How can I deal with being misdiagnosed by my psychologist?

[Gymnastxo96]

Back in August of 2025 I did phycological testing at a phycologist that I go to and they said my full IQ was 76 which I don’t understand because I type just fine and have good grammar and could type full sentences. Many people say you sure your IQ is 76 because I type just fine and have good grammer and can communicate well. And my adaptive behavior score was 57 which is pretty low. Why would they misinterpret that too? Why would they misinterpret the results and think I don’t understand medical decisions and they recommend medical guardianship. Why would they misinterpret my results? Now people think I am mentally challenged because of this. Are they wrong for misinterpreting the results to make me worse then I seem? Keep in mind I do have high functioning autism so do you think my autism played a role in how I did in the IQ test or you think I was completely misdiagnosed and it could be something else?

Well in any case that is a red herring, grammar has nothing to do with IQ or functioning or capacity.

I’m not ready to have a baby while still living with my mom. And I sometimes am in denial about my situation and need people to remind me that this may be accurate. I appreciate you telling me the truth because of how I write.

Agreed, but it does highlight that OP’s perception of reality might not align with how others perceive her reality.

And she’s graciously thanked me for pointing that out, which is very kind of her as it can’t be an easy thing to hear!

Thank you for your help! You think I was misdiagnosed?

Yeah you are absolutely right! You think I was misdiagnosed then?

I dont know what diagnosis you were given and no one would be telling you anything online (Im not a capacity assessor) about your capacity

In the UK, if you do not have capacity and are deemed to need protection the Local Authority will apply to the courts within the Court of Protection and make decisions for you, for health and/or finances etc

IQ levels sometimes align with someone not having capacity but not always.

What I mean by that is that you may have a low IQ but have capacity or you may not have a 'low' IQ but you might lack capacity

Executive functioning can be significantly impaired by lots of conditions, autism is one of them, leading to someone making poor decisions for themselves that put them at risk

Lots of people feel they do have capacity when they dont. Lots of people without capacity fall through the safety net and are not protected

It is impossible to say

Having a child is a huge undertaking and the responsibility is to the child, not the wish to have the child (but there are plenty of people who wouldnt agree with me on the last part of the sentence there).

I was given a diagnosis of high functioning autism and borderline intellectual functioning due to my IQ

Well presumably your autism diagnosis was some time ago, or was this assessment recently diagnosing your autism and your IQ?

Your intellectual functioning would fall into the category of borderline given what you said the numbers were yes.

My Autism diagnosis was the same time as IQ testing. They tested my IQ and my autism.

My autism diagnosis was tested with the IQ they tested both at the same time.

OP it sounds like your mum is worried that you're going to fall pregnant and then not be able to cope with a baby, babies are a hugely stressful responsibility - she may even be concerned that she will be left to do most of the looking after if you're not able.

Do you get on well with your mum OP? Do you think it's possible that she knows best? Why do you think you've been misdiagnosed? How does she feel about your boyfriend? Is she concerned that he might be taking advantage of you?

Do you want your IUD out and if so, why? Just trying to understand the situation a bit better.
I can't really give you any advice about your diagnosis/misdiagnosis, sorry, especially because I'm not from the US.
If you can, I'd suggest booking a doctor's appointment where you can discuss it. Do you have anyone apart from your mom who can help you get an appointment if you need support?

American here - you have the right to request a second medical evaluation with another professional, but most likely will have to set up the appointment/etc. yourself.

Otherwise, be prepared to defend yourself during the hearing. Bring witnesses that can provide testimony on your behalf (such as your partner) who see you functioning competently every day.

Yeah I want my IUD out because I want to have kids in the future. And my mom doesn’t think my bf is taking advantage of me

Why doesn't she want you to have it out?

It looks like you can become fertile almost straight after your IUD is taken out, or at least within a few months, so it's only a good idea to get it removed once you're ready to start trying for a baby. Are you trying to get your IUD removed soon or are you planning to keep it in until you want kids?
Is it possible there's a misunderstanding between you and your mom (for example, she thinks that you want your IUD removed now, but you're just trying to get information for the future)?

The way I see it - but I could be wrong - your mom is worried that you want your IUD taken out soon and that you could become pregnant while you're living with her and/or while she thinks you're not ready. What does your mom expect your future to be like? Does she think you'll live with her for the foreseeable?

I think it's still a good idea to speak to a doctor about your diagnosis, preferably with a partner/friend or someone else who can support and represent you. The doctor can explain more about the diagnosis and it might give you a better idea of what they think you're capable of day-to-day and in the future. You might realise that you struggle more than you think in some ways and you can get help if needed. Or you might be able to show that you're actually more capable in certain ways than they originally thought. Many autistic people (me included) have a lot of highs and lows in their abilities so you might experience both of these :)

It could be useful to bring a list of things you want to mention. After talking everything through, your doctor can hopefully help you understand if the diagnosis is accurate or what the next steps might be. You might also be able to get a better idea of whether your mom is trying to help you and keep your best interests at heart or whether she's taking more control than you need.

The point is though... would you want someone else to make medical decisions on your behalf? Or have the power to. Even if they're not currently making decisions you dont agree with (although in this case they are)

OP i dont think you're in the UK, maybe US so im not sure on the laws and your rights there but if you can, seek advocacy and/or legal support. There may be charities which can give you information about your rights or even help you to understand what the psychologist said and to make your voice heard.

Jesus christ.

Well thats what happens all the time for people deemed not to have capacity in the UK

I dont know if the threshold is as high in the US

What I will say, is that we are very wary in this country of removing people's liberties to the degree that people are more at risk that they might need to be if the threshold was different

If i was very vulnerable in one way or another then yes.

OP, I’m ready to be Prime Minister of 🇬🇧 but I’m not capable of doing the job and no one’s going to let me.

Luckily for us all.

Just cos you feel ready to dream about having a baby doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Or that it should. Or that you’ll
enjoy it.

Lots of people can’t have children cos they’re infertile. Equally, and this is difficult to hear, a lot of child removal cases in 🇬🇧 have low parental IQ as a factor. No one likes to admit that and there’s a lot more than that problem going on in every case. That’s why you’re facing difficulty.

Health professionals are very wary of adults who can’t look after themselves or another adult taking on the massive responsibility of keeping a baby alive. Babies are hard, hard work.

OP, it’s a lot - and the baby is seen as more important than you are. You won’t be the special one any more - you’re just another carer.

OP, baby care is not that much fun no matter how well you function.

People live wonderful lives without children even when they wanted them and couldn’t have them - it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Yeah I want my IUD out because I want kids in the future and I can get support from therapists

No I definitely want to make my own decisions.