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Aspergers / High functioning autism assessment

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Lorien:
Has anyone got any experience of an adult aspergers / High functioning autism assessment.  I'm trying to decide if this is something I am OK with being referred for. Any idea of what it entails would be really helpful.  I've read through the local pathway information - bit it refers to interviews and questionnaires that are not accessible online.

I know a lot about assessment for children with profound learning disabilities,  but next to nothing about mainstream adult assessment.

princess890:
Lorien, I am also in a similar position to you as I am also trying to find a doctor that specialises in autism for myself

Lorien:
Your gp and other services should be able to find one. The Therapist I've seen for ages has suggested it so I I don't have to find someone because she already knows how to do that. But I'd like to know about it more than I do before I decide.  But it feels like I'm on a bit of a ticking clock because I won't see the Therapist after December. 

Gerard:
I was assessed by a clinical psychologist over 10 years ago, in my early 20s. Will post more later. Many GPs or frontline staff will probably draw a blank if you mention adults and ASD due to a lack of knowledge.

Gerard:
Couple of things.

1) I was assessed privately, this can be expensive. My first assessment was with my therapist at that time and the clinical psychologist.
2) My second was with my parents and the clinical psychologist. Are your parents alive? You will need them to provide your childhood history - anything about your language, speech at a young age, what you were like in school, how you related to peers, if you had friends, etc, etc. Ideally, this should be done in person rather than you giving it second hand to the psych, via your parents.
3) This is an area where some snake oil salesmen operate, unfortunately. You need to find a good practitioner/diagnostician. They should be adhering to best practice guidelines.
4) The assessment can be intense and draining. Take some time for yourself afterwards.
5) Tests and assessment tools are generally not available online as they cost a bit for the psych to use/source. iirc, the Autism Spectrum Quotient was one used in my case, I'll have to revisit my report to check.
6) There is a public perception that the issue is massively over-diagnosed (ADHD has the same negative image), but this claim OTT. It is harder for women and girls to get diagnosed due to the lack of awareness at the clinical level and because their presentations can differ from men and boys.

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