Would you consider another autism assessment in these circumstances?

[lowbutlucky]

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD and the chap assessing said I had traits of autism (social cues and sensory issues, but can't they also be part of ADHD?) but definitely not autistic as I have friends and seek out friendship, and I also have a good imagination as a writer. The assessor contacted my parents and asked them if I had been fixated on geometric patterns and spinning as a child - no, I was not.

I probably won't bother as I don't think it would make any difference to daily life, but sometimes I am a little curious about whether I could have been diagnosed with ASD with somebody more geared towards women and girls.

AIBU to wonder about this?

Autistic people can have friends and seek out friendship, they often actively seek out friendships but just don’t know how.

If you think you may be and would like an assessment then nothing is stopping you booking one.

I’d get reassessed if you want to - 2
autistic girls with friends - they have both struggled with friendships and have had periods of only having one friend and both are hugely imaginative.

My 9 year old was diagnosed with ASD recently - she has an amazing imagination and loves making friends (and struggles with social cues). She isn’t fixated on geometric patterns and has never been a spinner!

The assessment sounds like nonsense. Asking specifically about geometric patterns and spinning!!

I don’t think you realise what some autistic traits and behaviours can be, as I’m not seeing anything in your OP that excludes autism. Also, assuming you are female, a huge number of women who are diagnosed as an adult have both ASD and ADHD.

My dd was diagnosed with autism at 11. Top sets for nearly all subjects, excellent writer of stories. Very good with friends but in smaller groups. No spinning when younger does have hyperfocus on interests and sensory overload when younger especially and now. Each person with autism can have different traits it's not a one size fits all. It would be worth getting an assessment.

Yes, I thought it was unusual that having friends and an imagination seemed to be 'proof' of no autism.

My autistic daughter has an incredible imagination. My child without autism doesn’t.

Wow, that's shocking. Of course you can be autistic and as you described. I'm autistic, have friends and seek out friendships. I have imagination too! The geometric patterns and spinning is neither here nor there.

Having said that though, lots of autistic women either don't get diagnosed or get misdiagnosed with something else (BPD etc.) because of the diagnostic criteria being more suited to a male / external presentation of autism. I'd recommend learning as much as you can about autism in women and then if you decide to go for assessment, being prepared with clear examples of why you think you're autistic. Be warned that some of the questions are pretty poor though - e.g. "Do you prefer the theatre or a museum?" My reasons for preferring the theatre are every much as autistic as someone else's might be to prefer the museum. Do talk about the reasons behind your answers too as on the face of it the answers autistic women give to these questions can mean they're then told they're not actually autistic!!

Bizarre criteria there! My ASD DD has an amazing imagination and no interest in geometric patterns.

I don't think the criteria are quite right, and you may well be autistic. As a PP said, the tests are geared towards a male presentation.

The criteria has definitely changed, you had to have 3 different areas of difference when dd was diagnosed, social, communication and repetitive or restrictive behaviour. If you didn't have all three no diagnosis (dd was clear cut from aged 2) lack of social awareness was really defined too

Mother of an autistic child who was extremely imaginative as a child. Has always had friends, when they were younger, tended to have one, also highly quirky best friend. Has a wider circle now adult but never a gang, if that makes sense. But will it help to have it diagnosed now or not? She found comfort in understanding why she was different.

My ds was diagnosed at age 4. He does struggle socially, he doesn't seek out friendships but he does have an amazing imagination. He is very eccentric !

Don't know about the patterns but he did love to spin when he was a toddler and loved watching things spin lol

Would you know? One dd loved symmetrical patterns when she was young, the other loved watching spinning things, and loves patterns but I’m unsure they’ll remember as adults - the elder one loves plain coloured clothes now.

If you find things difficult in life, like relationships, mental health, looking after yourself, domestic abuse or addiction then there could be an underlying cause and autism is one of many possibilities. Otherwise I wouldn't really bother. I had a friend who I think was probably very likely autistic and she needed a lot more support in her life than she got. It can help.

Further to my earlier comment, whether you seek a diagnosis or not is obviously entirely up to you. It does give you protection under the Disabilities Act 2010 and you can request reasonable adjustments at work. However, there seems to be almost no practical support and if this is the reason you want it you may be disappointed.

I didn't realise I was autistic until 2020, age 43 and I was diagnosed last year. It's been life changing for me tbh. I hadn't realised how very much I struggled, how hard I worked to appear "normal" and how much of myself I kept quiet about or hidden away because it didn't fit the socially acceptable narrative. For me, being diagnosed allows me to be myself and to embrace that - complete with my quirks and odd strengths and weaknesses. Also to be open with others about who I am. I now have the vocabulary and confidence to be better able to ask for help and support from those around me, especially with the little things that other people seem to manage so easily and that I'd previously tried to cope with alone because I "should" have been able to do them (making phone calls, for example). Having a better understanding of how I'm made has allowed me to put in strategies to help me cope with life too (I factor in more downtime now, for example). Be prepared to deal with a lot of trauma though - "If only I'd known earlier, this wouldn't have happened / how would my life have been different." Overall for me though, it's been a very positive thing.

Slightly tongue in cheek, but I now have a piece of paper which essentially gives me permission to be as weird as I like and that's quite liberating! 😂

PS. Odd expression, so had to look it up, quite interesting 😁https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek

Unless it’s something that is causing you a great deal of anguish that have a diagnosis would help provide answers then I wouldn’t bother. Practically a diagnosis isn’t going to make any diff to your life as there’s no after support available. Adhd diagnosis which you have already is often more useful practically as people then have access to medication .

Practically a diagnosis won’t change anything unlike with ADHD there aren’t any medications but if you feel you’d benefit from a diagnosis then it wouldn’t hurt!