Support thread for women with suspected/diagnosed/self-diagnosed ASD or ADHD

[EauRouge]

Previous thread here.

Hello all, I know I'm new but the old thread was full, so here's a shiny new one. This is a thread for adult women who have ASD or ADHD, or suspect they do, to support each other.

Here are some resources that might be useful:

Links

List of female AS traits by Tania Marshall.

Article about women and girls on the spectrum by NAS.

List of female traits by Everyday Aspergers

Musings of an Aspie- Cynthia Kim's blog (one of the few sources I have found about being a parent with Aspergers)

Autistic Women's Collective

Recognising ADHD in women from ADDitude Magazine

Resources for women with ADHD from ADDitude Magazine

Adult ADHD support (coming soon by the looks of things)

Books

Aspergirls by Rudy Simone

The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome by Tony Attwood

You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!: The Classic Self-help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder by Kate Kelly (I haven't read this one but I have heard it recommended many times- apologies if it's no good!)

Online tests

(Online tests are not 100% certain but can give you a very good idea and a starting point for talking to your GP if you're seeking diagnosis)

RDOS Aspergers quiz (the best one IMO)

AQ test

ADHD test

ADHD questionnaire for women

Info dump complete

Please come and join in!

Oh yes, I also research everything major thoroughly before buying. By major, I mean >£10! Comes in handy sometimes (buying a house, car, insurance renewal, that sort of thing), but DH has a tendency to want something and want it now, it really annoys me when he buys something and I know we could have got it £5 cheaper by ordering on the internet. To him, it's worth the £5 to get it today, I would rather have waited a day or two and saved the money! Now though, we use it to our advantage and DH will give me the heads up that he's planning on shopping for x at the weekend, and I get to work.

Eau, I remember that thread. I saw a big cat years ago.
I'm very interested in animals, dog, cow, sheep and chicken breeds specifically, and I find eggs incredibly fascinating.
I also have a thing for Messier Objects. One day I will be able to say that I have seen every one of them with my own eyes (albeit through binoculars or a telescope).
I love watching YouTube videos about huge telescopes, but I wish I had a better brain for maths so I could actually understand more about them and how they work!

Seeing aircrash investigation mentioned upthread, after my health my two film/tv obsessions are big disasters and the end of the world. I will watch anything about them, and learn the science behind it while i watch (will sit pausing and googling as i watch it)

Also recognise crohnic's starting stuff and getting obsessed with that one thing til its done (i do it a lot with books, so much that i have stopped reading!). My example i tend to give people here is that i watched the entire of breaking bad in a weekend, put it on my ipad and pretty much ignored everyone til it was finished.

How was everyone's weekend? I spent a couple of hours up at my allotment which was nice. You have to have conversations with people though.

I saw this the other day that made me laugh. I've got a whole board of stuff like this on Pinterest, if anyone wants to see then I'll PM you the link.

Ah yes. "You don't look like you have Aspergers"!

I would like the link Eau please.

So the Gp rang today and apparently referral service doesn't exist in that referrals just get accepted and never actioned. I've asked them to send it anyway to see - having ring them to check I'm really disappointed as they told me they accepted referrals from my area and gave me a waiting timeZ

Does anyone know about private dx? South East? What are the costs - the only one I've seen was £2400!

Noeuf, do you mean that your GP says you will just be ignored? I don't think they are allowed to do that (in theory, at least). But if you do want somewhere private then there are lots of places (and some charities too), and I'm sure somewhere will be cheaper than £2400. How far can you travel to see someone?

Hi Eau GP says that he has asked his colleagues and the service doesn't exist. I rang the service and they do, but he says that happens a lot in NHS and that the referral will just be left with no further contact.
I could travel within South East? Google isn't helping!

Sorry that sounds less than helpful of the GP - he has sent the referral but was I think warning me it would not happen

So they just ignore the referral?! Not sure they are allowed to do that. If you contact PALS then maybe they could help. I get confused with all the NICE guidelines and whatnot, but this might help you.

Is Northants too far for you?

Maybe not - how much of a drive is it from London?
Yes he seemed to say they made referrals but they just didn't get actioned - said this happened a lot in NHS services ; they never say no bit then don't do anything.

It's probably a 2hr drive. Not sure how long it would take on the train, prob much quicker.

It is bonkers that the NHS can just ignore patients Is that even legal? Mind you, after the experience I had I'm not that bloody surprised.

Could you ask for a referral to the Lorna Wing centre? They might accept GP referrals.

It's looking that way There must be other charities that can assess or diagnose though? I know there's a big autism advocacy group in Scotland so maybe there's something up there.

I've emailed a couple of local places that I found on the web. The GP did say adult dx isn't really popular amongst providers because there isn't any clinical need I think - not much in it for them in terms of therapy or medication reviews I guess.
Maybe we should have a dx day ...

Noeuf. There is a psychologist in Woking that does DX. I forget the name but it is on the NAS website. It cost about £600 when I enquired a few months ago.

Woking is only 20 minutes from Waterloo on a fast train.

Thank you I will google later.

There is one for 800 about an hour away. Does that sound like a more reasonable amount?

I wonder if this 'need to know' is part of it all?

Do you think doing one on Skype with Tania Marshall would satisfy your need to know? I paid around £300 for four hours split into 2 x 2 hrs. She is in Australia. She has written a lot about female aspergers and has q comprehensive list of traits. £800 is not too bad though.

Do you want a formal diagnosis or will an assessment do? My assessment was only £80, but it doesn't come with any of the legal protection, benefits etc that you get from a formal diagnosis. But it was very reassuring to hear from an expert. A lot of people are happy to self diagnose but I wanted to know for sure.

I'm ringing the lady in Northants tomorrow.
Struggling at he moment. I can't focus on anything and keep ranting about pointless things.
Ds is on fire at the moment. I've just lost it big time, and upset ds3 in the process (I shouted, he has sensitive ears). Feel shit.

Oh no, sorry things are tough at the moment. Can you shut yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes of peace? Hang in there

I've told dh I'm not feeling well. When he comes home I'll go to bed.

Oh no LeChien do you know what triggered it?

I need a formal dx. I work but I think I need the safety net for that really because I do incur a huge amount of stress over social interactions.
I don't want to leave but I think without a dx I might end up doing that.