Age discrimination

Post Reply New Topic

I have recently become aware that most ASD assessment centres have a policy of needing to speak to a clients relatives about what they were like as a child before making a diagnosis.

This obviously discriminates against older people who may not have any older relatives.

Many of us entered the psychiatric system before 'high functioning' autism was recognised.

It's bad enough having had years of innapropriate psychiatric diagnosis and treatment without finding out that now it's finally been recognised the true nature of our difficulties it may be too late.

In my case, the clinic I have been referred to only requires a relative to fill in a questionaire. Hopefully, they may waive this in my case as I have no one to fill it in.

Has anyone been refused assessment/treatment on these grounds?

I quite agree but the mental health system was not the only inappropriate system that many older AS people went in when there was less information on Asperger syndrome. The other system was the learning disability system usually staring as a child. I was actually misdiagnosed in 1967 as having brain damage and subsequently been in the learning disability system as a result of this. It was actually told in the worse possible way also inciting the worst possible forms of prejudice which would later be called Aspiphobia. I have also been in the mental health system because I had an emotionally deprived childhood, and susequently again misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I thought what a waste of time. I was diagnosed in 2003 with Asperger syndrome and I thought that the previous 36 years had been wasted put into useless systems been taken away from friends till 1977 certainly can hamper socioemotional development. I think all this is common in Asperger syndrome. Another thing is if you are middle aged and born in the 1960s NTs actually strive to violate your civil rights in a way they would not do to a younger aspie. Still the old excuses are used to me and perhaps other older aspies but not the young and it is this which gets to me.

I was DXd at 49 and they didn't even ask me about talking to family or having them fill anything out. I guess they assumed at that age I might not have any family living who could, although I could have if it had been required. It wouldn't have changed the results of the testing in any case.

Age discrimination is the reason why I can't get a job in my town. Most non-resturaunt places in my town don't hire under 18's. (I'll never work in resturaunt because the smell of meat cooking makes me sick). The next town has some places that hire under 18's, but I'll have to get my driver's license before I think about applying.

Willard,

Thanks, I Should probably just phone them up and ask! The questionaire has fifteen pages so they must think its important! Baron-Cohens clinic at Cambridge University has a policy of only assessing people if they can speak to relatives. I did read one post a while ago that said it was their reason for not being assessed.

I've always wondered how carefully they evaluate those relative interviews or written reports. IOW, do they take what's said as the plain truth or do they include methods of dealing with what people say and what really happened being different. (Especially in households where there is some abuse and pretending that everything is normal, and telling stories differently from how they happened, is just standard family procedure.)

I guess having someone who knew you as a child helps in the diagnostic procedure. I was given a diagnostic assessment by a psychologist a few months ago, and I was aware that much of what I was saying was subjective and may have been unintentionally biased. Having said that, I don't think other people's input is likely to be particularly reliable either. And yes, older people have every right to a diagnosis as much as younger people and children.