Will they be annoyed with me?

Post Reply New Topic

It's the 1st of January 2014, which means it's finally the year of my ASD assessment. Last time I spoke to the people who are going to assess me they told me my assessment will start sometime in the middle of the spring semester. I count on it starting in the end of March or the beginning of April but I don't know for sure. I'm sort of worried about it all though. What if I get assessed and it turns out I don't have some kind of ASD (which I think might be the case)? Will the psychologist get annoyed/frustrated with me and think I've wasted his/her time? I mean, I've heard assessments here take quite some time (not sure how long) and right now I think the fact that I suspected having an ASD and asked for an official assessment might have been part of a huge obsession caused by my OCD (once again, I'm not sure though). I'm not saying it's impossible I have AS/ASD since I certainly possess some/a lot of the traits someone with for example Asperger's might possess (which psychologists have confirmed), but yeah, I don't know.

Anyway, will the psychologists think I've wasted their time if I don't get the diagnosis? Also, has anyone here gone through the assessment process without getting a diagnosis? If so, what was that like? Have you, since then, found out why you've always felt so different and what the "missing puzzle piece" is?

I'm anxious.

If they get annoyed over that, it's theirs and not your fault and problem. Than, they are the one being unprofessional. Good luck.

I don't think they will get annoyed..
That would be very unproffesional from their side to get annoyed by people for not "passing" their assessment and get the diagnose.
I mean, the reason for assessment is to "investigate" wheater there is a diagnose or not (in this case AS/ASD).
And getting annoyed if the result tells them and you that you don't have AS/ASD- doesn't make sense to me.
-If "No, not AS/ASD" is not an optional/possible and acceptable result- why even have assessments?

However, it might be a good idea to say these things you just wrote (about the OCD might have caused you wanting the assessment and so on) to the psychologist, it could be useful information to him/her, and the two of you togheter could reach a decision on if you should or shouldn't (need or don't need) to go through with the assessment.

You have a genuine reason to seek the assessment. Unless the assessment is done, you won't know whether you have ASD or not. You don't really have a choice but to go ahead with it. So there's no point in worrying about it.

I honestly think I need the ASD assessment anyway, either to confirm it or rule it out. However, I will definitely tell the psychologist about my OCD and the intrusive thoughts it bombards me with about this whole thing (that I'm lying/faking/exaggerating etc).



Trying to not worry but it's difficult.

I have read some of your past posts and you really sound like me. I have a tendency of OCD, too. Although I have been diagnosed with ASD recently, I don't know if my OCD is caused by ASD. So I can understand your uncertain feeling. The assessment is the only way to clarify where you stand. But I understand that controlling your anxious feeling is not easy. I think you really need to convince yourself that you are not doing anything wrong and you are doing what you genuinely need to do. Although I don't think they would be annoyed, if they do get annoyed, that's not really your problem, as another poster above said.

Then you absolutely should go through with it, that why they have assessments, to rule out and confirm, and as jk1 wrote, you have a genuine reason to seek assessment.
I know it's hard not to worry, but keep trying,
You have the right to have this assessment done, and they have absolutely no reason to be annoyed by that. -If they are, it's not your problem, as others above too have said.

Absolutely get the assessment!

They are professionals and they are also looking for other factors as well, even if they rule out ASD they may find traits and clues leading to a different assessment.

Personally I went in initially with everyone believing that my meltdowns and depression were a factor of PTSD from a previous career. The assessment team diagnosed me with Asperger's Disorder, which at the time was a new diagnosis, because it was obvious to them that I did not present as someone with PTSD. This changed the direction of therapies (for the better).

During assessment be true to yourself in your responses, the purpose is to allow people to try and help (as we all know this doesn't always happen unfortunately), but to start with an accurate assessment is a good foundation for both therapies and self help.

I'm a very honest person and I'll definitely be true to myself during the assessment. Or at least I'll try. I'm really worried that I'll exaggerate or fake things without meaning to (thank you, OCD). What if my memories from my childhood are incorrect or what if I've read too much about Asperger's so that it affects the result? Sorry if these are weird questions.

Not weird questions at all.

How you perceive and remember things is part of the deal. Ask a group of people what they saw and remember of an incident that has just occurred and you will get widely varying accounts from all of them. A person will always colour things with factors like their mood, what they wanted to see, and yes, even how they perceive the world as a whole. By definition someone with ASD perceives, senses and processes input from the world differently than most other people.

Follow it to its conclusion so you can have peace of mind. They are trained to recognize OCD and other traits/disorders. You won't be wasting their time because something is driving you to be preoccupied with it. Do they specialize in ASD?

I had an assessment and therapy but not for ASD just personality. The tests and therapy showed I had traits. To me, then, I don't have a diagnosis. He has said that he is not a specialist in ASD and does not think much of diagnosis. His specialty is psychodynamic therapy and training. I like categorizing behavior so I feel like I am just drifting and not belonging anywhere.

As long as the assessors get paid, they don't care what they find. They're just doing a job one hopes they like. They won't get annoyed unless you start accusing them of not knowing their jobs.
You might write (briefly as possible) some childhood memories in case you forget them during the session.

Ok, so the fact that for example my mother and I remember things differently is not a problem? She for example remembers how I used to play with kids my age while I remember I used to play with them but I'd often be miserable doing so (not always). I refused to participate in "forced" social games such as things on stage, games played in groups etc and I remember I always felt very different and like people my age were boring, immature and that they didn't think properly. So instead of socialising with kids my age I often stayed behind after lessons in school and talked to my teachers about science, religion and existential questions.



I have a feeling it might not give me peace of mind though, due to my OCD. Since my OCD tells me I fake, exaggerate and/or lie about my symptoms (which I'd never do on purpose) I fear that perhaps I'll feel like I've influenced the end result somehow. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, yes they're specialised in ASD, ADHD, Tourette's etc. Neuropsychiatric disorders. That's why I've had to wait for so long to get an assessment.



Oh, I've written a long list and I'm really embarrassed about it. Not because it's incorrect anything (unless I've lied or whatever. Seriously, doubting your own mind is scary) but because I wrote it when I was so obsessed with the whole possibility of having an ASD that I could not focus on anything else. I analysed everything. Repeatedly. The list is very long and perhaps "just" a compulsion and that's what I think is embarrassing. They've already seen the list and I sort of wish they could just forget about it.