High functioning Autism - Assessment & Diagnosis

[MamaLlama123]

Hi Mumsnet,

I am fairly certain that i have undiagnosed autism and whilst i understand there is no cure, I would like to be assessed for this

My husband has commented many times that i'm autistic and also that our toddler is. Whilst i'm hesitant to label my child so early- it would be helpful to know for myself in case issues arise with my child in the future

I have very special interests and prefer to talk in depth on these. I struggle with communication with my child for this reason - he is not capable of having these deep conversations. Engaging with child in small talk is very difficult for me - if I have autism, it might offer explanation as to why i struggle so much with this

I am capable of working full time and actually work in a field that i have special interest. In the past, i have been disciplined - the underlying problem was my bluntness/ lacking social skills/ not understanding that criticising colleagues for not following guidelines is not the way to be popular

Overall I believe i mask and this has resulted in me being able to function well in work etc.
Due to this i feel that seeking NHS diagnosis is not an effective use of NHS resources - especially given that there will be people who seriously struggle and cannot work etc

I can afford to pay for private assessment/ diagnosis - could anyone please advise on this? are there any highly regarded companies?

Am i best to gather evidence first to support my diagnosis? any other tips

Thank you so much

Have a look at this and maybe do one of the questionaires, they are pretty good.

https://attwoodandgarnettevents.com/late-diagnosis-of-autistic-women/

Would it be prudent to start the ball rolling for your dc to be assessed if you believe they have ASD?

I fail to see why an adult would pursue a diagnosis though for something that doesn't have a cure.

The poster above links to Attwood.
Maybe have a look at his books too, the Asperger's one is very detailed and informative.

I fail to see why an adult would pursue a diagnosis though for something that doesn't have a cure.

For neurodivergent people, diagnosis can help make sense of themselves and be very empowering. It can also enable workplaces / higher education to put support in place such as working from home, consideration in job interviews etc.

There are many, many things that don't have a cure but knowing why you feel a certain way (whether that's due to gallstones, arthritis or neurodivergence) can help you to take steps to make life more comfortable. Autism doesn't have a cure as it's a brain type that is for many people disabling (to a greater or lesser extent); it is not an illness.

OP I wonder whether you'd be so reluctant to "label" other things that could provide your DC with access to support? If your child is autistic it would be a diagnosis, not a label.

Psychiatryuk for diagnosis privately.

Definitely go for it. Knowing yourself is empowering. Work can offer reasonable adjustments if you need them.

Do you stim in any way?

I find the term “ high functioning” quite offensive.I doubt you’d get a diagnosis as it needs to limit and impair everyday functioning in the 3 main areas from early childhood. Lots of people struggle to interact with children and many can just have autisms traits such as bluntness. Doesn’t mean you are autistic.

I have an NHS diagnosis as do my children. The only private diagnosis I’d bother with is Lorna Wing. As regards gathering evidence it sounds as if you want to sway results. You need to be lead by those assessing you. All you need is somebody who can accurately answer questions about your childhood.

Agree with this.

Although I can recommend Psychiatry UK. I was diagnosed with them. My daughter was diagnosed with Healios.

Complete the AQ50. It's something you will be asked to do pre assessment anyway. The results will tell you whether you meet the threshold for diagnosis.

As for planning ahead, I was struggling so badly, I had dozens of A4 pages written down. It was never intended as evidence as such, but was more of a life story. It really does come down to how things have specifically impacted you in a lifelong way, beginning as an infant.

Also if you did have autism I think you’d want an NHS diagnosis as would feel you need the benefits and protection one can bring as regards potentially needing reasonable adjustments in all sorts of areas. Private diagnoses can be queried, I have heard a few people that have had issues.You don’t . You say you function well and others need the NHS more. As such I’d presume you don’t have it but just have traits.

I completely disagree. My diagnosis has been a blessing. I compare it to a dyslexic finding out the reason they struggle reading is not because they're stupid but because they are dyslexic.
My diagnosis has helped me understand myself, be kinder to myself, find techniques to deal with situations I find tricky and improved my relationships with my children, husband and parents.
I have also been able to explain to my manager about my diagnosis and they have made reasonable adjustments for me which is made my working life much better.

Personally I would look towards getting your toddler also diagnosed. My eldest autistic and I wish we had done it far younger for him as he would've got a lot more help in the early days.

I can recommend Berkely Psychiatrists My adult daughter got a diagnosis from there after having to wait for too long on the NHS. Having a diagnosis has really helped her to make more sustainable life choices, and people around her are a lot more understanding of the challenges she faces. She's more high masking than 'high functioning' and she gets very tired and anxious, which other people don't see.
Her diagnosis came after a very thorough assessment and she was very happy with their service

I was encouraged hugely to get an NHS diagnosis by NHS professionals as an adult in my 50s. It has been such a massive help in so many ways. I’m part of an NHS support group which contains several late diagnosed autistic adults. There is every reason to get a diagnosis as an adult but only if it limits and impairs everyday functioning.

Because it actually helps us realise why we are the people we are. I have just spent a grand getting a diagnosis and feel better for it.

I've often wondered if I'm high functioning I seem to check most of the boxes except that i can tell if I'm boring someone or annoying them

Describing anyone, or even yourself, as 'high functioning' is often unhelpful.

My dd could potentially be described as ‘high functioning’. She is very academically clever, is at university and has friends. However, the cost of maintaining this is that she spends hours and hours in bed, completely overwhelmed. At these times she could definitely be described as ‘low functioning’. The trouble with ‘functioning labels’ is that they often mean that the autistic person doesn’t get the support they need, and that their needs are simply not recognised because an assumption has been made about them, based on their ‘functioning label’.

That describes my DD too @Littlefish

There's a neurodiverse Mumsneters board you are better posting in.

A private assessment will be c £1600.

They often ask someone who knew you as a child to fill in a questionnaire.

It's good for you to write out your own list of evidence & give it to them.

I think you will offend people if you go on the ND board and use the phrase high functioning though.

I'm Autistic, but it was noted during my assessment that I'm very self aware. (Which I knew anyway) It seems to be that most people's image of an Autustic person is someone blunt, obsessive and rigid, with absolutely no self awareness and little empathy. It's often not the case.

When answering the question "I know how to tell when someone who is listening to me is getting bored" I said that I realised they were bored, but often couldn't stop myself. I had to work very hard in life to learn not get to that point when talking to people, but it's an exhausting thing to do, as are all elements of masking.

It was diagnosed last year and, at the risk of sounding like a wanker, I found it quite healing. It’s enabled me to reframe my entire life. All those decades spent feeling like a failure. I was never a failure at all.

The idea that a diagnosis of anything is only worthwhile if it can be “cured” is nonsense.

If you HAD to think of some reasons, hypothetically speaking, would might they be? If you really push yourself mentally & try hard to imagine, then you might come up with some.

Nope 😁

I'm guessing you're not Autistic?

It has really helped me and it does mean I can explain why I have difficulties

I fail to see why an adult would pursue a diagnosis though for something that doesn't have a cure.

Many conditions don't have a cure but correct diagnosis still points to the best ways of managing and self-managing these conditions. Autism is one of those conditions.

It's often not the label itself that helps, so much as the assessments which explore the different aspects of autism and tell you which ones you have and to what extent. No-one has all of them! Some can be opposite extremes.

Knowing if she has autism and how that affects her will help the OP to adapt her parenting to meet her child's needs, whether her DC has autism or not.

We don't tend to use the term high functioning autism anymore op:

psychiatry-uk.com/higher-or-lower-why-using-functional-labels-to-describe-autism-is-problematic/

I'm currently on the nhs pathway to assessment for autism and considering using savings to pay for a private assessment.

No but my dd is, she was diagnosed at 14.
Has it helped her? No - literally sent a letter saying there was no disparity in the questionnaires and she was without a doubt autistic. That was that, our final contact with CAMHS. She got a bit more time in her GCSE'S, that was pretty much the only advantage of having a diagnosis 🤷🏻‍♀️
Has it helped us? No

I doubt you’ll find a parent of an autistic kid here who hasn’t had the same experience. Child gets diagnosed - thank you and goodbye. I think a lot of people imagine that diagnosis opens the doors to help, in many and varied forms, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t really exist. And so we get right back to the issue of autism only being manageable, not curable.

School wise, I’ve found primary school was awful at acknowledging the needs of high masking, high anxiety kids. But secondary? They’ve been amazing. I think I’ve been unusually lucky in that my daughter got into a grammar school who, unsurprisingly, has quite a lot of autistic students.

When my daughter was diagnosed, I spent a lot of time getting her the right books to explain her neurotype to her. I didn’t want to force an identity on her, but I thought it was important that she understood her social-communication issues, her sensory needs etc. It helps her SO much just to understand why she’s different. Has your daughter at least got that self-understanding?