I Believe I May Have Autism. Should I Get Evaulated?
Sorry that this post is long, but I feel some explanation is helpful.
Hey, I am a 21 (soon to be 22) year old female. Ever since grade school, I’ve thought that I might be on the autism spectrum. I’ve had a friend since kindergarten who is autistic, and I always related to him more than the other kids did. As he did, I had sensitivity to certain sounds, got overwhelmed when around lots of people, struggled with social situations, had trouble handling my emotions, and would have meltdowns regularly. I still have these issues, though some of them to a lesser extent, but this has caused me to develop anxiety and difficulty in handling stress. Plus, it can just be difficult to think like normal people in everyday life. I had a job at a gas station (my first real job, this past October/November) but quit after only eight days because I just couldn’t integrate myself into the work environment, and didn’t see it happening if I worked there longer. Basically, this has affected my ability to work, and the most schooling I’ve been able to do up to this point is community college, since the thought of university overwhelms me. I still live with my parents, which is okay, and I have a good support system here and I love them, but I want to be able to start a life of my own, like being able to work and drive to places. I can drive, but not in big cities, interstates, etc, only in rural areas/small towns/some highways. Since I feel so strongly that I may have autism, I want to go get evaluated to know for sure (I don’t want to stick with being “self-diagnosed”; I want to confirm whether I have it or not so if I need assistance, then I'll have access to it.). I’m sure I would be considered very high functioning, but I don’t think it should be any less important. This is very important to me, as I feel if I get properly diagnosed, I can possibly get help with life skills and with employment and try to start my own life. Where should I start? What should I do?
I’m not going to be specific about where I am, but I am in the United States.
@Aja20 It sounds like you have answered the should you get diagnosed part yourself already, you have listed a number of reasons as to why you think it would be beneficial.
As to how, I don't have experience. Here I would start with my family doctor, as a lot of the assessments require a referral to access, but I am not in the US.
Support Plus has autism as a topic, you may get more responses there if you ask people about how to be evaluated.