Receiving a diagnosis

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Hello all!

I made this profile a while ago but I can finally share that on March 7th 2019 I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 after going through almost 3 months of evaluations. I was told by many people online and in real life that it would be so hard to get a diagnosis and find a psychiatrist who would be willing to have me take an autism examination. Thankfully I was lucky and was able to find someone who was more than willing to give me the test and determine that I do indeed have autism. The woman who evaluated me was very nice and understanding and thanks to her I have a label that fits me. I know a lot of people don’t like labeling themselves but I do. I want to wear my autism with pride. This also means that I can apply for disability and try to receive benefits. I personally can’t work a regular job for many reasons, sensory wise, anxiety wise, etc. However I do have passions and goals. I want to work out of my home doing tattoos, nails, or reptile breeding. I have many ideas. Thank you to anyone reading this and anyone who gave me advice before I went into my evaluation. I’m glad to officially be part of the community.

I just got my diagnosis on the exact same day!

Much shorter process though-just had two appointments a week apart (after being on a waiting list just over 9 months). A letter confirming the diagnosis came yesterday, but I have to wait a few weeks for a full report, which I'd really like to read because I want to see what they've picked up on that I might not be so aware of. Hopefully going to get more support at university, just trying to set that up, and that it'll be helpful going further into my career. Had a big initial sense of relief, and I've told my family (no one seemed that bothered or surprised...) but other than that, mostly feeling not quite sure right now what to do with the information, it all just feels a bit odd. I'm sure it'll feel less weird when some time's passed-it has only been a week.

Congrats to both of you I remember how elated I felt upon receiving my diagnosis (almost five years ago now!) It felt wonderful to finally know why I was so different, and that there was a community where I really belonged. I hope you both find what you're looking for, my diagnosis has been a godsend as far as the supports I've received. Good luck to you!

Congratulations you two.

There is no correct way to react to an Autism diagnosis. People react differently and often it takes a lot of time to figure out what it all means.

Hopefully, it is getting less difficult for adults and adult women in particular, to be evaluated for autism competently.

It took me longer to find a psychologist willing to diagnose an adult than it did to get the diagnosis. I looked for 6 months probably.

Congratulations both of you.

Its really weird when you first find out. I was expecting my assessment to go on for longer than it did so when my psychotherapist said "you're autistic" I was like....""what?".

Then she said; "100% autistic, absolutely no doubt in my mind".

I started to cry. Which was really weird. Happy tears, I was delighted, and the surprise of the statement caught me out in such a why that I just didn't know how to react. I'm not, generally speaking, emotional. Certainly not outwardly so. And I never. Never. Cry. It was like this massive relief inside me.

That was back in December last year, and it's taken this long for it to really sink in so don't be surprised if it feels odd for a while. For me, all of a sudden things made sense, in the present as well as all that happened in my past.

Reading these comments make me feel hopeful! I have an assessment scheduled fro April 9th and I'm really apprehensive about it. Anyways, congrats for finally getting a proper diagnosis!

Congratulations!