Help for DD aged 20

[tinkywinkyshandbag]

I posted this in health before I realised there was a separate topic for SN - sorry for the duplication.

My lovely beautiful and intelligent daughter is struggling at the moment, she is a student and is finding living in a shared house very difficult. She is on antidepressants but not sure they are helping. She likes her course but is quite lonely. She's quite a unique individual and not always the easiest but very insightful and funny, super bright but finds personal relationships very challenging. We've both been wondering fir some time if she could have ASD. How could we go about getting an assessment? I think it would help her a lot if she had a "reason" for her difficulties and could maybe access help. Thanks.

Is she at Uni?
She needs to contact her Student Support Services and ask for their advice.

They can organise a Needs Assessment for her, but an ASD assessment may have to be done first.

Student Support Services should have a list of practitioners who diagnose adults.

www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

Sounds similar story to my daughter just started at uni struggling to make connections in halls. Was diagnosed with ASD December last year no advice sorry just wanted to let you know you're not alone.

Thanks all, I need to speak to her about it and see what she thinks. But I think she will be open to the idea.

OP my DD is 19 not at Uni and was diagnosed with ASD two years ago. The diagnosis knocked us sideways as we saw no signs. Girls are masters of masking ASD symptoms. She finds making friends difficult. Talk to your DD about approaching the uni support services as they usually offer heaps of support for ASD students.

Good luck OP

Good luck. My advice is to contact the social care team for your area and request a assessment of her needs.

OP, DD can apply for DSA, she shouldn't need an ASD diagnosis for that, which can cover the difference in cost between a shared house and a studio if DD is struggling to cope in a shared house.

My DS is nearly 20, diagnosed with Aspergers as a child, and also painfully struggling with friendships at university. It's so hard for those who have these difficulties. I just want to express my sympathy. If only all these lonely students could find each other.

@sergeantmajor Thanks and sorry to hear your DD is struggling. Mine seems to be doing a little better now, although she still has the occasional upset with her friends. I think she still finds group dynamics quite difficult particularly with girls. I've been doing quite a bit of reading on Asperger's/autism and I really can't decide whether it applies to her or not. Paragraph she definitely displayed some of the traits but not all, for example I wouldn't say she is obsessional, and she tolerates change quite well, but she is very sensitive to things like texture, and smell. When she was a toddler I bought the book "a highly sensitive child" and felt a lot of this was very relevant to her so I might buy the adult version and see if it still applies. I'm going to talk to her at Christmas about whether she wants to see about a diagnosis, we have discussed it before but I think she has mixed feelings about whether it would be helpful for her or not.