Going for my AS assessment... Help!

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I am counting the days now... it's Thursday, that's 4 days.
To say that I'm obsessing doesn't cover it. I can't stop thinking about, imagining what it's going to be like, what I should talk about, what to wear, what to bring with me, what she's going to say about me at the end of it. Because if she says I don't have Asperger's then I don't know what's wrong with me or what to do about it. I keep looking up stuff on the internet, thinking about my childhood experiences, and everything just keeps spinning over and over in my brain. It's exhausting.
And this has been going on for over a month now, since I booked myself in. (I'm going private, I would not have survived the wait on the NHS.)
I think I'm mostly writing this to get it out of my head a little, but I could do with a few words of encouragement. My husband has been very supportive, but I can't talk to him about all the stuff in my head because he just won't get it. He'll just try to fix it, and if I know my brain, this will not go away until it's over. Is there anyone out there who understands and would be able to hold my metaphorical hand?

Not sure what the private process you are doing is like but I'd mentally prepare not to get any results on the day.

I had mine on Friday and can tell you about what I experienced. Like you, I'm in the UK and this was an NHS assessment but I guess there may be regional/county variations.

I brought my school reports (I still have every one of them from age 7 to 18) plus a load of notes (18 pages of them) on my history and experiences that I made over the months prior to the assessment. These notes and school reports weren't used during the assessment but the psychologist said they would be a great help in writing the detailed report that I would receive. As for clothes, I just wore what I normally wear: comfortable jeans and t-shirt (a EZLN/Zapatista support shirt, if you're wondering). I also brought a bottle of water which was not needed as I was offered refreshment when required - you will need water or tea as you'll be doing a LOT of talking.

As for the assessment itself? It was just a long talk about my experiences, interests, childhood etc. She would ask a question, I would answer at length and go off on tangents (as I tend to), she would then either guide me back to relevant parts of my answer or pick up on one of my tangents and ask me to expand in it.

The assessment should take 3.5 hours and although mine was over in 1.5 hours it was exhausting, but in a good way.

If I could give any advice it would be to be completely open and not hold back. All those embarrassing things that you couldn't tell anyone can now be brought out into the open in a safe environment.

Good luck!

I find the key, really, is to be yourself.

Saying this, I understand the implications of this interview, which was obtained after much hassle.

But if you come across as too "Aspie," the interviewer might feel you're trying to milk it, to "enable" the diagnosis, so to speak. The result: possibly a non Aspie diagnosis.

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to be yourself. Don't "prepare" for this interview.

Your school records might speak for themselves. And the results of the tests.

Good luck.

I hope you can relax, it's just an evaluation and not surgery. I was diagnosed at 44 so I think I can understand what you'r going through mentally. Remember that the only purpose of diagnosis is to give you insight about yourself and a tool to organize your life and hopefully reach a place of contentment. Good luck.

Hey there! So, I do this professionally. (I'm a consultant.) I used to work as a special education teacher.

Women are in a real bind when it comes to ASD diagnosis these days. There is a huge divide between women who get diagnosed with ASD and women who don't. And it's not the severity of their symptoms. It's how they prepare for the visit.

You simply can't go in there empty handed. Our current assessment tests all rely on observable autistic traits. But women on the spectrum tend to be very good at simple social interactions like you have between one doctor and one patient.

The key to having the doctor take you seriously as someone who may have ASD is to make a written list of the traits that make you think you might have this disorder. Write them all down. Include how these symptoms affect you. For example, if you are like me and you have a hard time with the sensation of being wet, that's not all that significant. But the fact that I have a hard time showering because of this, is HUGE. So, it's important to include that information. Try to keep your list brief. Don't make big, long paragraphs. But also try to make it complete.

Some women also look up the diagnostic criteria in the DSM V and break their list into sections, so it's super clear how they qualify as ASD.

I can't tell you how many women I've worked with who have gone in once for assessement, and been denied. And then they went in again with this list and were told, yes, you clearly have ASD.

I went through the same cycle of obsession and at the end of it it was unnecessary. I only realized afterwards but it's the psychologists job to do the assessment not yours. It's her job to ask the questions to get the appropriate information yours is to just show up and they'll take care of everything else. She's done it a thousand times before everyday for years when you've been at home she's been doing this over and over again trust that she can do it by now.

All the worry and obsession. Even if you could control the outcome and make sure you got what you wanted would you really still want it knowing it was your opinion and not hers?

Another thing to keep in mind is that if the result is not an autistic disorder (with a good level of detail/information and someone who is competant, as I'm sure your assessor will be), that's not a waste of time or a loss of hope. It is a new thing that can be discounted. It's still very useful diagnostic information and while getting to an answer might take longer and might be in an unexpected place, it means that the support you receive after diagnosis will be suited to your needs.

One of my chemistry lecturers used to say that with the correct measurements and preparation, there is no such thing as a failed experiment and I think that applies just as much to the diagnostic process.

I know exactly how you feel. I had my assessment in November 2016 and had been obsessing about it for months. I was analysing every single aspect of the procedure and how what I wore/what mood I was in/whether I was nervous/whether I wrote a list/what my mother or partner would say/whether I looked into the psychologist's face/whether I forgot to mention something vital etc. etc. would influence the result.

As it was, I don't really think it mattered, as they are trained to ask the correct questions. The interview was very intense, but that's a good thing. They asked me so many questions that if I had answered the odd question inaccurately it wouldn't have made any difference, as it is the overall impression that counts.

I did take a list with me because I was worried that I would be so nervous that my mind would go blank. She did say that most of her clients bring a list with them (!), so if you want to do that, it will be absolutely fine. You could always keep it in your bag and only get it out if you think that you need it.

I would suggest wearing something neutral and comfortable.

Mine was less than a month ago with the NHS. I was lucky, I didn't have to wait very long to get it (three months). I took a bullet-point list with me of reasons why I thought I was autistic, with a few lines explaining each one. I also took some more in depth stuff but it wasn't needed (yet - I have one more appointment to come). The doctor already had my RDOS results sent along by my GP.

The appointment lasted about an hour and a half, going through my list and answering additional questions. After an hour or so the doctor told me I have Asperger's.

I actually really enjoyed it - it was nice to talk to someone one on one and not have to worry about what expression my face was making or whether I was getting my eye contact right. The only not-good part was the building itself...all bright overhead lighting, dizzy-making patterned carpet and strange buzzing. Hopefully your privately run place will be better!

I completely understand the panicky feeling. Consider your hand metaphorically held. Good luck.