So I have an initial appointment with a consultant psychiatrist...some questions about it if anyone can answer please.

[HarryPottersMagicWand]

It's come really quickly. My GP only referred me about 2 weeks ago.

I have a clinical psychologist report in which she recommends I be assessed for aspergers (she actually says autism) but it dould be attachment disorder due to my poor start in life.

Is it likely that the psychistrist could turn around and say "no, you don't need an assessment" after talking to me? I thought I would just go on a waiting list for the actual assessment, this cannot be it already, it's too quick.

Hello Harry it may just be that your area has a good system or perhaps the psychologist recommending the assessment has sped things up, either because the psychologist has done the initial screening or a professional to professional referral is quicker.

Anyway the appointment with the psychiatrist may be to discuss a full assessment or to begin one so I'd try to prepare myself for both. I think it is likely that they would offer an assessment given what the psychologist has said but as Polter says anything is possible.

The psychologist says autism rather than aspergers as the term autism includes what used to be called asperergers. Lots of people still use aspergers and of course people can use whatever is helpful for them just saying what the current diagnostic term is.

In any case good luck with the assessment. It sounds like it will be good to have it ruled out or in to help you make sense of things.

Thanks.

Hmm, why do I want a diagnosis! What a tough question. I need to think about it as if I am put on the spot, I'll panic, waffle then blurt out something quite bluntly. I hate being caught off guard.

A friend laughed at me recently because we were sat in an eating area at soft play and someone came over and asked me if the empty chair at our table was free. I froze because DS had been sitting there but was off playing, but I knew he hadn't eaten his dinner so would want to sit down at some point so didn't know what to say so sat their just going "ummm", my friend jumped in and rescued me and told the woman it wasn't being used. Then she laughed and said I just looked stunned and apparently it was funny how I couldn't answer. She didn't mean it in a nasty way but it's stuff like this that makes me realise how bloody inept I can be. The problem is I think I am so good at covering it up, people don't really realise. I mentioned to this friend a while ago that I thought aspergers was a possibility and she was very dismissive and said there is no way as I am nothing like a child of a friend of hers who has it.

Yes that's it. I tend to think about what I might say to someone or prepare a safe topic to talk about, which is usually the weather or if I have managed to get my washing out (great topics ) or the DCs as that's pretty safe and most people I know are mums so it seems easy. Or I'll use "how's things?" as a conversation starter.

If someone pops up unexpectedly, where I don't expect them to be, I pretend I haven't seen them, just to avoid having to think on the spot. If they catch me off guard and talk about something, I struggle to think quickly. I don't think I realised how much I try and prepare for these encounters either. I HATE it when someone in a shop or random stranger tries to engage you in conversation as I end up saying something stupid like hi when I mean bye and stuff like that because I am too caught off guard.