Offered an assessment next week! HELP

[BallerinaFall]

Hi everyone

In 2016 I started looking into autism but didnt think a medical diagnosis was beneficial. Things have changed. In 2021 I did a pre-screening which stated it was evident it was causing a huge impact on day to day life. Again i thought this would be enough and yet in 2023 I went into Autistic burnout.

I finally got in touch with the autism charity in my region and have had the email in my account for months, yesterday I finally got to doing it. 20 minutes later I had a call from the pyschologist and I have an assesment next week!

From taking time to mentally prepare to send and doing it took a while. I was expecting it to take a while to hear back.

Can anyone help.

I know I am, other professionals believe I am but I still worry they'll say I'm not and im just attention seeking - like my mother used to say.

I also have an assessment coming up, in my case for both Autism and ADHD, and I completely understand your fears. It’s very common to worry about this and a big reason why many suspected Autistic people don’t end up going through with assessment. In my case, this worry stopped me for 3 years, but after finally going on anti-anxiety meds I was able to just mentally say ‘f it’ and start the ball rolling. Mine is in just over 3 weeks time. I’m sure I’ll be a nervous wreck on the actual day, but I decided I need to know for sure one way or the other. I can’t live with self-diagnosis and the feeling of being an imposter (I’m not saying people who self diagnose are, that’s just how it makes me personally feel and I feel like I can’t fully accept whether I am ND and in what way until I am professionally assessed).

You need to usually find evidence from your childhood for evience as this is a disorder that starts in childhood.
Do you have medical evidence that may be helpful. They often ask if you had a easy or difficult delivery. They also ask if you had any childhood illnesses. I had my childhood medical records to eight to hand.
Is there a second person that can verify this what you was like and also may be provide a written account.

They will be looking at communication, social interaction, interests, sensory issues, reptition imagination and play.

Think those above through your life and particularly your childhood.

" I can’t live with self-diagnosis and the feeling of being an imposter - that’s just how it makes me personally feel and I feel like I can’t fully accept whether I am ND and in what way until I am professionally assessed.

Totally agree with that MisstressPeach

Thank you both

What helped me is making a list of all the reasons why I think I am ND. There was 20 points on the list, but they only had me read out 4 of them during the assesment because there was no time 😂

Normal to feel that way. Hope it goes/went ok.

There might be turmoil after as well. Good luck.

There other threads which might help, where other people talk about the assessment process/feelings before and after.

Day 1 and over with yesterday a long day at their office and now i have morning zoom for the last bit of the assessment

You got this 👏

I'm not making it all up! My brain is working on a different operating system as everyone else.

the relief and the weightless feeling as she gave me the answer.

How are you feeling now you've had a little time to digest things?