Why get autism diagnosis

[bethben]

I have a 13 year old of whom we are starting to suspect autism spectrum in social interaction but more importantly with emotions. Should I expend effort to get a diagnosis? What would be the point? We’re already working with a counselor to help him with the emotional piece.

 

 

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[Pawz4me]

Although I knew for pretty darn sure DS18 was on the spectrum from the time he was around three we didn't pursue a formal diagnosis until he was 17. He'd been having some significant anxiety issues for awhile, and even though we were addressing that with professionals I realized there might be things he'd need in college (like a private dorm room) that would require testing and a formal diagnosis. Knowing what was going on gave him a sense of relief, I think. Instead of just seeing himself as different he had a group of people he could identify with. That's not a small thing for a teenager.

[Plink]

Accommodations were the biggest reason for having our child diagnosed.  They have made participating in extra-curricular activities possible.  Just this weekend she was in a multi-state competition and was able to obtain a quiet area for her written test, a staff person to talk with her and make sure she understood what to expect since the schedule changed as each day progressed, and permission for a parent to bunk on-site.   

 

As Paws said, having words to express the emotions they are experiencing is also a huge advantage.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

We waited to get Ds' formal diagnosis at 16. We needed current evaluations for college accommodations and could not afford multiple evaluations. I was already fairly confident that he was on the spectrum. I was working already to address issues and didn't need the evaluations in order to do so. (Some might need them. I'm just talking about our situation. ).

 

Ds was helped by the diagnosis. He felt like it gave him answers on why he was the way he is. It has helped him to know that he's not alone and has provided a way to talk about certain issues openly.

 

 

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[8filltheheart]

Having an autism diagnosis opened up all sorts of resources for our ds as an adult.  The Dept of Rehab in the last 2 states we have lived in has had counselors dedicated specifically to helping autistic adults seeking employment.  

[City Mouse]

Having an autism diagnosis opened up all sorts of resources for our ds as an adult. The Dept of Rehab in the last 2 states we have lived in has had counselors dedicated specifically to helping autistic adults seeking employment.

Trtruthfully, the job thing has been my DDs biggest obstacle. She was not officiall diagnosed as AU until she was 21. She graduated from public high school and never needed any academic accommodations. She earned a scholarship to college based on her ACT test scores. She did great in any course she wanted to take, but not so good in courses she "had" to take but didn't want.

She does not interview well and comes off bossy and judgmental because she does not understand how her words and tone are perceived.

[shinyhappypeople]

Why? In addition to the reasons mentioned above: to make sure that it is​ autism and not another issue that may present some similar symptoms.  

[OneStepAtATime]

Trtruthfully, the job thing has been my DDs biggest obstacle. She was not officiall diagnosed as AU until she was 21. She graduated from public high school and never needed any academic accommodations. She earned a scholarship to college based on her ACT test scores. She did great in any course she wanted to take, but not so good in courses she "had" to take but didn't want.

She does not interview well and comes off bossy and judgmental because she does not understand how her words and tone are perceived.

That makes things hard.  Hugs.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

One of the best results of having my boys diagnosed was that I had a better understanding of what was going on with them, what I shouldn't be taking personally, and finally having accurate, appropriate expectations of them. It helped me be a better parent more than anything else.

[8filltheheart]

Trtruthfully, the job thing has been my DDs biggest obstacle. She was not officiall diagnosed as AU until she was 21. She graduated from public high school and never needed any academic accommodations. She earned a scholarship to college based on her ACT test scores. She did great in any course she wanted to take, but not so good in courses she "had" to take but didn't want.

She does not interview well and comes off bossy and judgmental because she does not understand how her words and tone are perceived.

Unfortunately, your post describes many of my ds's traits. He had a 3.8 GPA when we stopped paying for him to go to college. He only wanted to take the courses he wanted to take, not the ones that were required for a degree. He thought many of those courses were pointless, so why should he have to take them. That combined with his anxiety whenever assignments were more open-ended, it just became an uphill battle that we couldn't take anymore. (Though, now at 25, he regrets not finishing his degree. There is no simple solution to this at this point bc whenever we talk about careers it always goes back to him wanting to pursue a degree in a path that does not make him at all employable (art) and he doesn't have the self-discipline to follow through. (We lived in a town with one of the biggest art festivals in the country. We offered to rent him a booth for his artwork. He completed exactly zero pieces. He is talented, but he can't cope with the pressure of doing anything other than strictly for fun.)

 

Employment issues for him come from the unknowns. He stresses when he doesn't know what to anticipate. It has gotten to the point where even things like answering a phone are stressful if he doesn't know who is on the other end. Rote, low stress, fully in control of his surroundings.....that is the only type of job he can handle. And even then, a job coach went with him at first to constantly assure him that he was doing things well and help him anticipate what was expected. (A high IQ and being well-educated are not enough to compensate for his disabling issues.) His anxiety has only gotten worse as he has gotten older.

Edited October 6, 2017 by 8FillTheHeart

[PeterPan]

In the Social Thinking workshops I took they emphasized the long-term issues quite a bit. Homeschooling lets you customize so much that you're about to work around things that would be walls other places. It's easy to keep going in the bubble world of academics, when in reality the majority of what makes a person employable and what will determine your dc's ability to be employed and successfully navigate life will be SOCIAL SKILLS. But do we come on LC and go oh my lands, please please tell me how to work on social skills? Actually we do, because we ROCK here and we know and we're on it. 

 

But it's real. So the reason you get evals is to learn what you don't know, not to get patted on the back and be told you're doing a good job. You're already doing all you know how to do, but there is probably more you *could* do if you knew. And hindsight is a really un-fun way to know all that.

Edited October 6, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[bethben]

So, I guess I’ll plow ahead and try to find a provider. I have a list. I just have to call all these people...sigh...Ds seems to do fine in a classroom setting. He will raise his hand and interact with peers during snack time. I can up this once a week classroom time to 2-4 times per week. Ds doesn’t want it because being around people all day exhausts him. His dream job is to run a factory manned by robots in the middle of the Amazon. It hasn’t been until recently that he has shown more quirky behaviors hence not getting a diagnosis before now.

 

 

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[PeterPan]

Socialthinking - Clinical Training  If you found somebody to do this eval, it's pretty amazing. An SLP or behaviorist who specializes in Social Thinking could give you a lot of help. It sounds like you have a collaborative relationship right now, which really helps. I wouldn't turn it adversarial by forcing more time in the classroom, because frankly just being in with people is NOT the most effective way to build those skills. He would accomplish more working with a trained therapist and then going to classes just once or twice a week to practice.

 

Our behaviorist is very cautious and points out that alone time is the REWARD for working so hard and being together. It's definitely not necessary to swing hard the other way. You can get some counsel on that from someone who actual does Social Thinking. 

 

Think in terms of team and building a team of support. 

Edited October 6, 2017 by OhElizabeth