What will happen at the assessment?

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You'd think that a place assessing for aspergers would send out a little itinerary or something really! All I know is to arrive at half nine and allow up to three hours. That's my lot.

I want to know how this assessment will go. I already sent in all the test thingies by post, like the AQ and stuff. Will there be more tests? Will it just be a Q&A thing?

Also I'm concerned about the parental input as my parent has ADHD and their memory isn't great. They don't remember a lot about my childhood! Some bits sure, but not loads. The same parent said there was nothing with my kid, their grandkid, for a couple of years - but my son was diagnosed two years ago with moderate autism. The parent couldn't see it but I could, I saw it in both of us from the minute I read up on it. My son is aspergers by the way, he's just called ASD because that's the new diagnosis coming in next year for all kids on the spectrum. He's really high functioning and intelligent though.

I guess they'll be looking at things like my body language too, and that freaks me out a bit. I'm usually fine with eye contact and stuff, I only look away from people when I'm thinking but I look right back, nobody's said I make weird eye contact or anything. But because I know they'll be looking for that, it'll be in my head, and then I'll probably not make it - which isn't a true reflection of me!

Sorry if this is a bit of a mess, I'm feeling really stressed at the minute. I'm not at all prepared for this and I doubt I'll sleep much this week because of it. I know the diagnosis won't change anything much but if I'm right and this is the answer I've been looking for all my life then I really need to not mess this up. If I go in stressed and get hysterical then they'll just pack me off with a bloody depression label again, and I am SICK of being told I'm depressed when I'm not!! I don't actually mind being me at all - it's other people I have the problem with!

I don't know what to expect, but I hear you about parents.

I am not going to prepare my mother with anything. I'll just have to prime her to tell them how my echolalia and hyperlexia proved how smart I was, at least when I get around to being able to get an assessment. Should be soon.

I'm with you on the stress - I can't tell you what'll happen as I'm a few months off assessment myself.

I don't have parents or anyone to fill in the parts about childhood - father died, mother is abusive so I want her to have nothing to do with it, she doesn't know about the possibility of asperger's/autism (although she'd agree with the diagnosis) and I doubt she'd be able to remember much anyway as her mind's going, and no one else I know knew me as a kid. I don't think there is a way around this part so not sure how they're going to do this. Having been living as an NT of course we learn how to act more like NT's so observing behaviour is an issue, although laypeople can tell there's something odd about me and if I mention asperger's they can see it, I'm worried in case in the assessment it's not picked-up. And god help me if they try to make me do an IQ test...on the plus side if they try to make me do an IQ test I know I'll have a meltdown. lol

I too worry about wrong diagnosis, I spent my life being told I have social anxiety when really I don't...it never fit with me, so like you the diagnosis wouldn't change much, but it gives you an explanation as to why you are the way you are.

They MUST have ways around these things - e.g. parents being a non-option, and they must be used to dealing with people enough on the spectrum to be able to spot the signs even in people who have been living as NT's all their lives. I can't say I've ever heard of someone who has had an assessment and not been found to have asperger's

Let us know everything that happens, good luck

Bloodheart,

Do you also have school records? Those should have some indications that could point to autism?

I need to arrange to get mine, if they even still exist.

I hope this is not too forward, but my 25 year old son is supposed to be tested. I talked to the clinic today and they mentioned insur. which my son doesn't have. They said it is $250 an hr. and it would take them 8 hours! Is this normal pricing? Is being diagnosed worth it? I know he would like to have a professional tell him he has it. Why would this take 8 hours?

Nope, wouldn't be able to get them either, my first school closed a long time ago, no records of it ever existing and I know from having been in the school after it was shut that they didn't exactly keep the records very secure, lol.

I had an assessment on the 19th. Don't know if yours will be anything like mine though. I had an adult assessment, so no need for parents. It was stressful leading up to the assessment, but waiting for the results is more so. I keep revisiting my answers and actions.

As for the assessment itself... it was a bit odd. Hard to describe really. Mostly she asked questions and gave me instructions. Odd, because a lot of the questions and instructions were obvious and I knew she was observing my behavior and such. I mentioned up front that I was self conscious of these things. I assume that most everyone is and that they account for that as part of the test.

But then, I haven't had my evaluation yet, so who knows.

when i was assessed briefly they decided there wasn't enough childhood information to properly assess for asperger's. even with my mum present :/

Oh, frustrating. I hope whoever you get is willing to listen to you and take you at your word.

Oh that's worrying if they say that about their not being enough childhood records.

I've got medical mental health records starting from when I was 10 so that should count I guess. I think I was diagnosed with depression at 10 as that's when they first gave me antidepressants.

I have some of my school reports, I will go through those then. They mostly just say that as a little kid I was fantastic - always ahead in everything, and as a teen that I was a lazy good for nothing who was wasting her 'high potential'. I got kicked out of school at 15 because I couldn't cope with it, though they say I wouldn't cope with it rather.

I'll have to dig stuff out then. I guess at least that gives me something to do, some way to prepare for it.

If anyone else can tell me how an assessment actually runs that'd be brilliant.

Sorry to hear others have had difficulties. I have waited a long time to be assessed as my GP said I was talking rubbish initially. It was only when my son was diagnosed she rethought it and sent my records off to a mental health department for review. They then referred me for this aspergers assessment at a different place. It was a long road. Like I said, everyone thought my son was fine too - except me and the playgroup workers who were spending a couple of hours a day with him.

Nobody has ever said that I am fine, but they all think my problems started when a bad thing happened in my life. Hence all this depression and personality disorder talk. Actually that makes me realise that what I need to do really is to pull out anything I can find which says I was different BEFORE that life event happened. There must be some stuff, I'll have a look. TY for all replies.

I never thought of getting those...I'm trying to get diagnosed through the NHS but am worried because I don't really have anyone to account for how I was as a kid. It would be helpful if I had my elementary school records. Does all it take is a phone call to the school?

I don't know what it's like in the UK at all. I looked up my schools (in the US) and found webpages with e-mail addresses for requesting records.

There really should be some way of dealing with a realistic gap in records or recollections beyond the person reporting problems in the first place.

Me thinks it will be different for everyone depending on where you go to be tested. In my case, my dad was there and he got to talk to the psych about his experiences with me. They also arranged to have my teachers email the psych giving them a brief description of what has been like to deal with me. I had only two teachers do this...one was my Econ class teacher who gave a short generic statement that he gives to all of his students during grade evaluation (he probably mistook it as such). The other was my choir teacher whom (having done choir with her all 4 years of high school) had things to say that carried more merit.

So as far as collecting information from outside sources and sharing your own struggles you do get to play some games...like mental tests and all of that but they were kinda fun for me. My psych tested me on random number memorization and I was pretty good at at.

I'm waiting for assessment, too. The estimate they gave me is 10 hours at $175 an hour. So the total is pretty close to yours. The 10 hours included the time doctor need to score your tests, analyze it and write reports, so they're not all interviews. This place I'm going to give discounted rates to people with lower income, down to $115/hr for very low income people. It might be worth it to check around to see if they offer that option or any other clinic offer that option?

I sure hope they don't need any childhood records. I have moved to a different country and have been on my own for nearly 20 years. But I do remember everything starting from 3 years old. I hope my own memory is good enough.

hi

i just had an adult assessment done. it took 5hours and cost $1000. first I had an interview with lots of questions and then my mum had an interview with lots of questions while I filled out questionnaires then we had a short break for lunch while she got all her notes together and then she gave feedback and the diagnosis. now she will send a report with all her recommendations for support.

I went in with lots of notes and that was a good idea, she added them to her own notes. Apart from making these notes I didn't think about the appointment much at all. It just felt like a routine thing and I wasnt worried about the outcome. I think because I knew that she was used to dealing with people with ASD I didn't feel any stress to act a certain way and I felt like she didn't judge me at all and like she knew I had it straight away.

I think it is definately worth having done. It would have made my life a lot easier if I had have had this diagnosis earlier. It makes a big difference on a practical, social and emotional level.

I hope this helps.

Can people get help from the government or anything, or anything special in school for having a diagnosis? My mom wants to get me tested, but unless it would be useful I don't want her to waste her money, since I don't need someone to tell me I have it.