ASD questionnaire

[Adultasd]

Hello, I've been referred for assessment for ASD and have received the confirmation letter along with a questionnaire. Do you have any tips on what to put? I think I'' worried it's not ASD and I'm just "psychotic" as my exH claims.

The questions are probably standard but here they are:

Can you start a conversation with someone?

Do you respond appropriately when people speak to you or ask you a question?

Are you able to change your interaction style according to who you are speaking to?

Do you ever misinterpret non-literal/implied language e.g. sarcasm, jokes etc?

Can you talk about how you are feeling?

Can you read/understand other people's emotions?

Do you use appropriate eye contact?

Do you use an appropriate range of facial expressions when interacting?

Do you use gesture to accompany speech?

Do you have friends?

Do you interact appropriately with peers?

Can you interact cooperatively in a group?

Do you sound formal or pedantic?

Do you use repetitive language?

Do you demonstrate repetitive movements?

Do you need to adhere to routines?

Do you have excessive interests in one area?

Do you have unusual interests?

Do you seek certain tastes, smells, textures or noise?

Do you avoid certain tastes, smells, textures or noise?

On a scale of 1-5 how severely do these difficulties impact your life?

How often do these occur?

I'd be very grateful of how to answer, beyond being honest of course. It feels quite daunting at the grand old age of 44 to be doing this.

Anyone?

I hate these kinds of questionnaires because they are so simplistic and my responses really depend on the situation. It doesn't take into account that many women who are autistic have gone through most of their life masking, mimicking and imitating in order to fit in and not stick out.

For example, I'm 37 years old and I can 'use appropriate eye contact' in the sense that I have learned to look at people's forehead or between the eyes or from one eye to the other, but I still don't know what eye contact actually involves or how long I'm meant to look people in the eye. I'm usually stressed while talking to people as I'm constantly thinking 'am I doing this right? Have I been staring into their eyes too long? Am I coming across as weird? Shit I've not been listening to what they're actually saying!' panics

If I like someone or are familiar and comfortable with them, I'm less stressed about making eye contact with them than with a complete stranger, or worse, someone I really dislike. Too much eye contact starts to make my skin crawl. I can't watch scenes in TV shows or films where people are having intense eye contact or making too much eye contact. Makes my skin crawl.

If I'm really stressed, tired, upset etc I am less inclined or capable of making eye contact. I find I 'become' more autistic when I'm fatigued or ill since I don't have the energy to remember all the rules and 'acting' I do to appear polite, friendly and 'normal'.

How the hell do you capture all that in an answer to Do you use appropriate eye contact? ...

Is it a paper questionnaire? You can answer it truthfully but also include an additional sheet with further comments that explain your answers better. So they understand the motivations and emotional responses that influence your answers.

Thank you. Yes, it's a paper questionnaire and I'll be adding lots of extra bits in. Eye contact is weird. When I'm talking to someone I find it uncomfortable to make eye contact and will look all over the place. An ex used to think I was lying because I wasn't looking at him. That has just occurred to me as linked and there must be so many things over the years. I read something interesting about over-sharing yesterday. It was in quora but really interesting.

I've sent off the questionnaire and keep thinking of all the things I should have added🙄 So many things are just me and my life and therefore I don't even think about them but to others are weird. Like wearing sunglasses all year round, even if it's raining I'm very sensitive to light and find I'm more comfortable talking to people with that barrier between us over my eyes. My sensory issues have created problems with every single relationship in my life. I'd just thought I was awkward and difficult and over-sensitive but maybe I'm just autistic and can stop beating myself up over it.

mine was graffitied all over. I may have moaned that it was impossible to tell if ti wasappropriate or not.

The problem with those kind of questions is that you need to be aware that you're doing something socially unacceptable in order to say you do it. But if you know you do it then you wouldn't be autistic surely. It's a proper catch 22.

I think I'm great at conversing with others, saying the appropriate things for example, it's other people who think I don't.

I've just completed an autism and girls/women course from Autism UK. Which basically says this type of tickbox doesn't work for women....

And yes to the "have to know you're doing something socially unacceptable to say you do."

I'm likely autistic and really had no idea (I have assumed ADHD for a long time). The thought of an NHS assessment scares me (but I might get brave eventually.(If I had all the money in the world I'd go to Lorna Wing!

Eye contact is cultural too.
Just be honest (mum to child with SEN but also have some experience of making surveys).

FatCat - Exactly! I think i'm great :D its the others...

"Do you like change?"

Yes I do. I love exploring new places and finding new interests. However each place will have had hours spent googling and researching first, I will know everything about and apparently that isnt so usual 🤣.

Change I choose and plan for is great! So I've always answered yes.

However - a change in routine like an unexpected phone call/an email/someone at the door / things not being where they should be etc.... end of the world.

Kind of reminds me of the ESA questionnaire. 'Please give details of how your behaviour negatively impacts the people around' (or something like that). I put 'If I was able to answer that question I wouldn't be autistic. It must have been a trick question because I 'passed' the assessment.

Ha exactly!

"Do you have unusual interests."

My course said that for women often their interests may be considered "usual" but it is the intensity that is different.

Do you act appropriately/ etc

Well how would I know!?

Repetitive movements. All mine are completely normal Im sure...

It's only since reading about autism that I've realised my normal isn't normal.
I can relate to what you are all saying especially about the change of plans and new places. Change is fine as long as I've instigated the change. New places need researching so I know where to eat and what the menu is (previous eating disorder) and I could never "just eat here" and have to assess how far the tables are apart, how busy it is, is there a strong smell of anything like steak or fish ( I'm vegetarian) as otherwise I'd be straight out the door again. If I can't get my usual meal from somewhere I'd rather not eat then have something else because I can't handle the change of plan. It's very stressful.

The questionnaire wanted examples for each yes or no answer. My yes or no answers were sort of, sometimes, not always 😂

I am also sure it is completely normal at being pissed off and finding it really unpleasant to hear the noise of....

the bubbles in sparkling water popping in the cup next to me and
the lightbulb buzzing when it is on.