My Assessment!

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Well, I have just spoken to an Admissions person at the Judevine Center for Autism and have now scheduled my assessment date. It will actually be this Monday which is WAY sooner than I had expected. But apparently there has been a greater call for assessments there so they opened up more time slots for the month of June.

This assessment is only an assessment and they do not provide me a diagnosis. Merely suggest a diagnosis and then I would have to take this summation information to either a psychiatrist or a neurologist for an official diagnosis.

*sigh of relief*

Now, the ANXIETY begins...

WOW! That is quick!

Do you know what to expect at the appointment?

I hope it goes well.

BeeBee

Stress sucks

Sophist,

What do you hope to achieve from this
diagnoses? Where is this center
located? Hmmmmm? How are you
today?

I have been absent in my postings
for a couple of days since I have
been in a rollercoaster mood, so
I hope you didn't feel that I was
avoiding you.

I will also say coo! and good luck
with this diagnoses.

Sincerely,
Ghosthunter

good luck!

good luck indeed. let us know how you get on.

Best wishes for the least stress the most luck and the happiest outcome!

Sophist: Has it been a long time since you first thought of AS as a possible diagnosis for you?
Why do you want a diagnosis? Is it to be sure you have AS, or is it that you think it would help you?

Good luck for your appointment, I hope stress won't be a problem and that you'll be ok.

Well, the assessment is going to be less formal so the admissions person told me, and more likened unto an intensive interview rather than what they normally do with the kids.

Argh, I can feel my chest and stomach tensing up this morning as I write this (mixture of assessment anxiety and recovering from having been social last night, which just wears me out).

With a diagnosis, I would hope to 1) simply have confirmation of my own overwhelming suspicions, but also 2) be able to receive some accomodations at my university; for instance, taking a test outside of class in a more quiet and less people-ridden environment (this I would probably only need for certain kinds of test-- like MATH). So, this is in part for myself, but also serves a practical function as well.

Well, I go now to meet with my caseworker...

Welp. It's over. I had my assessment. It lasted from approximately 9:30am until 11:08am. They asked me loads of questions and had me take (verbally) one of Tony Attwood's tests which is listed in his main Aspie book. They spoke with my mother seperately at the same time asking similar questions I believe. She also has some "homework" she has to take home and fill out about my development in the early years and then send back in.

I have my next meeting with them for a summation of everything and their suggestions, etc., on June 24th.

I feel fairly confident now and hope the 24th will go well.

Very best wishes to you, Sophist! I hope the outcome will render peace of mind for you.

Thank you for the update, Sophist.

I hope the meeting on the 24th goes as well.

BeeBee

What questions did they ask you?

Did they have you take more than just one test?

I had an assement similar to the one you had back on march 15th. Mine lasted for about two hours, and during that time, I was given several tests designed to bring out any autistic tendancies I had for the screeners to see.

I have yet to do the second half which involves getting a dynamic MRI scan of my brain so the screeners can watch it work.

Mine went the same way. Although a kid's assessment takes around 8 hours, mine was just a little over 2 hours. We adults are more aware of our differences and can discuss specific complaints or answer direct questions verbally, whereas a child lacks definitive life experiences (such as failed relationships and lost jobs) that would clearly indicate AS so the data has to be extracted from detailed observation and testing. I saved time by collecting data about my early development from my mother prior to the first interview.

Well, the only actual test they gave me was Attwood's rating scale. That was about it. It was VERY informal and they simply asked me questions about key areas of my life, a lot based on a sheet a women had already filled out over the phone while asking me quite a few questions. This sheet was used as a basis and we simply went more in-depth on the things I had mentioned.

At the same time, my mother was in another room probably being asked similar questions.

I am not EXACTLY sure what June 24th will be like. I mean, I am well aware that they do not have the ability to give me a diagnosis since they have no psychologists, psychiatrists, or neurologists on staff. I suspect it will be more along the lines of "Well, it seems you have Aspergers Syndrome and here are our suggestions on how you can deal with it." I am certain they will also give me a summation report which I can eventually take to a psychiatrist when I get another one who will then be able to render a diagnosis fairly easily after getting to know me a little bit and looking over the assessment summation.

All in all, this will in total be undoubtedly cheaper than having gone to a neurologist or the like in the first place and going through HEAVY testing, etc. since this assessment only cost me $600.00. The quotes I had gotten prior since last August have usually been in excess of $1000 and these were from people who merely had the credentials for testing and not necessarily the experience of the Autism Spectrum. But I knew I wanted to go somewhere where the people knew EXACTLY what they were doing. People with an excessive amount of experience. So, I felt The Judevine Center for Autism was the place.

*sigh of relief* Boy, I'm fried. I go now to relax with my computer and surf. And maybe do some more writing... humz