Assessment Results Are In! Spoiler: It's (apparently) Not Autism

[zozie]

It is more the case that most people on spectrum have difficulties 'at first' relating with metaphor or figures of speech, but once their contextual relationships have been explained or researched ~ metaphors can be used by some just as effectively as people not on the spectrum.

The more literal a person on the spectrum is though; the less inclined they may be to use metaphor or figures of speech.

I am though myself very literal in my primary interpretation of spoken and written statements, and have to interpret everything again through a subjective filter after having been objectively registered.

And just as Tom stated:


I am also often complimented regarding the metaphors I use and also the analogies I come up with, which in terms of being idiosyncratic were commented upon in my diagnostic report as being indicative of having ASD.

I think as such in respect of metaphors and figures of speech ~ that your assessor was using childhood diagnostic criteria rather than as such adult criteria, where social camouflaging and personal masking have to be considered in terms of socially fostered and personally adopted behaviourisms.

One autistic person for instance that I read about once in a social care paper could understand what to say, write and do to an extent with others ~ which involves understanding, but they had no comprehension at all of what was actually being meant, implied or anything. It was just a case for them that particular words and sentences went along with particular objects and courses of action, and they had just learnt to behave accordingly.

Another example of which was a person I actually met who had a photographic memory and could recount every verse in a particular bible. You just had to state any book and verse number and they would repeat it. When I am asked them questions about the bible verses themselves, it soon became apparent they did not have a clue about what any of them meant, and they had essentially been taken from one religious venue to the next very happily astounding people with their photographic memory. A prime example of Savant Syndrome.

Obviously these two examples are extremes of limited ability, but I have asked for explanations about metaphors so very many times, and more often than not had to research their specific etymological origins myself (much to my pleasure), as many just used metaphors on account of others having done so in similar situations before.

(If you have not already, maybe have a read of ~ Putting On My Best Normal: Social Camouflaging In Adults With Autism Spectrum Conditions)
.

A ND friend and I love to research the origins of figures of speech. And you're right, there's almost a pause in the current processing while one has to put the metaphoric language into a "translator box" while (at least for me) the picture undergoes a quick analysis and pattern comparison to the words its being used in relation to. I love language, and especially love the interplay between analysis and story (or, more lyrical words, at least). It enriches the entire idea and opens up avenues of exploration. A cheerful, brainy adventure, so long as one is not bogged down by others demanding instant understanding under the duress of noises and lights and eye contact and I really don't understand so can you please explain what you mean?

I definitely identify with being able to pick up on information but not contextualize it. I call it "not understanding people's motivations", which is often mistaken for mistrust. Which I think is a bit strange, since I feel mistrust is something I've had to learn as a protective mechanism when trying to explore a person's motivation. The pattern goes as follows:

I trust a person but don't understand them. I ask them to please explain their motives. They write me off as being mistrustful. The exchange ends with me feeling badly about myself and wondering what I did wrong. Repeat enough times and the mistrust becomes internal, and eventually, external, too. But it's not like I mistrusted them in the first place.

And I hope the feature of being able to absorb large amounts of information without being able to contextualize it becomes more well-known among the population at large. As understanding it for myself is a huge bonus personally, imagine what strides we could make if more people got it.

 

[Thinx]

It's been an interesting few days, I'll say that much. I've found this "proverbial alien" space in my mind, which I've used to connect with my body. The assessor was right about me being tense. After 3+ years of body-focused trauma therapy, then, the next step is to take that body to a place it feels it can move freely and then let it do so.

I cannot tell you how much better I feel just allowing myself to rock and sway. I've let go of diagnostic language at this point and just joke that I'm just landed on the wrong planet, but I hardly care about what doctors are going to say, because of how much more fluid I feel in comparison. My neck, in particular, which has always been a source of stiffness and pain, has loosened as I've allowed this sway/rock/loose neck sort of movement.

On the flip side, I did an experiment where I went again to my mental happy place and asked my body to stop swaying, just to see what would happen. I guessed that there'd be no change, but in fact, it felt like a fuse had been lit internally and that there was a bomb attached to it. May be a long fuse, but the bomb was most definitely there. What extremely valuable information! Merely keeping my body still is enough to set me on edge, and the bombs explode internally so no one sees.

I posit that this fuse-bomb cycle has been my previous baseline, and stepping out of that has been extraordinary.

Also, on the flip side, my ears are much more sensitive to contrasting noises. Multiple people talking, grocery store ambiance, etc. I suppose all of me is more sensitive, as I am relaxed enough to flinch at a smaller irritation, instead of flinch when I'm already inwardly clenched.

All of this may get put under the "pathological" and "it's all in your head" view of cognitive therapy, as it does assume, as state above, that neurotypical brains are what are being looked at. Which is really a shame because ND folks have thinking errors, too, such as a sense of worthlessness when they're not able to fit into a "normal" crowd. But the resolution is different. There's so much healing in accepting one's difference as nothing to be fixed. Not, for example, on accepting that one somehow consciously insists on being "broken".

In the end, I'm not sure I'll actually have to adhere to the recommendation of the assessor. If I'm in a therapy that works now (Internal Family Systems -- it's amazing), then my Voc Rehab counselor is going to find no reason to change.

And thank you, @Thinx , for the compliment about me being open to working on myself. It's true, and I do, and I'm happy that others see it.

Well I m not sure what body therapy you had, but Peter Levine and other trauma specialists recommend exactly what you are doing in letting your body do what it seems to want to. You can download his book 'Waking the tiger' free, Google to find the link. I mentioned this and a couple of other movement related brief trauma approaches on a recent thread @hatfullofrain posted.

Yes I would guess Internal Family Systems therapy would work well for many people, it's creative and allows the person concerned to use their own knowledge to assist themselves whereas cognitive based therapies delivered by people who dont understand or use an awareness of potential cognitive functioning differences is hit and miss at best.

When I self diagnosed as ASD1 I looked for movement related and creative therapies, for the above reasons, they just seem to work better than emotion based or even cognitive based therapies for me, though I have done a lot of cognitive therapy already and did make progress in a hit and miss way, and despite rather than because of some of the therapists.

Having said that, the ACT article I read and free downloads do look interesting, so may be worth a look, they're at Positivepsychology.com. I love useful free stuff!

 

[Thinx]

A ND friend and I love to research the origins of figures of speech. And you're right, there's almost a pause in the current processing while one has to put the metaphoric language into a "translator box" while (at least for me) the picture undergoes a quick analysis and pattern comparison to the words its being used in relation to. I love language, and especially love the interplay between analysis and story (or, more lyrical words, at least). It enriches the entire idea and opens up avenues of exploration. A cheerful, brainy adventure, so long as one is not bogged down by others demanding instant understanding under the duress of noises and lights and eye contact and I really don't understand so can you please explain what you mean?

I definitely identify with being able to pick up on information but not contextualize it. I call it "not understanding people's motivations", which is often mistaken for mistrust. Which I think is a bit strange, since I feel mistrust is something I've had to learn as a protective mechanism when trying to explore a person's motivation. The pattern goes as follows:

I trust a person but don't understand them. I ask them to please explain their motives. They write me off as being mistrustful. The exchange ends with me feeling badly about myself and wondering what I did wrong. Repeat enough times and the mistrust becomes internal, and eventually, external, too. But it's not like I mistrusted them in the first place.

And I hope the feature of being able to absorb large amounts of information without being able to contextualize it becomes more well-known among the population at large. As understanding it for myself is a huge bonus personally, imagine what strides we could make if more people got it.

Yes exactly, what you are calling motives I call agendas, and they are a noticeable difference between neurotypical and neurodiverse people in my experience. We tend to be more simple and direct, and I don't have agendas or see how one could have them, it's a mystery area, that seems to guide their communication, and is normal to NTs apparently . I would guess this relates to brain difference in structure and/ or function.

 

[SliverOfSand]

I’m a bit late to this, but ever since reading the comment the assessor made about figures of speech, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I do agree that some autistic people struggle with figures of speech (myself included). But I feel like people overlook the fact that we can learn what is meant by sayings.

For example, a few months back I was talking with a friend, and she used the term ‘watershed’. I was extremely confused, because I had never heard that term used before. I imagined an underwater storage shed, which made no sense in the context of the conversation. I was too embarrassed to ask what it meant, but I looked it up on the internet later, and now I know what it means.

I think that the problem is when we don’t know what the term means, and we interpret it literally before we understand it figuratively. Like ‘an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, I visualize an apple tree first, but I also know what it means figuratively because I learned what it means. I find it very unfair that the assessor generalizes that problem to ‘if you know what figures of speech mean, you can’t be autistic’. We can still learn things, that’s how we are able to mask and blend in before we even realize that we are autistic!

But on another note, I’m glad to hear that you are finding ways to cope and figure out things that work for you. Hopefully this process at least helped you in some way or another!

 

[zozie]

Well I m not sure what body therapy you had, but Peter Levine and other trauma specialists recommend exactly what you are doing in letting your body do what it seems to want to. You can download his book 'Waking the tiger'

Love Levine. I've read his work, and that is part of what got my mind going in the body direction, though not quite through a trauma lens. This time, anyway. In the summer of 2017 a friend of mine sent me The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk. That was the moment my life changed for the better. The two of us read "The Book" that summer and just had a mountain of revelations we could not stop talking about. After that, I started screening potential therapists based on whether they knew Van der Kolk or not. And, incidentally, that's when my life really started improving.

My friend, she found a therapist who does Jungian psychoanalysis and is making great strides, too, after a lot of "hit and miss" in the past.

Having said that, the ACT article I read and free downloads do look interesting, so may be worth a look, they're at Positivepsychology.com. I love useful free stuff!

Yes, it does look interesting. And I sort of do this kind of thing on my own. My only objection would be what the starting point is. "Are you broken and we need to fix you?" or "Are you actually not broken and we need to learn how to stop trying to fix you?" Aside from that, it's a more flexible approach than other cognitive therapies.

Update on the sensory processing eval. I did get a call from an OT who will draw up a sensory profile. She stressed that she is not diagnosing. I asked who did that, out of curiosity, and it turns out my assessor is the one who would be doing it. So I guess I have to wonder why my assessor would refer me to someone who is not trained to do a job she herself is trained to do. I don't want to be the sort of person to say "What tf is going on here", but honestly, I just don't get it.

I'll let the OT and the assessor argue over referrals and whatever. In the meantime, not heading into a grocery store or other public place without my headphones. And just sort of shake my head at the whole thing.

 

[zozie]

I think that the problem is when we don’t know what the term means, and we interpret it literally before we understand it figuratively. Like ‘an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’, I visualize an apple tree first, but I also know what it means figuratively because I learned what it means.

Yes! That's exactly how it is. An image first of the literal thing, and then the meaning learned after.

And I have indeed learned a great deal. Some of it is truly delightful, for those of you here who love language and absurdities.

Example: Did you know that there's a logical fallacy called the "Fallacy Fallacy"? This is often described in deductive reasoning as an argument that is valid but not sound.

A = B;
B = C;
Therefore A = C.

or

People with personality disorders do not accept that they have personality disorders;
You do not accept that you have a personality disorder;
Therefore, you have a personality disorder.

Sometimes A = C is both valid and sound. But not always. And deductive reasoning is structured to be ironclad, to speak to the "always". As such, when there are ways that
A =/= C, these must be explored and accounted for. Fallacies help us find the holes and to adjust the argument.

And philosophy aside, "Fallacy Fallacy" is just fun to say. It has made my day and I have already told everyone I know about this new delight, with mixed results.

 

[Gerontius]

I used metaphor, for example, and figures of speech, which autistic people apparently cannot do,

Is this for real?

I'm a novelist. These are parts of our stock in trade.

When did hyperliteralism become part of every single autistic person?

 

[zozie]

Is this for real?

As real as the completely patronizing advice to accept that my atypical childhood development was "an unknown" and that I could socialize quite well with effort -- so to please (*syrupy, sanctimonious voice*) face the emptiness inside and just love myself enough to face the truth.

5 days later, the whole thing feels like a bad tarot reading, lol.

Edit: I guess I have a bit of snark coming out.
Edit #2: When my snark comes out, that's my cue to take a breather. Not my best self, and not really how I feel overall. Going to take a break for a bit.

 

[Thinx]

As real as the completely patronizing advice to accept that my atypical childhood development was "an unknown" and that I could socialize quite well with effort -- so to please (*syrupy, sanctimonious voice*) face the emptiness inside and just love myself enough to face the truth.

5 days later, the whole thing feels like a bad tarot reading, lol.

Edit: I guess I have a bit of snark coming out.
Edit #2: When my snark comes out, that's my cue to take a breather. Not my best self, and not really how I feel overall. Going to take a break for a bit.

OK, but I m quite liking your snark, she's feisty!

 

[Gift2humanity]

Hi zozie
I hope you are happy with your results.
Of course it's nice that you stick around.

I use metaphor, I use a lot of analogies, yet I am Asperger's, so I disagree with this part of what your assessor says.
I never had trouble with figures of speech and I never take things literally.

Do any other people use metaphor and analogy, I use it a lot. It didn't come up in my assessment. Does this mean I am not autistic after all?

Sorry for derail.

 

[Progster]

Do any other people use metaphor and analogy, I use it a lot. It didn't come up in my assessment. Does this mean I am not autistic after all?

I think this 'symptom' mainly applies to children, perhaps children might have difficulty with metaphors, analogies and idioms, but so do some NTs.

I can use metaphors and understand analogies, or idioms once I have learned their meaning. I do often misread people, but that has nothing to do with metaphor, more to do with social communication and implied or hidden meaning. This is what autistic people, particularly adults, find difficult. I also don't always pick up on sarcasm, though I can use it.

 

[zozie]

Do any other people use metaphor and analogy, I use it a lot. It didn't come up in my assessment. Does this mean I am not autistic after all?

I think it means that this assessor is using a sort of "autism in its purest form" lens.

For inquiring (or simply curious) minds, here are some of the disqualifying observations in the assessor's written report.

"To meet criteria for ASD, individuals must demonstrate persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction including social- emotional reciprocity (i.e. abnormal speech approach and failure of normal back and forth conversation, reduced sharing of interests/emotions/affect, failure to initiate or respond to social interactions etc.). zozie struggled some with reciprocal conversation, but was able to maintain a conversation if it revolved around something she could continue speaking about it. Additionally, zozie also used several appropriate figures of speech throughout her evaluation. For example, she described her friend as having 'a loud bark and a little bite,' 'peas in a pod,' or 'we would "simp" over the Beetles[sic], as the kids say now-a-days.' This type of verbal communication skill is not typical of someone who has ASD."

So if I'm able to have a back and forth, however difficult, I am not autistic. Just self-centered, apparently. The metaphor issue has been addressed already earlier in this thread. Masking seems not to have been considered. Moving on:

"Individuals with ASD also demonstrate deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. zozie expressed a severe discomfort with and lack of understanding friendships, relationships, and people in general. However, she has developed and maintained one relationship for 8 years, speaks with her regularly, looks forward to annual visits with her, and also has two other friends she interacts with.
During a phone call before the assessment began, zozie also clarified that she had hoped comment she made did not come off as rude. This is not typical of someone who has ASD."

This disqualifies anybody on the spectrum who is married or in any type relationship at all that lasts longer than...what? What's the threshold here? And what, we are just jerks without realizing it? I mean, forever? Again, the masking seems overlooked, even though it's explicitly stated in the DSM-V.

And I think my favorite:

"In the domain of reciprocal social interaction, zozie demonstrated other difficulties. She did not engage in any eye contact for the duration of the assessment. In spite of this, she described a strong awareness to why she did not like eye contact and described it as invasive. This demonstrated a strong discomfort rather than an inability to make eye contact." (emphasis is mine)

Okay, what. I guess if I can do it but it hurts, then technically I'm not on the spectrum? And if I've got any semblance of self-awareness, well, f me. Guess I should be chronically obtuse and incurious. Also, how can another person decide if someone is incapable? My guess is that it's really the self-awareness that disqualified me. So I guess if you know why you don't like eye contact, it disqualifies you, too.

Finally:

"In the additional category of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors, zozie demonstrated some difficulties related to unusual sensory sensitivity to the lights and sounds within the building. Overall, the results of zozie’s ADOS-2 Module 4 indicated that she does meets several symptoms that are characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, these symptoms, paired with her early developmental history [which was atypical af], and other presenting concerns do not meet the threshold required for an autism diagnosis." (elaborating comments are mine)

So. These were the doctor's findings. You be the judge on whether they fit the criteria or not. I find I'm a bit shaky and keyed up after this post, so I going to take another moment.

 

[Finder]

I would go for a second opinion (you have all the symptoms of ASD, but not ASD?). But this time simply ask for an ASD assessment. It looks like your diagnostician does not understand that women are better at masking. BTW, the doc that gave me an ASD diagnosis this year knew I had been married since 1993.

 

[SDRSpark]

zozie struggled some with reciprocal conversation, but was able to maintain a conversation if it revolved around something she could continue speaking about it.

So, the ability to talk endlessly for days about our special interests (but nothing else) is a sign that we don't have autism? *cheeky grin*

Additionally, zozie also used several appropriate figures of speech throughout her evaluation. For example, she described her friend as having 'a loud bark and a little bite,' 'peas in a pod,' or 'we would "simp" over the Beetles[sic], as the kids say now-a-days.' This type of verbal communication skill is not typical of someone who has ASD."

Bull feces.

"Individuals with ASD also demonstrate deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. zozie expressed a severe discomfort with and lack of understanding friendships, relationships, and people in general. However, she has developed and maintained one relationship for 8 years, speaks with her regularly, looks forward to annual visits with her, and also has two other friends she interacts with.

Oh my gosh, you have one friend! How neurotypical of you! (extreme sarcasm here)

During a phone call before the assessment began, zozie also clarified that she had hoped comment she made did not come off as rude. This is not typical of someone who has ASD."

It's not like autistic people struggle with social anxiety or anything (oh wait, it's kind of our thing. That happens when you're the constant subject of abuse because you struggle with social norms.)

"In the domain of reciprocal social interaction, zozie demonstrated other difficulties. She did not engage in any eye contact for the duration of the assessment. In spite of this, she described a strong awareness to why she did not like eye contact and described it as invasive. This demonstrated a strong discomfort rather than an inability to make eye contact." (emphasis is mine)

HAHAHAHA what? What does she think happens if we make eye contact? Do we explode???

I hope you didn't pay for this assessment.

 

[zozie]

I would go for a second opinion (you have all the symptoms of ASD, but not ASD?). But this time simply ask for an ASD assessment. It looks like your diagnostician does not understand that women are better at masking. BTW, the doc that gave me an ASD diagnosis this year knew I had been married since 1993.

Unfortunately, an ASD-only assessment is not done here. ADHD assessments are done by themselves, but not ASD. I'm told it's part of a full neuro-psych profile to identify co-morbidities.

 

[zozie]

HAHAHAHA what? What does she think happens if we make eye contact? Do we explode???

This made me laugh out loud, which was a great way to come back from my walk where I was just angry at how dehumanizing some doctors are, and how robotic we're expected to be in order to pass their "tests". People like this do such a disservice to the neurodiverse community.

I hope you didn't pay for this assessment.

My insurance covered it. But I'll never get those 11 hours (yes, eleven) of my life back.

 

[Thinx]

Sounds like every thing you did was autistic, but you still didn't qualify as autistic. I don't believe many here on this site don't have one friend or some acquaintances, that's an unusually small number. And you failed to make eye contact throughout but still didn't qualify as someone who avoids eye contact... oooooeeeeoooo. I think she's taking the criteria to an extreme that would disqualify almost everyone with Aspergers. She's kind of obsessive about it. And, I bet she'd deny that, too. Does she have OCD personality disorder By Proxy perhaps!?!

 

[zozie]

Sounds like every thing you did was autistic, but you still didn't qualify as autistic. I don't believe many here on this site don't have one friend or some acquaintances, that's an unusually small number. And you failed to make eye contact throughout but still didn't qualify as someone who avoids eye contact... oooooeeeeoooo. I think she's taking the criteria to an extreme that would disqualify almost everyone with Aspergers. She's kind of obsessive about it. And, I bet she'd deny that, too. Does she have OCD personality disorder By Proxy perhaps!?!

Well, I think I've probably exhausted the topic, in any case. I suppose it could have been worse than a week's worth of very vocal processing on an online forum. Time to set the matter aside and move on.

Thank you all again for not calling me crazy and putting up with all the stuff that has really sucked about this whole thing. <3

 

[Deepthought]

I think it means that this assessor is using a sort of "autism in its purest form" lens.

For inquiring (or simply curious) minds, here are some of the disqualifying observations in the assessor's written report.

"To meet criteria for ASD, individuals must demonstrate persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction including social- emotional reciprocity (i.e. abnormal speech approach and failure of normal back and forth conversation, reduced sharing of interests/emotions/affect, failure to initiate or respond to social interactions etc.). zozie struggled some with reciprocal conversation, but was able to maintain a conversation if it revolved around something she could continue speaking about it. Additionally, zozie also used several appropriate figures of speech throughout her evaluation. For example, she described her friend as having 'a loud bark and a little bite,' 'peas in a pod,' or 'we would "simp" over the Beetles[sic], as the kids say now-a-days.' This type of verbal communication skill is not typical of someone who has ASD."

So if I'm able to have a back and forth, however difficult, I am not autistic. Just self-centered, apparently. The metaphor issue has been addressed already earlier in this thread. Masking seems not to have been considered. Moving on:

"Individuals with ASD also demonstrate deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. zozie expressed a severe discomfort with and lack of understanding friendships, relationships, and people in general. However, she has developed and maintained one relationship for 8 years, speaks with her regularly, looks forward to annual visits with her, and also has two other friends she interacts with.
During a phone call before the assessment began, zozie also clarified that she had hoped comment she made did not come off as rude. This is not typical of someone who has ASD."

This disqualifies anybody on the spectrum who is married or in any type relationship at all that lasts longer than...what? What's the threshold here? And what, we are just jerks without realizing it? I mean, forever? Again, the masking seems overlooked, even though it's explicitly stated in the DSM-V.

And I think my favorite:

"In the domain of reciprocal social interaction, zozie demonstrated other difficulties. She did not engage in any eye contact for the duration of the assessment. In spite of this, she described a strong awareness to why she did not like eye contact and described it as invasive. This demonstrated a strong discomfort rather than an inability to make eye contact." (emphasis is mine)

Okay, what. I guess if I can do it but it hurts, then technically I'm not on the spectrum? And if I've got any semblance of self-awareness, well, f me. Guess I should be chronically obtuse and incurious. Also, how can another person decide if someone is incapable? My guess is that it's really the self-awareness that disqualified me. So I guess if you know why you don't like eye contact, it disqualifies you, too.

Finally:

"In the additional category of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors, zozie demonstrated some difficulties related to unusual sensory sensitivity to the lights and sounds within the building. Overall, the results of zozie’s ADOS-2 Module 4 indicated that she does meets several symptoms that are characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, these symptoms, paired with her early developmental history [which was atypical af], and other presenting concerns do not meet the threshold required for an autism diagnosis." (elaborating comments are mine)

So. These were the doctor's findings. You be the judge on whether they fit the criteria or not. I find I'm a bit shaky and keyed up after this post, so I going to take another moment.

Well that doctor's assessment shows a rather blinkered and contradictory understanding of how the words "Autistic", "Spectrum" and "Disorder" are normally used together in the descriptive and diagnostic sense . . . Blimey!?!

What stunning examples of Orwellian "double-think" though? The report does very much win a 'how many autistic spectrum traits can be used to disprove autism [spectrum disorder]' competition.

According to the doctor in question, the following account from the Lancet medical journal on the Topic of "Autistic doctors; [being] overlooked assets to medicine" must not be correct on account of the subject matter and the following statement:

Lived experience commentary by Shirley Moore
I graduated from university with honours and prizes, yet 10 years later found myself dismissed from employment in the National Health Service following my long-term absence with depression and anxiety. I had no idea I was autistic. With increased understanding of my different thought processes and sensory sensitivities, it is clear now why I struggled as a foundation doctor and why these problems escalated as I progressed into speciality training, married, and had children, with the increasing requirement to multitask and adapt to unexpected change.
I always felt I was working far harder than my peers simply to keep afloat. I needed details and explanations that were unnecessary to others and took longer to become confident in procedures and my own abilities. I felt stupid. Appearing normal was exhausting, but I still felt like I was an outsider and did not fit in with peers and colleagues.
Discovering that there was a biological reason to why I was obviously intelligent but struggled with seemingly simple things finally helped me to understand, and accept, my differences. Receiving support specific to ASD and connecting with other autistic adults, including doctors, has helped me to reframe my experiences, increase my self-esteem, better manage my energy levels, and have the confidence to ask for necessary adjustments.
I am currently pursuing new avenues in psychotherapy, but, had my autism been understood and supported sooner, I believe a successful medical career would have been possible for me, as it is for others on the autistic spectrum.

According to doctor 'autism-is-not-a-spectrum-condition' ~ such professional social interactions and personal awareness accounts should not be possible. Nor of course then should videos like this:

 

[Pringles]

The doctor sounds outrageously patronising, ignorant and like she had made her mind up before you even had the assessment. I had a similar experience and was so angry and upset afterwards. Only you know what goes on in your brain, and that's the necessary information for a diagnosis, NOT what others perceive you to be. Autistic people struggle to express themselves in a way that normies can understand - it sounds like that's exactly what happened here, and she's wrong. Take care of yourself.