagnosis questionnaires and was referred at the advice of single point of access and my GP, but I don’t really remember that much about childhood as I’m 43 and my parents are nearly 80 so remember even less. My school reports focus entirely on how good I am at my subjects and give no background on me as a person. I have no siblings and no childhood friends. I’ve done a first assessment and have a follow up later this week and as all the questions focussed entirely on childhood apparently there’s little evidence of anything. Not sure why I’m putting this on really. I just feel a bit desperate as I thought I had started to understand myself a bit better but maybe not? Don’t they take anything from adulthood into account at all?
One of the requirements for an autism diagnosis is that there is some sign that problems were noticeable from early childhood. It does not need to be 'court of law' style evidence, something you remember yourself should be sufficient. For me, with both parents deceased when I had my assessment, it was remembering being told by my mother, and remembering some of my distress at the time, that I was selectively mute at school for 3 months when I started at four and a half. Also remembering that I would often spend breaktimes spinning round and round on my own in a corner of the playground. It does not need to be memories of earth-shattering events, things like: liking to hide away in wardrobes and cupboards as a small child, difficulties telling the time, not answering when strange adults asked you questions, tying shoelaces, anything a little odd will do, but the assessors need something.