My ADOS. UK diagnosis experience

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I often see people asking what is involved with diagnosis, last week I had an adult ADOS, so I thought I would write about the experience while it is still fresh in my head

Some people including myself don't want to know beforehand what it involves, so if you you fall into this category now is a good time to stop reading!

A couple of weeks before the assessment I was sent and AQ and EQ test to complete and return by email, I was also asked for any other paperwork, such as previous diagnostic reports, school reports etc.

When I got to the place where the test would be carried out the person who I had arrived with was asked to leave and come back in 3 hours time

The assessor explained that the time would be used so I could prove I had abilities that ruled out Autism

First of all I was asked to complete a puzzle, I was to put all the different shapes in a box to form a square. Afterwards the assessor told me this was to see how I would solve it, to see if I asked for help, and to see how I would indicate I was finished

Next I was given a book without words and asked to make up a story

These were the only 2 tasks, the rest of the time was the assessor asking me questions, she asked about the following things:

My Job history, what I liked and didn't like each time, why I left
Where I had lived, what age did I leave home, my experiences around leaving home
How many relationships I had been in, where I had met the other person
Friendships, how I communicate with friends, where I meet them, how would I feel if they disappeared
What makes me happy, sad, angry, she pushed for in-depth descriptions on these, specific times when I felt these emotions
Did I remember my fist day at school, describe.
What subjects did I take, what were my results
Is there anyone else in the family with ASD and other conditions
How do I cope with my kids
What are my interests, how often do I do them, how do I feel if I can't do them
What annoys you about people. What do you do that annoys people
What happens if a plan is changed in advance, what happens if its changed last minute
How do my parents remember me as a child, what do my parents think of me possibly having ASD
Do I have routines and rituals, what are they, do I have OCD
What do I think of my eye contact, do I think it's appropriate

Throughout the whole time she observed my body language, gestures, fidgeting eye contact etc

At the end she said that I had scored above the cut off for ASD and drew some pictures to explain the spectrum in relation to functioning and IQ

She then asked me if I wanted her to speak to the person who came with me and explain to him what she had concluded and why, she also asked if there was anything that I have said that she either shouldn't mention, or that I wished to be left out of the report.

I still don't have the report as she said 10 days.

I am sure that every assessment is different, but hopefully there will be someone who finds this useful

One thing I would like to say is that I KNEW I had AS I had already been told by my sons PDDAG worker, and I thought I was totally prepared for diagnosis, but I wasn't. Some of the things that were raised and discovered were hard hitting, and I am still trying to come to terms with them. This aside I think I am glad I had a formal diagnosis as it explains why I have fought my whole life for the things that are meant to be easy, and why I have spent a lifetime isolated, physically and emotionally.