Hesitancy over seeking an assessment-anyone?

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I think it's the fear of them saying " nothing to report" and that the social interaction difficulties etc are all down to a f***ed up personality .

Why do you need a validation from 'texts book' professionals?

Why not accept what you can and can't and beating to your own drum?

Sorry it fathoms me.

I'm not hesitant in the least , in fact my assessment can't come quick enough , I have no fear about the results , I just need to know. If I don't have ASD I can cross that off my list and pursue a different disorder.

I'm new here. After having suffered for decades (and having others suffer from me), I think it's time to get a professional assessment, mainly so that my bosses at work can take this into consideration when my mouth gets me in trouble. But I'm a bit hesitant because I don't want to lose my concealed carry permit. I know it shouldn't be a problem - but you never know...

Because it's through those professionals you get official recognition that you have problems, and hopefully help and support.
You are not just dismissed as awkward and troublesome ,or passive aggressive for struggling to cope with some things.

Ideally as I'm the expert on myself I'd like my opinion to count, but the reality is a psychologist who is less knowledgeable about me gets to decide.


As it is it's a 2 year wait. It's a long wait to potentially be told the only thing wrong with you is a f***ed up personality. I know I have Aspergic traits but what you know as a supposed non expert(but expert on yourself) and what some psychologist reckons can be two very different things.

Yeah i do commiserate,but what is your end result with being validated,professionally wise?

I know exactly what you mean, I was in the same boat myself. Getting a diagnosis on the NHS is a long process and a lot of time to invest in something and the thought that after all the time\anxiety\fretting their response is simply that you're a sub-par person is not a pleasant thing. I avoided thinking about it as much as possible and rather than thinking too much about how I'd feel if the diagnosis was negative I just told myself to wait and see and go from there. When the day to get my results came around the worry of "what if" was quite severe.

As to the point of a diagnosis it certainly helped me. I keep it to myself, I don't tell friends\family\employers\work colleagues, but it gave me closure, it made me ease up on myself and made me more accepting of my flaws, and that's nothing to be ashamed of or that you have to justify to other people.

I completely understand that fear. I was so excited when I finally found someone willing to do comprehensive neuropsychological testing, because that was the only way to get a diagnosis. But, I was also worried that they would not find anything to explain my difficulties.

The reason I wanted an official diagnosis was because you do not get any validation of your difficulties unless a professional diagnoses you with one. And without validation, you do not get any support (emotional, practical, from family, or professionals).

THAT is what I needed: supports and services from my family and professional autism services. I had all of the "personal validation" or "peace of mind" I needed when I recognized that I had difficulties.

I have seen a lot of people here state that.

What I try to impress upon people in that situation are two things.

1. The search for truth usually involves false leads and often many of them

2. Your goal in seeking an autism assessment should not be an autism diagnosis per se but finding out what is troubling and making life difficult for you.

Be prepared to make your case. Create as long of a list of autistic traits you possess with as many specific examples in your life to tie to each one typed out on a paper and bring it with you to the assessment. Don't just hope that your autistic traits will just conveniently happen to all surface during your autism assessment or that in your words as you put it, that someone who doesn't know you will be able to see the whole picture of your life without your help. This is really important if you don't fit the most obvious stereotype of someone with autism.

I had a dream that I had an assessment and it said, "Autistic person, no purpose in life." I am afraid this dream might be coming true.

For me validation of my difficulties would be important . Something to pour cold water on being described as "awkward, troublesome and demanding" and having an illness that was "Machiavellian in its complexity".
It would be nice to get a comprehensive level of help and support rather than the rather inadequate and shallow level I currently get.

I agree with ASPartOfMe here:

I did not have a preferred diagnosis already picked out. All I wanted was A diagnosis, because I knew I was struggling with SOMETHING and needed professional help with it. And I wanted the CORRECT diagnosis, because I needed the professionals to focus on MY actual problems and find solutions that would work for ME. So I had them do comprehensive testing to test for any and all neuropsychological disorders.



As for your comment, firemonkey, I guess even I needed a little personal validation after years of internalizing everyone else's low opinions of me as:

• overreacting,
• over-controlling,
• intentionally late and unorganized,
• unmotivated,
• lazy,
• forgetful,
• acting stupid,
• rude,
• asocial,
• and antisocial.

But, my comment was directed towards people who think adults do not need a diagnosis because:

1) they MUST want personal validation; adults DO NOT NEED services,
2) and personal validation can come without an "official" diagnosis.

I disagree with this point; I NEED supports and services, so I NEED a diagnosis!

Utter nonsense.

Psychological assessments dont work that way.

And he is not there to "make a case" for anything (this is not a job interview, nor is he trying to plead "not guilty for reasons of autism" in a criminal court case).

He is there to get at the truth whatever that truth turns out to be. The only way to do that is to relax and be yourself, and to speak honestly about yourself, and to take the battery of tests they give you.

What ASPartOfMe wrote above.

Oh my goodness, why is it a 2 year wait?! ! That's just horrible health care. I'm in the US so it's very different.

I understand, as I am very very hesitant. It's a double edged sword. It can make life worse in many ways, and might help in a few ways. For now, I will hold off. It's not necessary yet for me. I don't need disability payments.

I am concerned that help and support would come at the expense of my personal freedoms, or my ability to refuse said help and support.