Adult autism diagnosis

[OwlWhispering]

What are people's experiences of getting an autism diagnosis as an adult?

Eg how long does it take, what is he process once you get a referral?

Bump?

I received my ASD diagnosis last year 2 years after being referred by a social worker.

I had to fill in a very long and detailed assessment form and had 2 long sessions with a psychologist and another specialist. It was quite stressful and emotional, especially the childhood stuff and I couldn't stop crying.

After the first session they asked me to leave the room whilst they discussed me amongst themselves. After 10 minutes they invited me back in and told me that their provisional opinion I was that I was on the Autistic Spectrum.

They wrote a long report which I received a couple of weeks later and invited me to a second appointment. After discussing the report with me they gave me an official diagnosis of ASD (high functioning, formerly known as Aspergers).

The diagnosis has made sense of my life and I now feel less embarrassed to be me. It's also made my boyfriend more patient with me. I also now realise my children are on the spectrum because we are so similar.

Thank you so much for your reply, there is a lot to think about here.

Do you know if two years is a usual amount of time?

You probably won't have to wait as long as I did. My Health Authority is notorious for having ridiculously long waiting lists.

Have you had a referral yet? If not, just ask your GP - they will ask you to complete an AQ-10 (Autism Spectrum Quotient) form before putting you on the waiting list for an assessment.

I haven't had a referral yet. I have an appointment next week. Can you tell me how having a diagnosis as an adult has helped you? Is it worth the effort?

It took me under a year.
Referral from GP, then phone call with psychologist, then 4 meetings with psychologist (lots of forms and family members filling in forms) then diagnosis.
I agree the appts are long and emotional.

It's helped me at work and with making sense of myself and not being so annoyed with myself for things I can't do or find tricky or tiring.

My main reason was if I ever had to be hospitalised or if I'm older and go into a care home, I'd like it taken into account.
Being parked in a tv room with 18 other noisy people would be hellish for me.

Two years+ for a diagnosis in my area, and that's only if you're accepted on to the waiting list in the first place (expect a six month wait for initial assessment).

@OwlWhispering It was definitely worth it for me. The diagnosis will give me some protection in the workplace, they will have to make reasonable adjustments if I need them. It's also given me permission to stop feeling like a freak and a failure compared to neurotypical people and to stop trying (and failing) to be like them. I can finally relax and be myself. My boyfriend is more patient with me now, because he understands I'm not being difficult deliberately when I go into meltdown mode.

However, I wish there was some support after diagnosis. They just tell you and then leave you to get on with it alone.

I'm so glad this has been questioned as I've just received my confirmation letter that I'm now on the waiting list! In my area it's a 12-15 month wait but I could get pushed forward, we'll see. My dad has to fill some forms in first before they can fully assess as they need to know from him what I was like as a child. Considering one of my brothers is in the middle of a diagnosis as well, I could be fast tracked. We shall see...

What I want to find out though is if there's a list of 'quirks' at all that ASD people have because I know they asked me about things but because I've learned to just adapt in certain situations I'm worried I won't actually know what to say when the time comes.

I went to my GP in the April and was diagnosed in the July, i guess depends on area

'What I want to find out though is if there's a list of 'quirks' at all that ASD people have'

No - there's things that a lot of autistic people do/are but there's a lot of variation.

I felt like I would 'fail' the test as I know adult women often struggle to get a diagnosis but it was OK.

SuperLoud I thought that would be the case, I just feel like it might help. Ibe been doing a lot of internet scouring and although I've read about things, while I don't necessarily so what I've read I do similar things.

I just read 'odd girl out' which was interesting, as I'm not very similar to the central character but did recognise a lot of similar thought patterns.
So we might all look different from the outside, in terms of behaviours or coping mechanisms etc we might have difficulties in common.

Laura the author is a lovely woman