To think that anyone who has an autism assessment gets diagnosed as having autism.

[Cruncheyleaves]

If you had an autism assessment and weren't diagnosed with autism o
what happened?

Were you offered/suggested other assessments?

Was there any support available?

Did they think your behaviour was down to trauma/upbringing instead?

How did you feel?

Why are you asking, please?

Not necessarily but generally its bloody long and evidence based to even get on the autism diagnostic pathway so by the time you are on its more or less a given.

Your title and actual post don’t match? Confused if the title is your actual question or not but yes curious as to why you are asking too?

Some people have traits that could be considered autistic but not enough to qualify as autistic in an assessment.
I'm guessing you dont get any support since when you are diagnosed with autism you most often dont get any support. I didn't.

a previous thread
OP I hope the answers help?

There’s very little support available even if you get a diagnosis of HFA.
What sort of help are you looking for? Counselling? Learning support in HE?

I used to refer children and teens for assessment. Some were not given a diagnosis but were told that they 'had traits'. I had quite a few get a diagnosis when the team nearly didn't accept my referrals, but then they scored high on the assessments. Some paediatricians started giving a 'working diagnosis' in order that children who had significant difficulties but did not score above the threshold on all the assessments did not miss out on help (such as parents accessing ASD parents course). However more recently clinicians were allowed to exercise more discretion over the assessments. Others it was concluded that their problems resulted from trauma or attachment difficulties but this was rarely explained well to parents.

@flibbertygiblets I'm asking because I'm considering trying to get a referral for an assessment through my GP. The thread you posted was also by me.

@snarkybag my title so was I could warrant putting it on AIBU section so that I'd actually get replies! My next question is more what I'm thinking about.

Basically I know I've got traits but unsure if it's enough to be classed as autistic. I'd feel like I wasting their time if they deemed me as not autistic. But then what's the point in an assessment if I already know!!

Thanks @scrapthatthen @armchairtraveller @Mylittleorangurtan. Yes I don't know why I'd even think there would be any support if you're found not to be autistic as there's so little support if you are!!

I also wonder if I'm dyspraxic rather than autistic. I can relate to everything on what I've read about it apart from my fine motor skills are fine. Which seems like the main trait of it.

I work with autistic people and I know that a lot of autistic people, rightly so, are very hesitant to seek support from non autistic people so if it would be good to know if I am or not. I'm not sure if I am looking for the traits in myself I know I'm a perfectionist so it's easy for me to pick out my challenges and things I struggle with. I love working with autistic people and do feel like I relate to a lot of their struggles.

No my dd didnt. She got a different diagnosis.

I actually think some professionals on the periphery ( teachers in the main) were too quick to jump to autism when I'd done some research and it didnt fit. I was proven right in the end.

I think Im3in a similar boat to yoj. My doctor kind of laughed it off when I tentatively suggested I might be (my daughter is diagnosed and I am SO like her.)

I work woth parents and teach parenting courses and have often thought it would be helpful to know if I actually am or not.

It presents so differently in women doesnt it.

That's interesting. So the autism assessment actually includes other assessments? Or did you have to go back for the other assessment?

When I looked into a private assessment they didn't test for dyspraxia or dylexia at all.

I'm prety sure I have adhd and Im more aware of that than autism but since my daughters diagnosis I am aware how much like her I am... I would love to have both checked at once.

My eldest sons teacher in year 4 urged us to get him assessed for autism. She wrote a list of 'traits' she thought he had for me to take to my GP. He had a couple of different meetings, and someone came out to watch how he was in school. They told me they did not think he had autism and would be investigating no further, and dropped him from the system. I havent heard anything since, that was 2 years ago. None of his other teachers have ever considered him to be on the spectrum either.

OP, I am just curious, what are you trying to achieve with the assessment? Let's say you will manage to get assessed and they confirm you are on a spectrum, then what?

IME it’s very hard to access an assessment
Then there is an extremely high threshold for getting a diagnosis
And if you are female, the nature of the male orientated assessments mean you are less likely to get in for assessment and get a diagnosis
I wonder if it is more helpful to read / research and self diagnose and work from there, unless a
Diagnosis would help with EHCP or occupational health stuff in work environments??

Would like to actually get any assessment. Been waiting since August 2018 for my 8 year old to be seen

@iwonder08 having an assessment regardless of outcome would stop my overthinking of whether I am or not. I've been thinking about it for the last 2ish years.

If I am then I would give myself a break in some ways. Accept that I'm different.

If I'm not then also give myself a break and try not to be so critical of myself.

I gave up going through the NHS referral method - my GP is rather old and I don't think was really used to this. I kept being pinged into the Mental Health assessment. My mental health at the time was rather bad (Jobseeking-induced reactive depression)
but I knew exactly why. I ended up paying for a private assessment in the end.

I've done so many online tests. Mainly they come out as yes you are likely autistic sometimes on the border. It hasn't given me any sort of closure.

I think with children the pathway is so drawn out that by the time the assessments happen eveyone has a pretty good idea. I have two (now adult) children on the spectrum.. (and two not) and one was more easily diagnosed as male, and also learning disabled (special school etc) The other..female and very able but equally 'different' didn't have autism brought up until her MH had fallen apart.
I know I am autistic. Never been diagnosed and am not convinced it would make any difference to my daily life if I were, as I do not have support needs. My family accept me as I am including my various peculiarities, need for sameness, social issues and all. I also work in Special Ed with severely autistic young people and I think it's easier for me because I 'get' some of the difficulties.

There isn't much support out there tbh. My DS2 will never live independently but once he left special school all support fell awa, and we just hope one day we can fight for supported living or some sort of help. DD1 managed to find a partner who is quite different too and they are getting along surprisingly well!

I would like to know as saying I'm autistic when I haven't been diagnosed as such would seem fraudulent. It would make a huge difference to me.

I've also spent the last few years wondering and would like to know.

I am puzzled by people who think it doesn't make any difference whether or not you know.

Unfortunately it is difficult to get both assessed in one place. ADHD comes under psychiatry. I saw a specialist for my autism assessment but that seems to vary by area. I was initially referred to a psychiatrist for autism but that was a mistake. He spent the entire hour reading my notes from when I was in a psych ward as a teen, and said it was just trauma and maybe OCD when I finally got a word in about my anxiety. (The psychiatrist I saw about my ADHD didn’t know much about autism either.) When I saw the autism specialist she was the first person to understand my history - how having trauma (I was abused in childhood) doesn’t mean you can’t also be autistic. She understood how those combined to cause the issues I’ve had in a way nobody else ever has until I found my therapist who did most of her NHS work with autistic adults.

To answer your title question OP no I don’t think everyone does, but I think it takes such an insane amount of time and effort to actually get to assessment (both adults and kids) that by the time you get there you are probably more likely to be diagnosed because you have had enough signs for them to agree to it.

My 13 and 11 year olds are both autistic. They were diagnosed on the same day because my eldest’s assessment had taken so much longer. She’s a girl and masks it. I am certain that had DS not been going through the process, she would have got nowhere - in the initial clinical appts she showed no signs. I think they just put her through because her brother (who anyone could tell is autistic within minutes) was, and there was clear family history (I was already diagnosed myself by then). Had it just been her alone I’m pretty sure we would have been rejected. And yet 3 years on she is clearly much more disabled by her autism than DS. It causes her far more difficulties in terms of anxiety and social difficulty.

Not true. I have had a NHS ados and private for two different sons both get borderline results and so no ASD diagnosis.

The hoops to jump through on the NHS mean you will never ever get near triage unless it's very likely you will get the diagnosis.

Not sure what ASD assessment are handy out like candy but where I live you have around a two year wait with camhs who wont even see your child if they slash their wrists

Sorry cross post there. Absolutely respect individuals not needing to know, it's more professionals saying "well does it matter if you are or not?" Or people talking about needing a "label" that bugs me.

My autism assessment included screening for depression, anxiety, OCD, BPD and ADHD.