I’ve been wondering for quite a while if I have autism or not as I seem to hit a lot of the commonly reported symptoms and experiences. I recently tried some of the self-tests out there, including the ones on Embrace Autism, and yeah, I hit every single one I tried for mild to even moderate autism. Scored 49 on the rbq-2a for example.
Now, I know that none of those tests are conclusive and I could easily be a false positive, so I’m not directly claiming I have autism. But I’m thinking the next step is probably to talk to my primary care doctor, but to be honest I’m really hesitant to/don’t completely trust the mental health system in Canada. Genuinely asking because I don’t really have anyone in my personal life who has similar experiences or I think would understand: what do people here think about getting a formal diagnosis? Is it always something one should pursue if they suspect they’re on the spectrum? Are there any major drawbacks? I’m especially concerned about it affecting my career prospects (which already aren’t great tbh, my fault for getting a science degree in an already niche field which I deeply regret but that’s a different story) or my ability to take out loans or rent an apartment by myself. I don’t personally see my autism (if I have it) as a disability, but unfortunately in Canada it is still very much seen as such. Who am I required to disclose an autism diagnosis if I am diagnosed?
I’m really sorry if any of this comes off as insensitive. I have never really participated in the autism online community and I am in no way trying to put down people with autism, I’m honestly just kind of scared about what this means for me. Anyone else in a similar situation, or were in a similar situation? Care to share your experiences or have any advice?
I’ve learned I’ll be getting mine in October after being on the list for 2 years.
Since I see a lot of non Candains here I’ll explain what the process was for me in Ontario.
I asked my doctor for a formal diagnosis. Since I’m around Toronto I had to apply via the mental health system there (CMHA). Alternatively I’d have to pay $5k.
A few months after applying they called asking for my elementary school transcripts and the number of a parent or guardian. I am well into my 30s. So the transcript isn’t really possible. And my my mother whould be the best bet as witness to my childhood.
They called back 6 months later asking if I was still interested I said yes.
One year later another call asking for transcripts and again I tell them i cant actually get those.
Now almost 2 years later I got a calling saying the assessment is in October. It’s going to be 5 hours long and they want my mother for the first hour of it.
I should point out my mother has had some extreme trauma over the past 4 or 5 years wich affected her memory. I’m also 1 of 4 kids so she confuses us often.
It’s a frustrating situation because I need to be assessed based on my childhood development and I seem to be the only one who remembers any of that. I grew up in a tiny village out in the middle of Mennonite territory so my school had no internet. All the records where on paper and lost ages ago.
In terms of why I am doing this. What the benefit is? I’m pretty successful career wise and training up for a management role. I have a lot of quirks that I worry will interfere with that ambition. Knowing the specifics of my atypical neurology may help me identify and mitigate these quirks. It may also help when asking my insurance for things like extra therapy budget.
I also think it will help as I get older. Some of these quirks are getting worse as well as my stress levels and anxiety. I know there are some things about autism that get worse with age I’ll need to be aware of.
The fact that they are basing it so much on early childhood makes me question what kind of benefit they can even offer adults with autism. They don’t even know that to look for without going way back, so what advice can they even offer? Telling your mother how to structure your day?
They might be trying to ensure that the symptoms were not a result of prolonged childhood trauma, so they might ask about very early developmental signs.
Hmm yeah, that’s a good point, my assumption about why they wanted to know wasn’t really fair.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!