I could really use your insight on this problem. Like,a lot.

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Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 11:51 am

Hey,so I'll just get straight to the point.

Last Saturday I went for a general mental health assessment (I was suffering with anxiety);the result of the consultation was,of course,anxiety,but the doctor said I also showed signs of being on the autistic spectrum

In summary,he noticed I made limited eye contact,awkward facial gestures,and elicited that I have intense interests.

however - I was also diagnosed with social and generalised anxiety a few years ago. So one question is,how do I know if my lack of eye contact is due to possible autism or due to social anxiety and low self esteem? I made eye contact as a child,so would that invalidate a autistic diagnosis?

My second question is how can I be on the spectrum when I understand metaphors *very* well?

Do I pay money for an assessment when the symptoms could be explained through anxiety?

Thank you for your time



Last edited by Tom1992 on 10 Apr 2017, 3:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

kitesandtrainsandcats
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10 Apr 2017, 12:00 pm

The diagnosis is based on the now and the conditions happening now.

Tom1992 wrote:
My second question is how can I be on the spectrum when I understand metaphors *very* well?
Because of exactly that, it is a spectrum.
A spectrum is not a straight line like a timeline, here, have a look at this,
https://themighty.com/2016/05/rebecca-b ... -spectrum/
Quote:
“I want people to understand that autistic people don’t all fit a stereotype, and show people the consequences of stereotyping,” Burgess, from the U.K., told The Mighty in an email. “[Stereotyping leads to] underestimating the skills of autistic people or not believing someone [who is on the spectrum].”


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sunshinescj
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10 Apr 2017, 12:04 pm

Eye contact does not invalidate an ASD diagnosis. I too and more importantly many others who are officially diagnosed make eye contact it is for the most part a learned behavior but some enjoy it. Anxiety is often a comorbid of ASD. Also I for example want to major in Linguistics and have little problem with metaphors but I tend to take things more literally.



Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 12:14 pm

sunshinescj wrote:
Eye contact does not invalidate an ASD diagnosis. I too and more importantly many others who are officially diagnosed make eye contact it is for the most part a learned behavior but some enjoy it. Anxiety is often a comorbid of ASD. Also I for example want to major in Linguistics and have little problem with metaphors but I tend to take things more literally.


But I don't take much literally (the opposite)



kitesandtrainsandcats
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10 Apr 2017, 12:24 pm

That's okay. Remember, this thing is a spectrum and not rigid.
It's like, There are 300 possible effects, here, roll this handful of dice and see which 15 effects you get.


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Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 12:26 pm

My interests could be construed as obsessive,I'll concede that. That's as far as I think it goes



kitesandtrainsandcats
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10 Apr 2017, 12:34 pm

Even so, I'd say go ahead and get the assessment; find out instead of wonder.


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10 Apr 2017, 12:42 pm

It looks from your posts as if you're not particularly convinced it's ASD, just behaviour associated with anxiety.
If you're satisfied with that diagnosis then an ASD assessment may not be any real use to you. But if it's something that is important for you to look into and understand, then an assessment may be warranted. I assume the decision about whether or not to proceed comes down to its importance to you. Some people don't bother with it, for others it's an important step.
The report looks a bit dodgy to me. They repeatedly specify they are not ASD specialists, so they may be judging your behaviour on the more commonly known aspects of ASD, like eye contact and monotone inflection, etc. A specialist will be able to assess what parts of this cross with anxiety, and what really reflect ASD.
Autism symptoms are broad, and no one is going to display absolutely every symptom of autism all the time.


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Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 12:55 pm

One important factor: I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2015



kitesandtrainsandcats
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10 Apr 2017, 12:58 pm

Tom1992 wrote:
One important factor: I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2015

Quote:
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;47(8):921-9. doi: 10.1097/CHI.0b013e318179964f.
Psychiatric disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: prevalence, comorbidity, and associated factors in a population-derived sample.
RESULTS:
Seventy percent of participants had at least one comorbid disorder and 41% had two or more. The most common diagnoses were social anxiety disorder (29.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI)] 13.2-45.1), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (28.2%, 95% CI 13.3-43.0),...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18645422


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Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 1:04 pm

I've *never* excelled in social situations.

I've been fired twice;pretty sure I have some kind of verbal comprehension learning difficulty. Can anyone relate?



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Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 1:22 pm

So based on what I've said,would it be a waste of money getting an assessment?



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10 Apr 2017, 1:33 pm

Tom1992 wrote:
So based on what I've said,would it be a waste of money getting an assessment?

Money? It's completely free to get assessed in the UK.



Tom1992
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10 Apr 2017, 1:37 pm

iliketrees wrote:
Tom1992 wrote:
So based on what I've said,would it be a waste of money getting an assessment?

Money? It's completely free to get assessed in the UK.


If you wanna wait 6 month,yeah. I'd rather go private.



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10 Apr 2017, 1:45 pm

Tom1992 wrote:
iliketrees wrote:
Tom1992 wrote:
So based on what I've said,would it be a waste of money getting an assessment?

Money? It's completely free to get assessed in the UK.


If you wanna wait 6 month,yeah. I'd rather go private.

What's the rush?