jayone Report post Posted March 1, 2013 (edited) Hi all, this is my first post here and I'm in need of some advice. I've never had a diagnosis of Aspergers, but there is a high likelihood I have it. Let me just give you some detail about how all this came about. I was recently sent to prison for a computer hacking crime, and spent 12 months behind bars. Now, I've never been diagnosed with Aspergers, but whilst I was in prison the CPN asked me if I'd ever had an assessment. I hadn't. She asked me a number of questions and said she wanted to send me to an outside hospital for an assessment but I never got the assessment. She said as I scored very high on the test she done. She also gave me a book to read which was a total eye opener! A lot of things in this book I could related to. I've also had ticks in my eyes since I was 2 years old that the CPN felt was a form of torrents as I've had it all my life. She said I present a number of things on the ASD scale. Whatever that means. A few things in the book stuck out to me. For a long time I've had the nickname "data" (the guy from Star Trek). I was called this because I show no sense of humor among friends. Any friendly banter or joking towards me I take seriously and never see any funny side to it. I've never been able to return banter or joking either. Another was my interest and abilities on a computer. This is what the CPN was pushing me about. I was never good at subjects at school, I struggled with every subject aside from computing. I left school at 15 because I wanted to sit at my computer all day. And I did. 13 years later I'm still doing it! I sit at the computer for 15 hours a day. But, I don't sit on Facebook, or anything like that. I'm a software developer. I managed to get into University to study Software Engineering although I had no qualifications because they said I showed talent. My intelligence in terms of logic and problem solving is very high. Looking at it after the CPN explained it became clear. I have no friends. I enjoy sitting alone and being alone - which I do. I don't emphasize others, I don't give or receive criticism because I simply can't. I suffer with anxiety and depression, and have done for over 10 years. There's so much more, but it's only really making sense now. I thought I was just different. Now I'm out of prison I want to get an assessment for a diagnosis, and if it's not aspergers to look into a PD or something, because I am aware I am not normal in the conventional sense. How do I get an assessment? Do I just ask the doctor? I'm a bit confused on what to do. Edited March 1, 2013 by jayone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted March 2, 2013 Hello and welcome to the forum. Could your CPN refer you to a psychiatrist for a diagnostic assessment? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jayone Report post Posted March 2, 2013 Hello and welcome to the forum. Could your CPN refer you to a psychiatrist for a diagnostic assessment? My CPN was the lady in the prison. I had an outside CPN for anxiety and depression, but because I've moved I'm having to register at a new doctors. I want to approach the doctor to get an assessment but not sure how. My first appointment isn't until 2 weeks away anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lyndalou Report post Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Hi Jayone If you go on the NAS website there is information on it about how best to approach your GP if you would like to request an assessment for Aspergers. You are able to print out this information which you can then take along to the GP with you. However, I would suggest that it might be helpful to take someone along with you to the appointment if you think you might not be able to get over what you want to say. I make this suggestion because I took this information to the GP and it wasn't even looked at - unfortunately GP's may not be particularly clued up on what Aspergers is and how it appears in adults. If you have been under mental health services for anxiety and depression, you might have an advocacy service in your area who could provide an advocate to go along with you to the appointment. You would need to meet the advocate first though if you wanted to do this as they would need to discuss your situation with you so they could support you in a helpful and meaningful way. When you make your GP appointment, you might also want to consider asking for a double appointment if you can so you can speak without feeling totally rushed. At my GP surgery your appointment 'slot' is 10 mins but you can discuss a lot more and be much more thorough if you have 20 mins! Remember, that the GP is NOT the expert. They might have had some experience of working with people with ASD or they might not. Either way, they refer on to the professionals who can assess you who have expertise in the field. All the best Lynda Edited March 2, 2013 by Lyndalou Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jayone Report post Posted March 3, 2013 Thank you Lyndalou. I was worried about not being able to tell the doctor exactly what I'd like and my concerns, I do struggle to communicate exactly what I want to say. I will ask my fiancee to come with me, failing that I will try to find an advocacy service. Was you diagnosed as an adult too? How did you come about your assessment i.e. what triggered you to get advice? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lyndalou Report post Posted March 3, 2013 Hi Jayone Unfortunately, I was turned down for an assessment for a formal diagnosis - a mixture of the GP thinking she could 'diagnose' me and then passing her views onto an unsympathetic Psychiatrist who disagrees with adult diagnosis and a consultant who has limited understanding of how AS can manifest in females - so I'm self-diagnosed. Part of the reason I'm strongly advising you to get all the information you can and get support is because of my own experience. However, you already have had a professional involved who has formed an opinion based on their work with you and tests they have conduced so you stand a good chance of having your concerns taken seriously - if you could get the report the CPN did then I think that would be helpful too. My son was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at just under 3 years old. This is what led me to researching ASD in general and then ASD in females in particular. In some ways my little boy is very different to me; he has a speech disorder and uses a lot of echolia whereas I was a precocious speaker (I was still echoliac though and drove my mum mad!) but in many ways he's very like I was as a child like with his musical ability and being sensory-seeking in terms of jumping, swinging and spinning. What led me to seek an assessment is that I had been looking for 'answers' to my problems for a very long time and suddenly, in front of me I saw a description of myself! A lot of the assessment for ASD is based on early development and normally this requires some input from parents or other significant adults. It has to be 'proved' that the onset of symptoms was before 3 years of age - things like repetitive behaviours and 'unusual' play and/or lack of imaginative play come into account. Again, you can find all this information - it comes under descriptions of the 'Triad of Impairments' - on the NAS and other websites. Prepare well and be clear about the difficulties you have and you can do no more! Lynda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
