allan619
Well-Known Member
So I just got home from having my diagnostic assessment (NHS Scotland). I have to say my expectations were not particularly high given the fact that I was told that it would only last 90 minutes. The person giving me the assessment asked very basic questions about my childhood nothing that seemed pertinent to autism.
I don't want to sound arrogant, but he really didn't seem to be in control of the interview, he seemed nervous, he stumbled over his words. He kept over explaining how the assessment should work and kept talking about "corroborative evidence". When I pointed out to him, what I thought was obvious, that I was here alone and hadn't brought anybody with me to corroborate my experiences, he just ignored it and continued with the assessment. If corroborative evidence is so important why did he continue, why not end the assessment their. At the end of the assessment he said it was a mistake for me to come alone and I should have brought my mum with me. The letter and info pack that they sent me said it was important to have someone else there but if they couldn’t make it then the assessment would still go ahead. But it seems that from what he told me that it is impossible to make a diagnosis if you attend alone.
It was a good 30 minutes into the assessment before he actually asked anything of substance, he also wasted time getting details like my mum and dads name and ages, my sisters ages, what they did for a living and whether they were married and had kids. I wouldn't have minded these questions but we only had 90 minutes.
When he finally did get started he asked questions like "What was an average day in primary school like?" It was at this point that I told him that I had a very poor memory and struggled to recall that far back. A classic Asppy sign I thought, apparently not, according to him Asppies having short term memory problems is a myth. We spoke a little about my family after I told him that I could see traits in my mums side of the family, he only wanted to talk about my mum though, nobody else, I think he was unconvinced. We spoke about hobbies a little. He also seemed unconvinced. I got the distinct feeling that he was looking for a stereotypical, Sheldon Cooper, Asspy. Im 34, if I have ASD, it's not going to be obvious.
As we got toward the end of the assessment he told me that because I have such a poor recollection of my childhood that he could not give me a diagnosis either way. He essentially cancelled the assessment and referred me back to my GP to have some sort of memory test. What frustrates me the most is that I have been writing down my experiences and memories ever since I first suspected I was on the spectrum and brought it all with me, nearly 10000 words. He read it all but after he read it we didn’t really discuss anything that I had written about. I just tried to answer his silly basic questions. After he realised I had a poor memory he just wouldn’t let it go.
I waited 9 months for this test, I don't think I'll be going back.
I don't want to sound arrogant, but he really didn't seem to be in control of the interview, he seemed nervous, he stumbled over his words. He kept over explaining how the assessment should work and kept talking about "corroborative evidence". When I pointed out to him, what I thought was obvious, that I was here alone and hadn't brought anybody with me to corroborate my experiences, he just ignored it and continued with the assessment. If corroborative evidence is so important why did he continue, why not end the assessment their. At the end of the assessment he said it was a mistake for me to come alone and I should have brought my mum with me. The letter and info pack that they sent me said it was important to have someone else there but if they couldn’t make it then the assessment would still go ahead. But it seems that from what he told me that it is impossible to make a diagnosis if you attend alone.
It was a good 30 minutes into the assessment before he actually asked anything of substance, he also wasted time getting details like my mum and dads name and ages, my sisters ages, what they did for a living and whether they were married and had kids. I wouldn't have minded these questions but we only had 90 minutes.
When he finally did get started he asked questions like "What was an average day in primary school like?" It was at this point that I told him that I had a very poor memory and struggled to recall that far back. A classic Asppy sign I thought, apparently not, according to him Asppies having short term memory problems is a myth. We spoke a little about my family after I told him that I could see traits in my mums side of the family, he only wanted to talk about my mum though, nobody else, I think he was unconvinced. We spoke about hobbies a little. He also seemed unconvinced. I got the distinct feeling that he was looking for a stereotypical, Sheldon Cooper, Asspy. Im 34, if I have ASD, it's not going to be obvious.
As we got toward the end of the assessment he told me that because I have such a poor recollection of my childhood that he could not give me a diagnosis either way. He essentially cancelled the assessment and referred me back to my GP to have some sort of memory test. What frustrates me the most is that I have been writing down my experiences and memories ever since I first suspected I was on the spectrum and brought it all with me, nearly 10000 words. He read it all but after he read it we didn’t really discuss anything that I had written about. I just tried to answer his silly basic questions. After he realised I had a poor memory he just wouldn’t let it go.
I waited 9 months for this test, I don't think I'll be going back.