Questions before first appt at Autism Clinic

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Hi,

I have a first appointment at an adult autism clinic next week in order to pursue an official diagnosis, and I'm just wondering if there's anything I should know or anything I should do to prepare, other than filling out their forms, before I go. I wasn't referred to the clinic, but I made the appointment because both my mother and my current psychologist (who I originally went to for ongoing bipolar treatment, but who rediagnosed me with anxiety) have said I have autistic characteristics, and the more research I've done online, the more I agree that I may be on the spectrum.

As much as I want an absolute answer one way or the other, my anxiety makes new situations, and the days leading up to them, very stressful, so I'm just wondering if those of you who have been through this can give me some idea of what to expect. (I'm in the US, if that helps for specifics.)

Thanks so much for your help!

Because you're in the US it's hard for me to answer.
But in my case I saw a private psychiatrist through the nhs because they kept messing up my referals (4 in total, over several years). Like you I saw (2) psychologists, who'd seen me for a full year each before saying they agree I have it.
I wasn't in an autism clinic, but I was very nervous about seeing this new person as my first assessment wasn't done properly and the guy flat out told me because I cried I couldn't be autistic as autistics don't cry. If you get a jerk like that make sure you file a formal complaint and get a second oppinion. It took me 4 years later to get the second oppinion but it was so worth it.

Before I saw her, for the referal they did an AQ test, if you've done them online you'll know the questions roughly.
When I saw her she asked me about 7 more similar questions which she marked off.
Most of it, however, as a history. Asking how I was in school, with children, what I was like at home as a child. What my difficulties were in general.
She asked what I knew of autism and this assessment then why I thought I had it.
She asked about other conditions I have, including Bipolar, a connective tissue disorder and multiple sensory difficulties.

Something to bear in mind is to think of the conditions you may have that might be linked to autism, even if they're not diagnosed.
Your anxiety could very well be linked to it. If you're over/under sensitive to light, sound, touch, taste, smell, these can be significant markers.
If you reacted badly to change. If you were slow to learning to speak as a child (or in my case, had your own language and insisted people learn that instead of learning theirs).
Think of how some of the autistic traits have had an effect on your ability to make friends, or keep them, or how they function.

It didn't involve any formal 'tests' like I'd expected, it was fairly relaxed, and took about an hour long.
My mom came with me so in the second half she called her in for questioning. I think it helped to have my moms support, I didn't have her before in the first one that went badly. But a decent Dr won't need a parent there, you can use quotes your parents have said if that helps to fill in gaps of your history (like when you were a baby).
And if you have any medical letters to prove anything you want to say it's worth bringing them along just in case, I didn't need mine but the first guy made out I did!!

In any case, best of luck. I just got my diagnosis this week and I hope you get yours soon too, and feel relieved as well.

Thank you so much for going into so much detail and offering so much advice; that is an incredibly huge help!!

I also thought of another question: the psychologist I'm seeing now is a clinical psychologist, which I'm learning are able to provide official diagnoses for autism in the US. However, her specialty is mood disorders and depression/anxiety, so while she's fine with talking about my "aspergers" (which I know isn't even the right term anymore) and how it impacts my life, she's only officially diagnosed me with anxiety. Do you guys think that the person I'll be seeing at the clinic will find this strange, or is it pretty common for clinical psychologists who don't specialize in autism to hesitate from providing an official diagnosis of it? I think my psychologist is worried about the label, but I really need the peace of mind one way or the other, and a clinic that specializes in adult autism seems like the best place to get it. I'm not sure if they'll see it that way, though, and I tend to get flustered around strangers and forget things I want to say until afterward, and I'm worried I'll do that there (the fact that it's kind of a big deal makes the whole forgetfulness thing that much worse.)

Thanks again!

First of all, I’d like you to take a deep breath and calm down.
Autism is not a disease that will thwart the quality of your life. In fact, more than anything else, you’d probably be amazed by the various ways in which being on the autism spectrum can offer you a unique perspective into the various facets of life.
For all you know, you aren’t even there on the spectrum, but these tests can help provide a comprehensive view of your overall proficiency in communicating and relating to others, which is in itself quite insightful.
I wish you all the best and just remember to always be proud of who you are and know that you deserve the best!

Thank you for your response! I'm not actually too concerned with what my diagnosis ends up being (either way, it won't change who I am, but I'd like to know one way or the other), just that I am able to present myself accurately in spite of my anxiety.

Anxiety is co-morbid with autism, and for many anxiety is basically a part of their autism. So no it shouldn't be weird, it's easier to diagnose anxiety, and many are misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression before a root cause (either neurological or even physical) is found for those symptoms.
So that diagnosis just confirms you struggle and can help the assessor know a little more about your struggles.
They will probably want to know in what situations you're anxious to figure out if it's co-morbid or actually anxiety derived from the autism.
For example, I used to have a lot of eating problems as a child, we just figured I was fussy, sensitive to texture and maybe a bad eater. It was only last week when the assessor noted my eating got worse when we moved house that the eating problems were likely due to me having trouble adjusting to change, which we can conclude I don't have an eating probably, and that this symptoms is very likely part of my anxiety from autism. (Of course you have to look at things like whether I have other traits of eating problems, and those also suggest it's due to change/stress and not a consistent thing, or due to poor body image.)

Just try to think about what makes you anxious, and how you deal with it. Or if you have a hard time knowing you're anxious and others have to tell you, or that you're aware of the cause of anxiety or not. I personally have trouble recognising my feelings and knowing what causes such feelings, so even though I'm likely anxious a lot, I would say I don't have anxiety because I don't *feel* it. This could be interpreted different ways, but it's worth them knowing little bits like that so they can put together the bigger picture.

Also, even though she's a psychologist, autism is a specialist area, it's easy for those not particularly interested in it to avoid making decisions, or if they do, they're normally the ones who misdiagnose anyway, so yeah she sounds like a good dr who could give an unbiased reference for your assessor.

The goal is not to get a Autism Spectrum Diagnosis per se but to find out why you are having problems

There are two schools of thought super prepare or just be yourself.

I would think about childhood issues. If you can get a relative to talk about your early childhood AND WHO IS NOT IN DENIAL ie THINKS AUTISM IS FAKE, YOU ARE A LAZY LOSER ETC.

School records if they exist could be useful.

Whatever the result is get the reasoning behind the results you receive.