Can you tell me what you experienced?

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Frankie_J
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19 Sep 2011, 3:59 pm

I've been a member here for a few months now, but I haven't posted much, so hello. I'm Frankie. I'm 21 years old and I live in England. I'm undiagnosed, but I, as well as family and friends, have strong suspicions that I have asperger's syndrome. It's only really come into my awareness over the last 6 months. Around April/May time I told my mum about it and we went down to my GP. He gave me a referral and the hospital sent a number of questionnaires to me and my mum to complete and send back in June. Now I'm on the waiting list.

I guess now because I'm waiting I'm getting a little nervous of what I'll be made to go through. I keep reading about the various kinds of interviews and tests and it sort of terrifies me. I don't want to be made uncomfortable. I'm also realising that because I'll be opening up, or at least trying to, about something so sensitive properly for the first time.... that I'll get very tearful and find it extremely difficult to communicate.

I'm aware that thorough methods need to be used in order to find a precise diagnosis. I think I just need the reassurance of people who have been through it. My questions are mainly for people in England (as I'm not sure if the testing for aspergers is different in other countries) who have already gone through the processes of being tested and diagnosed.

What kind of personal questions could they ask regarding relationships, etc? Do they really want to know every intimate detail?
If they asked to speak to family members, what kind of things did they ask them?
Do they give you other, non-discussion tests, like on paper or physical tests? If so, what?
How long, roughly, does the process take for someone of my age?
What did you make of it? Was it an okay experience for you? Did any part of it make things uncomfortable/anxious/emotional/difficult?

Maybe a step by step summary of what you had to do from beginning to diagnosis would be interesting to see.

Thank you, all. :D



Dgosling
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19 Sep 2011, 4:04 pm

when i did the test it was about 6 hours long [including lunch break]

the tests was just like ones you'd do at school like they would have you pronounce fake words, have them read and then ask you questions about what was read, a little math, and stuff like that

i was nervous before it began but i wasn't while testing.


If you do the same testing i did then it isn't that bad :D

[also they do talk to family members but only stuff like do they look at you when they talk and stuff like that.]

it might be different since i was tested when i was 12-13 [i'm 15 now]



Willard
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19 Sep 2011, 4:42 pm

I'm in the US, so the experience may vary in your area...

First, was the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, which is a test designed to tell if you're just Toys in the Attic, in which case, it doesn't matter if you also have Autism. That's a multiple choice test, most of the questions are fairly innocuous , but every once in a while you'll run across one like:

IF I FOUND A DOLLAR ON THE SIDEWALK, I WOULD:

A) Look for the owner, then keep it if I didn't find them
B) Find the the owner and kill them
C) Eat it
D) Roll it in a tube and stick it up my butt

I don't know what happens if you answer B,C, or D, but it probably doesn't involve going home (though it might get you some awesome meds). That test takes two to four hours. No big whup.

Then there was the interview with the Psychologist about my personal history. I didn't feel that it was uncomfortably intrusive or invasive, he just wanted to know how I coped in social situations, what my friendships and other interpersonal relationships had been like, how I dealt with people in work settings, stuff like that.

Then we did stuff like word association - which I suck at, in spite of (or even because of) an extensive vocabulary - I don't think fast on my feet and I can't make choices under pressure (probably due to the autism)

Rorshach inkblots, which are fascinating, I wish I knew more about how they interpret them

There was a test involving these hexagonal blocks with white and red triangles, which you're supposed to arrange to match the patterns in pictures - problem with that one is its timed with a stopwatch - the patterns are stupidly simple, but I was so flummoxed by the time pressure, I don't think I got a single one right.

Thing is, they're not testing to see how smart you are, but rather how fast your brain processes data, so there are no right answers or solutions. Its more in the way of a diagnostic, to see if your brain is operating up to normal parameters in certain areas.

None of it was painful, or upsetting or humiliating (okay the blocks and patterns thing was kind of embarrassing, but nothing I haven't experienced before).

All in all, I found the whole experience to be fascinating. Of course, I was so sure that I had AS, I was almost afraid I'd do too well and they'd end up telling me "No, you don't have Asperger Syndrome, you're just a screwup." :oops:



Ames76
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19 Sep 2011, 5:25 pm

I'm going next month to meet with someone who will hopefully test me, I'm nervous as well. Worried about the kind of things they'll ask and also worried that they will tell me that I'm not, since this makes so much sense, if I'm not an Aspie, what am I and where do I fit?



MotherKnowsBest
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19 Sep 2011, 6:26 pm

I went through it last year here in Sweden and my nephew was assessed back in the UK. It seems that we both went through pretty much the same thing.

1. General chat about why you think you may have Asperger's, the problems you are having, why you want to be assessed etc.
2. Several written tests of the AQ variety. By this a mean statements with boxes that you tick for alway, sometimes or never depending on how much it applies to you. There was the AQ test and 2 much longer varients of it, 1 that was designed to be a control to these, 1 was an indicator of personality disorders and 1 for OCD
3. Then structured talking assessment, where the questions were very similar to those in the written tests.
4. Then he went through all the tests explaining what they showed and gave the diagnosis.

All in all, took about 3 hours.



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19 Sep 2011, 9:03 pm

6 hours? Gaaoowwsh. Um, gosh.

I had an 1 hour appointment with my psychiatrist. He read off a sheet which was an essay-like structure of my symptoms, I brought in my report card. He asked questions about my interests and my social relationships. No intimate details. And my mum talked about my infancy and my childhood. Just the things I wouldn't have remembered.
Apparently my routines started when I was a baby.


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19 Sep 2011, 9:14 pm

"Take the MMPI-2 online for free" is still listed at: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt154233.html

Books to take, score, and cook the test results more anonymously are at:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp3949073.html#3949073

The MMPI is 567 true or false questions, not a multiple choice test, so the cited multiple choice test is some other test, or maybe a counterfit version smuggled past legit test administrators by method answer "d)" above.

Tadzio