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Mild Autism? Teenager

Crisps

Hello Everyone

Please accept my apologies for any use of the wrong terminology. 

My teenager daughter has recently expressed that she would like an autism assessment.

She has done a lot of research herself and strongly suspects she has. She is not necessarily looking for additional support as such but thinks that by knowing she may be able to access/learn more to support herself. 

She has taught herself coping mechanisms to her social and emotional barriers, and does incredibly well at school. I think recently it has been mostly bothering her as she doesn't understand when she appears rude and it is frustrating her.

Given that its likely mild and shes high-functioning (apologies again I understand these are outdated phrases) is this something the GP would still support assessment wise?

Many thanks

Parents

  • Hi and welcome to the community.

    In short, yes - people with autism that might previously have been classified as Asperger Syndrome are fully entitled to be assessed.

    Despite the misleading sound of those unofficial terms, so-called "mild" or "high-functioning" autism can still extract a heavy toll in terms of mental health consequences - especially cumulatively, over time. Similarly, autistic people's struggles can increase as we progress through childhood and into adulthood, including due to the increased social and environmental demands that are placed on us as we grow up.

    Your daughter might find this resource helpful in helping her to note down various things that support her suspicions. This list, along with a screening questionnaire (more on this below) would typically be what a GP would require when assessing suitability for referral:

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic

    If you and your daughter would like to learn more about getting assessed, these articles are perhaps a good place to start:

    NAS - Deciding whether to seek an autism assessment

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    They are from the NAS's diagnosis hub, which covers all stages of the process.

    For those who live in England, it also includes information about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose, which enables access to private providers who might have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with the referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS (so there is no need to go, or pay, privately).

    The NAS articles do include links to screening questionnaires that GPs would require - and that your daughter can complete first, to get a better idea of whether her suspicions are correct. But she might prefer to use the website below for this. It provides a useful commentary for each questionnaire, and enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for her), saved as PDFs and - if the results support her suspicions and she decides to seek a formal diagnosis - printed off to take with her to the GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 are the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, but recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool).

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

Reply

  • Hi and welcome to the community.

    In short, yes - people with autism that might previously have been classified as Asperger Syndrome are fully entitled to be assessed.

    Despite the misleading sound of those unofficial terms, so-called "mild" or "high-functioning" autism can still extract a heavy toll in terms of mental health consequences - especially cumulatively, over time. Similarly, autistic people's struggles can increase as we progress through childhood and into adulthood, including due to the increased social and environmental demands that are placed on us as we grow up.

    Your daughter might find this resource helpful in helping her to note down various things that support her suspicions. This list, along with a screening questionnaire (more on this below) would typically be what a GP would require when assessing suitability for referral:

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic

    If you and your daughter would like to learn more about getting assessed, these articles are perhaps a good place to start:

    NAS - Deciding whether to seek an autism assessment

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    They are from the NAS's diagnosis hub, which covers all stages of the process.

    For those who live in England, it also includes information about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose, which enables access to private providers who might have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with the referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS (so there is no need to go, or pay, privately).

    The NAS articles do include links to screening questionnaires that GPs would require - and that your daughter can complete first, to get a better idea of whether her suspicions are correct. But she might prefer to use the website below for this. It provides a useful commentary for each questionnaire, and enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for her), saved as PDFs and - if the results support her suspicions and she decides to seek a formal diagnosis - printed off to take with her to the GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 are the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, but recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool).

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

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