autism assessment tomorrow...

[growingpositively]

Hi, sorry for another post. Seemed the one I just tried to make disappeared, as it came up with an error. Apologies if there's too that are similar as I'm trying to remember what I just wrote...

Have the questionnaire part of autism assessment tomorrow, then parents will do neurodevelopmental history. I'm worried that parents don't know me very well, due to abuse, and probably masking.

I've written a list of reasons why I suspect, but it seems weird. I want to give it to them, but wonder if it's the right thing, but it could make a difference whether I am offered the full assessment or not.

Im actually worried for them to say I'm not.

[CallMeLeo]

I had the same concern when i had my assessment in july, my parents are terribly unreliable narrators and you can ask my mum one thing about me and then when i make a comment she completely changes what she was saying. I got my sister to by my reference but to be honest it didnt matter if she was there or not. The assessor knew what she was looking for when talking to me, the way i talked, facial expressions, how into subjects i got, how i intrepreted the questions, how my eyes moved around. She really didn’t need my sister, that was really just to see if i had always been the way i am or if i developed things later on so they can determine whether it was ASD, trauma or learned behaviours. Honestly, no matter how much you mask you are always a little bit off because if youre autisic you won’t quite fit in. They will ask your parents questions and give them examples and your parents will be reminded of things you dont know about or remember. My sister had lots of examples from my childhood we had never spoke about. I did the same thing writing lists and examples but they dont need them the actual assessments have enough questions of their own that they can come to that opinion themselves, when youre at the point of having an assessment because youre expected to have asd you dont need to prove you need to be having one of that makes sense. Sorry i dunno if you meant give the list to your parents or the assessors. It cant hurt but hopefully they won’t need it because they’ll be able to tell without that info, it cant to use ir though, if it makes tou feel comfortable

[growingpositively in reply to CallMeLeo]

Its more that I won't actually get to speak to an assessor if my tick box assessment and parents convo with my own therapist isn't enough to suggest I am. So what you said makes sense, but that's where I need to get to, actually speaking to them myself.

[CallMeLeo in reply to growingpositively]

The tick box one is enough, they have a simple grading criteria, if you’re on the spectr your grade will fall within that area and you’ll have follow ups, they wont rely on your parents or at least if your parents arent helpful they can get other references like someone who knew you as a kid whose old enough to recognise odd behaviours. All my school reports were destroyed and my sister was only 8 when i was born so her memory wouldnt be brilliant, sadly tick box assessments lead to more tick box assessments and to get to actualDiagnosis stage you need numerous assessments, you should be fine, a therapist isnt an assessor and neither are your parents if your results warrant further investigation toward an official assessment you’ll go that way, people arent a little bit autistic their brains are wire differently,that leaves signs that even the tick boxes pick up on

[CallMeLeo in reply to growingpositively]

Sorry gotta piggy back on myself here, your therapist is probably not qualified in that area, i’m 30, no one in my life had ever uttered the word Autism, not counsellors, anger management, doctors, teachers, tutors, family, i had two CBT coaches and we got to autism after we’d exhausted every other avenue, a questionairre is a process not a test, i know what youre saying because you think other peoples view of you might be, “yeah theyre a bit weird but that’ll be the abuse.” Believe me it’s not as simple as that, what really matters is your opinion, your experience, the other people bolster you a bit but someone out there has been diagnosed with absolutely no references to back them

[growingpositively in reply to CallMeLeo]

They mentioned have I ever been assessed in my very first appointment, so I don't know if they suspected back then. That was in March. They send off the info to the neurodevelopmental team, they just collect it. There's things looking back that have definitely been my whole life. Mum says she can see reasons why I could be (she suspects my dad is too), but that I met all my developmental targets. Guess we'll see!

[CallMeLeo in reply to growingpositively]

My advise to you would be to request the info for all you medical notes. I sogned up to an app called Airmid (in the UK) which gave me access to all of the things written by doctors and healthcare professionals in our sessions so i could see what they were thinking and that helped me feel better that i was on the right path. Its good that your mum could vouch for you, generally people dont look at you and go “clearly autistic”, most people have no clue what it is and think youre a bit odd or quirky, but once they are asked about it and theres a format to explaon behaviours they start to see the differences in you. I’m glad youre on the pathway and i hope it takes you to a place of positivity,

[growingpositively in reply to CallMeLeo]

Questionnaire part today went so well. Maybe that sounds daft as it's only tick boxes, but I felt like it asked the right questions if that makes any sense. I was also allowed to read the questions they ask parents and think that will be okay. Feel a bit numb but guess that's okay.

[Mybestfriends in reply to growingpositively]

I would give forms to parent's to fill their bit & you have your bit to fill out, its the Australian Autism forms, then they get sent to relevant Assessment location, they decide whether to give Full or Part Assessment.It will all be seen in Face to Face, questions like eg Do you have any Material dislikes with clothes you wear, Labels.

Even if you think you progressed at normal Baby stages, you can still be on the Higher end of the Spectrum ASD, ASC. etc.

Take a Good photo of your Filled out Forms before you send them in, just incase anything happens in Post.

Keep your Diagnoses Safe, as you will need them to send copies to Any person's or organizations, benefits etc.

[CallMeLeo]

It wasn’t only tick boxes though, they are the doorway to explaining how you’ve felt your whole life. You’ll feel drained because of the emotional strain it’s put on you, the worrying about your parents and the assessors and how you’ll come across, if you should play up your symptons to appear more obvious or tone them down so you dont appear too over the top. It’s good you got to see what your parents were asked, it seems you’re going the right way

[growingpositively in reply to CallMeLeo]

If I do not have autism now!! But definitely so many resonated, and it did feel like an opportunity to explain how I've felt my whole life.