I run an ADHD/ASD assessment service

[Trolleydolly123]

As the title says, curious to hear questions/thoughts.

Do you believe that autism is a result of attachment disorder/ traumatic experiences? Or that they are two completely different pathways which lead to the same conclusion in terms of neurological condition?

People who think they are neurotypical don't think they should request an autism assessment, which includes almost all neurotypical people and some autistic people. Of course the majority of patients will be autistic.

Why?

Alternatively: you had one symptom, did a questionnaire and saw the list of all the other symptoms, remembered that occasionally in the past you've done some of the others and subconsciously start doing them again, join a support group for people waiting for diagnosis, see a few fun memes about people with ADHD, feel really supported and part of the community so start doing a few more of the behaviours, go to a few real life meetups and pick up even more of them by memetic copying of behaviours...

Yeah, by the time you get to the assessment you do have 90% of the behaviours

I'm guessing that a lot of people took better to lockdown than they expected and found returning to sociable life harder than they expected.

Some tasks required to assess would overlap. For example history taking, interviewing, and research/reading through school reports etc would be a big chunk of your bill as it's time consuming. It doesn't need doing again necessarily for a second diagnosis, but different information might be pulled for the second diagnosis. Or maybe an additional assessment.

Cool story.
Not very likely though is it?

Yeah I was wondering the same. Personally I’m increasingly sceptical.

I think it’ve very likely.

@Trolleydolly123the problem is not with supply or the pharmacy, the problem is with the script request and the prescriber not sending it through. They've admitted this, my mental health nurse has had the same answer. Digital scripts are supposed to be more efficient. They're not. It is the fault of the ADHD clinic.

Is this normal??

People who struggle to focus on studies are saying ‘I have ADHD, or traits of ADHD’. Do you feel this is being used loosely now? Two people have said it to me this week

1. When you can count the number of times you've been rebuked at work for saying the wrong thing, and compare that to other people, it's no longer subjective.
2. Behaviours, like failure to make eye contact, can be witnessed by the assessor.
3. Schizophrenia also relies on self-reporting and subjective analysis. Are you claiming that schizophrenia is overdiagnosed?

I just checked on adhd uk, my profile is highly consistent with ADHD apparently 🙄. I’m easily bored and I have double booked occasionally (think I’m in peril). I can imagine it’s not that hard to get a diagnosis.

https://adhduk.co.uk/adult-adhd-screening-survey/#gf73

In fairness for RTC you can only be referred by a GP and they HAVE to agree it is a possibility and a reasonable referral. If they don't think there is a genuine case for a referral they can and do refuse to refer.

Personally I had 4 A4 pages worth of examples and symptoms from nursery to present life and the difficulties it had caused
I 100% had definite obvious ADHD traits in childhood, but I was a)female and b) born in the 1980s. Back then they didn't even think girls could have ADHD and all of the previous medical studies were done on and based in boys. It's only in the last decade we have recognised it affect girls/women just as much (if not underdiagnosed). Also the stigma was much bigger..No mum in the 80/90s would willingly accept their child had ADHD or autism.

My partner very much has many traits of autism (as does his mum-very clear where he inherited it from 😬) but she would never in a million years have got him assessed and wouldn't support it in adulthood either

How would I get my child assessed for ADHD? His dyslexia assessment suggested he might attention deficit disorder.

Ladies and gentlemen, this above is what ableist gaslighting looks like.

No, people do not make their symptoms up and they do not, within a few months, learn new behaviours that override how they've behaved their whole lives before.

I didn't see a presentation at work about autistic women and then suddenly start having problems with bright lights. I've had problems with bright lights all my life. Likewise, forgetting words mid-sentence, dropping balls, saying the wrong thing, being unable to make small talk...

My inability to talk to peers is on my school reports.

That's basically my history: misdiagnosed with EUPD as a teen, correct diagnosis as autistic as an adult.

It’s really not. I don’t have any issues that would require a diagnosis or medication or support of any kind yet I answered an adhd questionnaire honestly and managed to score very highly. I didn’t make any symptoms up, I’m just a very tired middle aged woman.

As a teacher I had to do courses during lockdown during my weeks off face to face duty. Did a good quality ADHD course and suddenly I realised why my life was such a shitshow. I'm 61 and feel no need for a diagnosis but am a definite underachiever.

Yes it's pretty offensive that people think you just do a quick online multi choice test and then get a diagnosis, here's the pills.

For everyone who says "oh it's all just a TikTok fad" are disparaging people like my ds who's been putting off getting tested for some years now because of people casting aspersions; despite wanting to be tested well before that phenomenon. And me who's thought I fit the criteria for over 25 of my 57 years.

Seriously @User37482 do you really think a quick multi choice quiz is all that's required? As far as I'm aware that's just a tool to give you an idea as to whether it's worth the long and/or costly process to investigate further.

The problem with gatekeeping the assessment until someone is in a crisis (e.g. prison time) is that people end up in crisis who could have been spared that.

I have a job and probably would be now denied a place on the waiting list. Yet my diagnosis has unlocked Access For Work funding and reasonable adjustments at work, without which I probably would have lost my job (and hence house, car, etc) by now. My past relationships have been with abusers (ND women are vulnerable so we are catnip to abusive men) and I will never marry because I cannot share my house with other people. Yet I wouldn't get on the list now.

She didn't say that the triage is self-referral, though.

Yes, people can self refer, but triage would weed out those that don't need to go forward for assessment, meaning that only those likely to have ASD or ADHD are actually assessed.

I got stuck on some ADHD algorithm on my insta / facebook reels. So much of the "symptoms" which were shown I could say "Yeah thats me" but they only speak about one at a time usually. I don't have ADHD / ASD but I can see how some people would be drawn to think they have by these videos

Yes, once i’m being properly assessed I would naturally be inclined to talk about those instances where I struggled. What objective test is there for adhd?

I have done the long and costly route for something else with a psychologist. I fully understand whats involved with getting a private diagnosis (mine wasn’t shared with anyone). I understand how it goes.