This may apply more to those of us living in the UK, but it may apply elsewhere as well depending on what is available in ones country and how autism is percieved, and I am also concentrating more on the ones who have gone through their lives without even realizing they could be onthe spectrum, and have been struggling through...
(I hit a few hard hitting burnouts later in life so is another reason for getting an assessment as if one knows one is autistically minded in character, one can then at least avoid overdoing the stressful situations in life that can lead to breakdowns or serious burnouts that can take years to recover from... So this is probably the main incentive. To avoid one being hit hard mentally later in life, as when one is young, one can cope with more... (When one gets older one can look back with more experience... So there is that, but when young, one is a little more able to hit life full on and bend rather than break... Though I certainly remember some horrible experiences from the past!)
But there is another side to this also on a personal level. Is the "Back of the mind" think where one can have the "What if I am autistic?" and that alone can drive one into a fair few years of inner turmoil! One would rather be assessed there and then when one finds out that one could be, then have years of waiting involved like I had. .. (Four and a half year wait. I actually went to see my doctor to ask and I expected a yes or a no answer there and then and though she actually did not think I was on the spectrum "Because you don't get meltdowns" (I described a sutdown before I knew they were called shutdowns and she did not seem to know what it was and looking back I have experienced meltdowns but thankfully for me they are pretty rare as they almost always go into shutdowns instead... (Meltdowns are a long slow process of pressure build up like a volcano inside for me. Rare! Shutdowns can happen quicker in my own personal experience, though every one is different and some lucky few on the spectrum experience neither, so they are not in themselves a criteria for diagnosing autism, but can be a very strong clue!) Now if one is assessed and found not to be on the spectrum, and the results make sense (If not, ask to clarify things as if one is on or off the spectrum one wants to understand it as one ideally needs it to make sense so one can understand where one is)... And if one is not on the spectrum then the assessment has NEVER been a waste of time because one is still learning about oneself, which can only be a good thing. And it does not mean life is easy BUT one will have learned a lot which is a step forward as one can then ask (If one has been through a mentally tough time) "Was it some sort of breakdown" etc... It does not matter if we are NT or ND, what matters is that we are happy and if we are suffering, we can have a little support if we need it, as we all need that! Even a hug and a helping hand, we can then replenish ourselves and get ready to launch ourselves back into life, or take a break from life if we need to etc! (Why I ALWAYS say to those in a stressful job to make sure to have good use of holidays and breaks to refresh! Change of scenery can make a lot of difference for some! (For others, just the break out of the stress is enough. But we do need these breaks to recharge! Whether extroverted so a change of scenery bringing a noisy break, or introverted where one needs some "Me" time, take those breaks!
And here is the third reason why it is a good idea to go for an assessment. If one is on the spectrum and finds life tough, one can get some support.
For me it is the little things that help. I have a lovely Mother. I help her and she helps me. While technically we may manage on our own, in reality both of us would be too much in the deep end and we would both deteriate.
Now I did reach a point where I needed that extra help. And though I don't think I need a lot, just having someone there to go as an inbetween on the rare occasions is such a blessing! I don't think the North Wales Autism team realize how much of a blessing they have been in the little things! Is the knowing I have someone to turn to who can talk to someone else to get the little helps I need that make such a difference!
I am one who struggled in life trying my very best to stay independent. I never knew I was on the spectrum! But when things came crashing down when I reached the point when I could no longer struggle, and I really was about to give up on life. (I was so run down and weak at the same time when mentally hit that dieing would have not taken much effort! If one reaches that stage GET HELP! Yes, I know what it is like when one does not even know who to ask or what to say or how to describe... BUT DON'T GIVE UP. ASK FOR HELP!).
To add to this, I can give an anology that stayed with me for years. In my younger years (Think I was 19 or 21?) I spent several months on the Princes' Trust volunteers course. I never met our prince, who is now our king, and I am glad for the experience of the course, I do remember one experience that stayed with me. Rock climbing. We also absailed back down again, all done with extra safety ropes with the course leaders there to ensure all was safe... Now we were watching each person climb this steep rock face to get to the top. Most seemed to get half way and follow a nice thin ridge that looked like an ideal place to run ones hands to help us climb, and I noticed others who went before me were heading right following this ridge but the few who did came back to the middle point and took a different route. Not sure why as from on the ground looking up, it looked do-able from down there!
Anyway. It was my turn, so I followed this ridge which was at an angle so I was heading right and up at the same time.
When I got to the furthest bit rignt as far as one could follow this little convenient ridge I looked up to find a new hand hole or something I could cling onto, and there was nothing within reach. Just dead smooth rock! Yet about a foot higher than I could reach was a place I could hold, and if I could reach that place, from there up looked easy (And it was). So instead of retreating back to the middle and climbing up to the right which I didn't want to do as being a cyclist, I had really heavy strong legs, but skinny arms... So my arms were running out of strength to give!
So I looked up to the guys taking the course and I asked "Can you pull me up a bit please so I can reach the next bit I can hold onto?" and thankfully they did!
I was then able to complete the climb and then do the absail back down, which did involve a scary moment when due to one not wanting to lean back meant that my feet gave way and twisted me rightround to see how high I was! BUT apart from that littls mistake (Along with the fear of getting over the edge at the top while absailing down...) the rest was fine, as once I did lean back and trust the rope, so I could get a nice angle to the rock for stability as I absailed down, I was starting to enjoy it! (It is scary and I have only done it the once on that rock face selected for beginners like us...)
BUT it taught me something about life!
Sometimes, we can reach the point in life, that no matter how hard we try to be independent, we may need a little help. It may not be for long, and it may require just the right person who is an expert in their field, but with that hand up, we can make it!
And who knows! We may be able to help others ourselves even if it is to point where to ask for help!
So yes! Having an assessment is a good idea.
There are one or two negatives if young, such as if I was diagnosed as a child as thinbs were back then in those days, I would never have had the schooling I had and gone on to some of the things I have achieved... (Yes, school and college were the most stressful times of the first half of my life, and NO WAY would I want to go through that again despits some lovely teachers and some kind pupils). But I will say that I am certain I would have never have got to work in my dream job in the past had I been diagnosed early in life.
For me, to even ask for an assessment was such a big step on many levels. It was when I was in a desparate state. I knew if I was diagnosed, that even if I fully 100% recovered from the past mental crashes and was ready to return to a well paid profession (One I don't think I could hope to do today as I write as minor things can cause me stress)... But I knew this route would mean I could not go back... As the railways ask if one is autistic. So I doubt they employ if one is? (And in those days I talked to my doctor as I never knew what the shutdowns were and a question was about black outs, and my doctor talked me through it saying they were not black outs and were not fainting etc. He said "It is 'some sort' of allergy". (I spent the next decade and a half or more desparately tryingto find out what I was allergict to! Was shutdowns, but I didn't know that).
(I hit a few hard hitting burnouts later in life so is another reason for getting an assessment as if one knows one is autistically minded in character, one can then at least avoid overdoing the stressful situations in life that can lead to breakdowns or serious burnouts that can take years to recover from... So this is probably the main incentive. To avoid one being hit hard mentally later in life, as when one is young, one can cope with more... (When one gets older one can look back with more experience... So there is that, but when young, one is a little more able to hit life full on and bend rather than break... Though I certainly remember some horrible experiences from the past!)
But there is another side to this also on a personal level. Is the "Back of the mind" think where one can have the "What if I am autistic?" and that alone can drive one into a fair few years of inner turmoil! One would rather be assessed there and then when one finds out that one could be, then have years of waiting involved like I had. .. (Four and a half year wait. I actually went to see my doctor to ask and I expected a yes or a no answer there and then and though she actually did not think I was on the spectrum "Because you don't get meltdowns" (I described a sutdown before I knew they were called shutdowns and she did not seem to know what it was and looking back I have experienced meltdowns but thankfully for me they are pretty rare as they almost always go into shutdowns instead... (Meltdowns are a long slow process of pressure build up like a volcano inside for me. Rare! Shutdowns can happen quicker in my own personal experience, though every one is different and some lucky few on the spectrum experience neither, so they are not in themselves a criteria for diagnosing autism, but can be a very strong clue!) Now if one is assessed and found not to be on the spectrum, and the results make sense (If not, ask to clarify things as if one is on or off the spectrum one wants to understand it as one ideally needs it to make sense so one can understand where one is)... And if one is not on the spectrum then the assessment has NEVER been a waste of time because one is still learning about oneself, which can only be a good thing. And it does not mean life is easy BUT one will have learned a lot which is a step forward as one can then ask (If one has been through a mentally tough time) "Was it some sort of breakdown" etc... It does not matter if we are NT or ND, what matters is that we are happy and if we are suffering, we can have a little support if we need it, as we all need that! Even a hug and a helping hand, we can then replenish ourselves and get ready to launch ourselves back into life, or take a break from life if we need to etc! (Why I ALWAYS say to those in a stressful job to make sure to have good use of holidays and breaks to refresh! Change of scenery can make a lot of difference for some! (For others, just the break out of the stress is enough. But we do need these breaks to recharge! Whether extroverted so a change of scenery bringing a noisy break, or introverted where one needs some "Me" time, take those breaks!
And here is the third reason why it is a good idea to go for an assessment. If one is on the spectrum and finds life tough, one can get some support.
For me it is the little things that help. I have a lovely Mother. I help her and she helps me. While technically we may manage on our own, in reality both of us would be too much in the deep end and we would both deteriate.
Now I did reach a point where I needed that extra help. And though I don't think I need a lot, just having someone there to go as an inbetween on the rare occasions is such a blessing! I don't think the North Wales Autism team realize how much of a blessing they have been in the little things! Is the knowing I have someone to turn to who can talk to someone else to get the little helps I need that make such a difference!
I am one who struggled in life trying my very best to stay independent. I never knew I was on the spectrum! But when things came crashing down when I reached the point when I could no longer struggle, and I really was about to give up on life. (I was so run down and weak at the same time when mentally hit that dieing would have not taken much effort! If one reaches that stage GET HELP! Yes, I know what it is like when one does not even know who to ask or what to say or how to describe... BUT DON'T GIVE UP. ASK FOR HELP!).
To add to this, I can give an anology that stayed with me for years. In my younger years (Think I was 19 or 21?) I spent several months on the Princes' Trust volunteers course. I never met our prince, who is now our king, and I am glad for the experience of the course, I do remember one experience that stayed with me. Rock climbing. We also absailed back down again, all done with extra safety ropes with the course leaders there to ensure all was safe... Now we were watching each person climb this steep rock face to get to the top. Most seemed to get half way and follow a nice thin ridge that looked like an ideal place to run ones hands to help us climb, and I noticed others who went before me were heading right following this ridge but the few who did came back to the middle point and took a different route. Not sure why as from on the ground looking up, it looked do-able from down there!
Anyway. It was my turn, so I followed this ridge which was at an angle so I was heading right and up at the same time.
When I got to the furthest bit rignt as far as one could follow this little convenient ridge I looked up to find a new hand hole or something I could cling onto, and there was nothing within reach. Just dead smooth rock! Yet about a foot higher than I could reach was a place I could hold, and if I could reach that place, from there up looked easy (And it was). So instead of retreating back to the middle and climbing up to the right which I didn't want to do as being a cyclist, I had really heavy strong legs, but skinny arms... So my arms were running out of strength to give!
So I looked up to the guys taking the course and I asked "Can you pull me up a bit please so I can reach the next bit I can hold onto?" and thankfully they did!
I was then able to complete the climb and then do the absail back down, which did involve a scary moment when due to one not wanting to lean back meant that my feet gave way and twisted me rightround to see how high I was! BUT apart from that littls mistake (Along with the fear of getting over the edge at the top while absailing down...) the rest was fine, as once I did lean back and trust the rope, so I could get a nice angle to the rock for stability as I absailed down, I was starting to enjoy it! (It is scary and I have only done it the once on that rock face selected for beginners like us...)
BUT it taught me something about life!
Sometimes, we can reach the point in life, that no matter how hard we try to be independent, we may need a little help. It may not be for long, and it may require just the right person who is an expert in their field, but with that hand up, we can make it!
And who knows! We may be able to help others ourselves even if it is to point where to ask for help!
So yes! Having an assessment is a good idea.
There are one or two negatives if young, such as if I was diagnosed as a child as thinbs were back then in those days, I would never have had the schooling I had and gone on to some of the things I have achieved... (Yes, school and college were the most stressful times of the first half of my life, and NO WAY would I want to go through that again despits some lovely teachers and some kind pupils). But I will say that I am certain I would have never have got to work in my dream job in the past had I been diagnosed early in life.
For me, to even ask for an assessment was such a big step on many levels. It was when I was in a desparate state. I knew if I was diagnosed, that even if I fully 100% recovered from the past mental crashes and was ready to return to a well paid profession (One I don't think I could hope to do today as I write as minor things can cause me stress)... But I knew this route would mean I could not go back... As the railways ask if one is autistic. So I doubt they employ if one is? (And in those days I talked to my doctor as I never knew what the shutdowns were and a question was about black outs, and my doctor talked me through it saying they were not black outs and were not fainting etc. He said "It is 'some sort' of allergy". (I spent the next decade and a half or more desparately tryingto find out what I was allergict to! Was shutdowns, but I didn't know that).
