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Parsifal
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Joined: 24 Jun 2019
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 5

03 Jul 2019, 12:49 pm

Hello,
I already mentioned in my introduction that I'm 35 years old self-diagnosed Asperger's, I have been considering to get a formal diagnosis ever since I did my first online tests for Aspergers, however I've been asking myself if it's worth it, my situation is peculiar, I discovered it less than one year ago after moved to the UK, moving to a new country put a strain on me, it exposed me to new challenges, the problems I always had were amplified in this new situation, so I started to ask me some question, and I did the following tests:
AdAS Spectrum: 133 total points (the average points for people with ASD is 93)
AQ test: 40 total points ( the cut-off for inclusion vary from 26 to 32)
ASBQ: 71 total points (the average points for people in the spectrum is 34)
RAADS-R: 200 total points (the average points for people in the spectrum is 140)

So, according to the tests my impressions were right, I informed myself about it, asked my parents details about my young age, everything made sense, I'm absolutely sure I'm in the spectrum, however for some reason I don't feel comfortable without a formal diagnosis, nobody would ever consider I'm in the spectrum without it, I'm pretty sure nobody in my life would take me seriously.
The fact that I'm not living in my native country complicates everything, I'm not fluent yet with my spoken English, I don't think would be wise getting through a formal assessment without mastering English here, on the other hand I have the impression it would not be possible getting it in my native country, since I heard is a long process which requires more than one encounter.
I'm also concerned about the costs for a formal assessment.
So I'm wondering if it's really worth it... :roll:



squiggle7
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Joined: 29 Mar 2019
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 26
Location: Sweden

03 Jul 2019, 2:45 pm

It depends if you are happy with a self diagnosis or if your mind won't rest until you know for sure. I'm also 35 and felt after years of wondering like I needed to know so decided to find out. I also did the assessment not in my native language but I'm pretty fluent so it was not a problem. And I don't know how it works but if you're living in the UK can't you get it free on the NHS even if you're not originally from there?



The_Walrus
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Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 30
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Posts: 8,878
Location: London

03 Jul 2019, 3:07 pm

In theory the cost is free.

However, the waiting list is long, and you are right that clinicians may be reluctant to diagnose a non-fluent speaker.

Mind me asking what your native country is?



Parsifal
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Joined: 24 Jun 2019
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 5

04 Jul 2019, 6:32 pm

squiggle7 wrote:
And I don't know how it works but if you're living in the UK can't you get it free on the NHS even if you're not originally from there?


Yes, since I live and work here I could, however I heard that the waiting list can be very long, for someone took even years...



Parsifal
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Joined: 24 Jun 2019
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 5

04 Jul 2019, 6:43 pm

The_Walrus wrote:

Mind me asking what your native country is?

My native country is Italy