Community help for Autism Referral

bluefox

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has self-referred themselves for autism. My psychiatrist is encouraging me to do an assessment but I need help with the form. I’m not sure what examples to include.  

Issues in communication (please include examples)

Issues with social interaction (please include examples)

Need for routines/resistance to change (please include examples)

Restricted and/or intense interests (please include examples)

Sensory issues (please include examples)

Other relevant information:

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @bluefox

I've just found your post and saw it wasn't answered, I'm sorry. Hopefully my comment can bump your post and someone advise.

I did some research and found on the NHS website that you could talk to your GP. Do you think they could be of help with this for you at all?  

bluefox

My local mental health team helped me with this in the end, which was great because I had help from a former autism assessor who has clinical suspicion that I am too. Which may add weight for the autism service. 

Alex_Alumni

Ah that's good to hear @bluefox you'll have to let us know how things go with the referral, it sounds like you've got the right support  

L_Volunteer

How are you feeling about everything at the moment @bluefox? I am sorry none of us were able to reply to you and support you with this sooner.

Please don't hesitate to let us know how it goes and if you need any further support with this. I am a fellow autistic myself 

bluefox

Hi L_volunteer

My mental health team provided me with a psychosocial needs despite no diagnosis. 

The lady said I don’t have anxiety, I have autism. How true is this? Is severe anxiety part of autism?

Also, one of my friends said it’s not possible to be autistic and be misusing alcohol. Thing is, I was using it as medication to meet strangers, new situations, to fit in. 

I’ve recently been told my mental health team that people can have Autism and substance abuse. 

I feel really validated but I am still unsure whether I have autism or autistic traits. The lady from the mental health team was a former autism assessor and she said it’s highly likely I’ll get a diagnosis. 

anisty

Hiya, i am not autistic myself but my son is so I can hazard a guess at the kinds of examples they might be expecting:

Issues is communication: first of all think about how able you are to follow what other people are saying. Do you struggle if someone speaks quickly? What about when you are in a group of other people? Can you keep up with the conversation? Or do you find it overwhelming and zone out. Does the environment make a difference? 

Then think about when you are speaking. In a group, are you able to take a turn in the conversation or do you find it difficult to know when to chip in?

Are you able to switch topics and do surface level chat about the weather etc or do you tend to go right in depth onto the subjects you enjoy talking about?

Do you feel included in a group conversation or can you only really manage to talk to one person alone? Is there normal turn taking or is the chat unbalanced either with you talking continously or the other person needing to lead the conversation.


Social interaction. Issues with anxiety would come into this - think about areas that are tricky like speaking on the phone, how do you deal with invites out to the pub, can you go into busy areas. If you work, can you go into the staff room?  Can you make and keep friends? Difficulties with romantic relationships could be included here too.


Need for routine, resistance to change.


Do you find you like to be 'in control' of situations and it really throws you off balance when things can't go your way? For example, if a friend pops round out if the blue are you happy to see them or do you need to have things planned to time?

Do you feel irritated and edgy when appointment times are late or what you had planned for that day has to be cancelled?

Do you prefer to have set activities and routines each week and can change cause real anxiety or are you ok with change?

Restricted/intense interests. Have you a hobby that takes up all your time? You are very knowledgable about it? You research and collect things to do with your hobby almost obsessively? You talk about it to others to the point they get bored?  Has anyone told you to stop going on and on about something?


Sensory issues include things like finding scratchy labels on clothes unbearable, not being able to eat an apple because you cant stand the sound of it in your mouth, being overwhelmed by loud noises. Not being able to shower or bathe because you cant bear the feel of water on your skin. Are there smells that you just cannot tolerate.



Hope that gives some pointers!

bluefox

That’s wonderful thanks

L_Volunteer

Hey @bluefox. How are you feeling about all of this at the moment and especially the thought of having an autism assessment?

I will do my best to address your questions in turn but please recognise I am only one autistic person and autism varies widely. Severe anxiety isn’t innately part of autism. However, anxiety does overlap with autism – a lot of autistic people also have anxiety.

I will challenge the misconception that it is not possible to be autistic and misuse alcohol. Whilst I do not have personal experience with this, autistic people can also mask/cope in a variety of ways (which might incorporate misusing alcohol). Therefore, I would have to support your mental health team’s view on this.

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you would like to discuss any of this further or if there’s anything else we can do to support you through this 

Also, thank you @anisty for taking the time to share your son's experience. I am sure your son's experience will be invaluable for anyone experiencing anything similar. I will highlight though that males and females experience autism differently and autism can present as polar opposites in different people! For example, with sensory input, other autistic people seek as much as they can possibly receive 

anisty

Thanks @L_Volunteer yes, those were just a few examples i thought of off the top of my head.

The apple one actually comes from my eldest daughter! I have 5 kids altogether - only my son is disabled by his autism. The others have what i term 'autistic traits'  which probably isn't even the right term but they are cognitively able and can make their own way in the world. None of them are party people and my eldest daughter (she's 29) can't eat apples due to the sound! I only just found this out.

My eldest son never liked scratchy labels and had to wear joggers. He has the poorest eye contact too.

Middle son is my disabled one.

Youngest son has social anxiety and thinks he has adhd but im not so sure about his self diagnosis there! 

Youngest daughter she took a couple of years to find her feet in high school and has thrown herself into drama and her love of horses, thereby avoiding the party/vaping/boys and make up crowd.


Ironically, i was a real party girl as a teenager and met my hubby at a party! We were always at parties and pubs but now we have kids that hate all that. Though our eldest son is partial to a few drinks in Wetherspoons🤣


Regarding the sensory input, my middle son was one to seek out as much as possible - especially rolling around on carpets! When he was young, he used to rub his forehead on carpets and get a friction burn!

And he does like a heavy coat. Even in summer!

L_Volunteer

Oh, good old Wetherspoons @anisty - I prefer the cheaper food than the drinks though! Thank you for sharing your experience with us