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AmyPond

Dr's appointment tomorrow, re: ref for diagnosis

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Hi All

 

I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, where I am going to ask for a referral for AS diagnosis.

 

I have done some of the "quizzes" online (the usual ones), and printed them out to take with me, and also a blog post by Tania Marshall (someone on here linked to her blog post on girls/teens - she's done an adult female one too).

 

I don't know if I am diagnosable, if I have enough "difficulties" or whether I've just been managing all these years, but feel it is time to seek out something!

 

I'm within the Liverpool area, and I know there is an adult aspergers team that take NHS referrals. No idea what to expect though - and may need some hand holding :unsure:

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Best Wishes Amy. Hope it goes well at the GP's. Concentrate on telling the GP the problems you have and have always had, the things that cause you problems on a daily, weekly or regular basis. Don't overemphasise the 'female' profile because many GP's have a basic understanding of AS and this will be based on the established diagnostic criteria and not a 'work in progress' that Tania Marshall and other professionals interested in the female presentation of AS are in the process of producing. I also wouldn't overemphasise any of the 'positives' as you see them because the route to diagnosis is firmly planted in the 'Deficit Model'; ie. the things that are the 'disorder' or the things that cause problems socially etc

 

:)

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Thank you Lynda - helpful advice (as ever).

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For a child, getting a diagnosis is often the gateway to other services, (especially from the education system)

but that is unlikely for an adult.

 

Can you explain (to the GP, not us) WHY you think you would benefit from getting a diagnosis ?

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GP was lovely and has agreed to refer me. Apparently only 1 person who does adult diagnosis/referrals, so possibly a long wait, but its still a step in the right direction.

 

We talked about all kinds, childhood, work-related problems, how I feel I would benefit from a diagnosis. I feel that it is in work where I would benefit the most, because it is here that I struggle the most.

 

I took the print outs of the quizzy stuff that I'd done (not the Tania Marshall blog though), and she's kept those to include with my referral. I feel better having just taken that step :)

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So pleased to hear it went well....fingers crossed for you that you don't have to wait too long :)

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For a child, getting a diagnosis is often the gateway to other services, (especially from the education system)

but that is unlikely for an adult.

Can you explain (to the GP, not us) WHY you think you would benefit from getting a diagnosis ?

 

I would normally agree with you but as AmyPond is within the remit of the Liverpool Aspergers Team theres already adult services in that area.

I agree with the point about why you wish for a diagnosis, unfortunately 'I just want to know' doesn't work as a reason.

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As an adult diagnostician, we frequently get referrals for people who "just want to know". Thats always seemed a perfectly reasonable expectation to me. People need to know as, having a diagnosis, can make sense of much of their life experience and also has important implications for future life planning. Its important to say, however, that its not always ASD. There are other explanations for the presenting features so, in adults, it can be more a matter of differential diagnosis than, necessarily, just someone ticking off from a list. The bottom line is that you really have to have information from the individual themselves as well as information from across the lifespan and the views of someone who knows the person well enough to give as impartial a view as possible from their own viewpoint. Its not easy but neither should it be. Its worth getting right. Adults may have waited and wondered for years.

Edited by nippy sweetie

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very refreshing to meet a diagnostician who feels 'I just want to know' is a good enough reason for a diagnosis. What area are you working in?

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Probably best if I dont say. However I wanted to give some ideas to people who maybe need to be more specific about saying why they "just want to know" ie making sense of past experiences and helping in considering future life planning. For some, there may be benefits, employment or housing implications. People should ask for a letter stating their diagnosis in case they need "proof" (not necessarily a copy of their report which may contain confidential info). They should also have access to someone to discuss this diagnosis with to think about who to tell/ whether its in their interest to tell etc. The implications of a late diagnosis are important to discuss and reflect on.

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Hi All, not been on the forum for a while!

 

A letter arrived today, from the Liverpool Asperger Team, saying I've been referred and that they would like to visit me at home to carry out an initial assessment on behalf of the team - 13th June. This is actually an awful lot quicker than I thought it would be!!

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That's great you're under the Liverpool Asperger team.

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Now starting to get anxious about what to expect at this initial assessment :unsure:

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Hi AmyPond,

 

I received my initial assessment yesterday morning and it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be.

 

I had seen this doctor before (in regards to A.D.H.D), so he already knew about some of the traits I posses (and my medical/developmental history).

 

Although he didn't know much about ASD's, he was willing to learn about the differences between male and female traits etc...

 

We talked for a while (he was very friendly - was willing to listen to my partner, ask him questions etc), then he said that he had no reason (seeing as I had scored highly in the past for A.D.H.D and had brought my Dyslexia report and AQ/Aspie test scores... with me) to test me at all in any way (as everything to him seemed to tie in together).

 

So, my next step is waiting for my diagnostic assessment(s) date(s).

 

It was a good experience.

 

He told me that instead of one big test, what is going to happen is; the psychologist he is referring me to is going to do it over multiple sessions in a center less than 3 miles from where I live.

 

Anyone done a diagnostic over multiple sessions before? If so, can you give me a rough idea of what it might entail?

 

 

Best of luck Amy

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you get asked questions about sayings, linking words and a few others including sequences and block design tests I think.

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We talked about all kinds, childhood, work-related problems, how I feel I would benefit from a diagnosis. I feel that it is in work where I would benefit the most, because it is here that I struggle the most.

 

I wanted to give some ideas to people who maybe need to be more specific about saying why they "just want to know" ie making sense of past experiences and helping in considering future life planning. For some, there may be benefits, employment or housing implications. People should ask for a letter stating their diagnosis in case they need "proof".

I think it is invaluable for work reasons. I was diagnosed young anyway, but for most of my early working years I had tried to muddle through without disclosing it to employers, however often got told in appraisals to "improve" at communication skills, which showed with hindsight that I ought to have been disclosing it. I also had long periods out of work when it had proven valuable that I had disclosed my disability to the job centre.

 

I got to start with my current employer as an agency temp two years ago doing data entry, a few other temps were telephone call handlers. For most temps to be made permanent was generally conditional on cross-training on the other side, however disclosing my disability showed that call handling training would not be for me, yet they were still pleased to take me on given the capability I had shown with the database and finance work. Not only have they been understanding about my disability, but very appreciative of my Ability. They even took it seriously enough to arrange me to have an occupational health report, which summarised that "this individual is capable of work in his current non-customer facing role and we make the recommendation to remain non-customer facing", so that it is in writing should my current line-management leave or changes to head-count requirements may mean I have to move departments in future.

 

Amy I see your assessment was due to have been on the 13th June, hope you got on ok.

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Just catching up on some older posts. Think it was April I last read this and it's interesting to see you are now waiting on assessment over multiple session. I had my first session for my assessment last week and my next is coming up in a few days. As previously said by another poster the lady doing my assessment will look at differential diagnosis also but after the first session AS is definitely looking likely.

 

I have waited a long time for this assessment as the first time I asked my gp reluctantly referred me but this was refused as the service did not do stand alone assessments. It was only in October when I finally saw gp regarding my depression having gotten out of hand that I got a community mental health team referral which eventually had me put on the list for assessment.

 

I found the AAA test online that combines AQ EQ and relatives questions and it definitely puts me within diagnostic zone so we shall see how things go next week when I return and take my husbands and mums questionnaires back with me.

 

Have you been told how long the waiting list for assessment is?

Edited by dekra

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