Up at about 7.30 as Ruth usually leaves the house at about 8, I had a shower and some cereal and we went. Ruth dropped me off very near Ealing Broadway and continued off to work.
I went to Oxford Circus, changed trains and went south to Brixton, which is only a short walk from Denmark Hill, along Cold Harbour Lane. Ruth had photocopied a page in her London map book so I knew where to go, and by 10am I was at the Maudsley.
I waited an hour, reading my NewScientist, and at 11 was collected by a woman who spent the next hour explaining what the day would contain, and doing some rather odd tests and questions and exercises in order to start assessing me. She asked a colleague in to observe and help her with the assessment. The exercises included going through a children's picture book and explaining what I thought was happening, and making up a story using 5 random objects pulled out of a bag, a task I found quite difficult. But she also asked lots of questions about my childhood, friendships, how I'd describe various feelings like happiness, etc etc, so it was quite an intense hour.
Then I had a two-hour session with a Dutch Doctor who did the clinical assessment, about my health and development and lots more. I was invited to explain why I thought I'd had ADHD and subsequently been identifying with some aspects of Aspergers Syndrome.
That finished at 3pm and I went for lunch just down the road, having a plate of very yummy chick-pea stew and rice, and got back to the Hospital for 4pm, as agreed, where I was seen by the whole team including the Consultant. He asked a few more questions and referred to his diagnostic manual a few times, and then asked if I'd have 5 minutes in another room whilst they had a talk, and when I was brought back in, he explained their decision.
It is clear that I did have ADHD as a child, but at that time it wasn't named and I was just regarded as a bit odd, naughty, disruptive and 'bright but lazy'. However, possibly due to growing out of it and/or all the self-development work I've done, I do not exhibit so many of the symptoms or diagnostic features now to be classed as having ADHD. There is a big overlap between ADHD behaviours and some Autistic traits. I do have some of the 'typically autistic' traits, but again, not enough of them to be 'labelled' with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or 'High Functioning Autism', known as Aspergers. So I don't fit any diagnostic criteria, which the Doctor described as 'good news'. There was some discussion as to where I might go from now, what I could do about continuing to improve my behaviour, and I will explore those. The medics will interview my mother when she returns from holiday, just to try to find out some more about my behaviour as a child, and I'l be sent their report in February.
I left feeling quite down as I really wanted to put my diagnosis 'in a box', labelled, so I felt I knew what I was and why I behave as I do, and had a clear way forward with definite outcomes. But as my unique mental set-up doesn't fit any one set of criteria and therefore isn't 'nameable', I feel a bit 'in limbo' or in no mans land. I sadly walked back the mile or so to Brixton and went right up to King's Cross, where I wandered round pretty aimlessly for a few hours waiting for my 10pm train. At 8.30 I waited at where the track-side pub used to be (shut for refurbishment) for a possible meeting with Diana from FlipSide Vision, but she'd been at an AGM and didn't turn up. So at 9.30 I went to the main hall and chatted to people whilst waiting for the platform to be displayed.
The train was lovely and warm and my fellow passengers were friendly and jolly.
Back into York just after 12.30, home just before 1am, really glad to see Gill.
Showing posts with label Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Show all posts
An early start as two gigs today, the first in Starbeck near Harrogate. But over breakfast, had a game of chess with my nearly-10 year old, I beat him, as usual, but he took it well and it was a good start to the day.
Got to the station in good time to get the 9.10 to Harrogate and was met in Starbeck by one of the playscheme workers and was soon at Fairfax Community Centre for several hours of fun fun fun!
I was warned that the playscheme had three lads with autism spectrum disorder, one of whom would be disruptive and quite a handful. I told them I was ok with this and had got lots of experience of 'difference'!
So then the kids started arriving and the most lively 'lad' came in and came straight for me, in my colourful costume and silly hat, and sort of 'bounced' off me, without touching me, but it was if he'd been repelled by a magnetic repulsion or elastic or something, quite spectacular. I didn't notice the others come in, as they were much less of a 'personality'. The first 'lad' was a handful, he was noisy and zoomed around and interfered with the equipment and his carer, who's been with him for 4 years, was very good and kept him occupied as well as he could. The second boy with autism was quiet and gentle, his minder had an easier job, but the child needed to be restrained quite often from fiddling with stuff and doing inappropriate things, the other one needed almost no 'care' at all, as he just went aroung doing his own thing, not interacting with anyone or anything much, sometimes having a little play with the feathers or taking an interest in the diabolos the others were playing with.
So I did a one hour show and workshop, then a workshop, then lunch, then workshop whilst I prepared for the balloon show, which was from 1.15 ish to 1.50, when I shoved everything into the car and was driven back to the station and I got the 2.06 train back to York, a fast cycle back home, change of tee-shirt and off again to Dalton Terrace for a 6 year-old's party, arrived just in time, did my one hour show then whilst they ate tea, I blew up balloons and then we did the balloon workshop, loads of fun! Finished soon after 6pm and came home feeling brilliant!
I had the remains of the nutloaf for tea, plus an out of date 'organic pot rice' thingy, which was destined for composting, but thought I'd try it out. I've never had a pot noodle or any similar thing, so this was a first. It was ok. Fresh-cooked rice is better.
Then I did a bit of compost management in the dusk, came in for 9 and had a bottle of Kopparberg pear cider, yum.
Got an email from Community Care inviting me to submit another column which could be put in instead of my already written one on 'sustainable communities', they'd like me to write about the Heathrow protestors, the Camp for Climate Action. To be published on 30th of August... I might be able to, will need to think about it overnight.
Got to the station in good time to get the 9.10 to Harrogate and was met in Starbeck by one of the playscheme workers and was soon at Fairfax Community Centre for several hours of fun fun fun!
I was warned that the playscheme had three lads with autism spectrum disorder, one of whom would be disruptive and quite a handful. I told them I was ok with this and had got lots of experience of 'difference'!
So then the kids started arriving and the most lively 'lad' came in and came straight for me, in my colourful costume and silly hat, and sort of 'bounced' off me, without touching me, but it was if he'd been repelled by a magnetic repulsion or elastic or something, quite spectacular. I didn't notice the others come in, as they were much less of a 'personality'. The first 'lad' was a handful, he was noisy and zoomed around and interfered with the equipment and his carer, who's been with him for 4 years, was very good and kept him occupied as well as he could. The second boy with autism was quiet and gentle, his minder had an easier job, but the child needed to be restrained quite often from fiddling with stuff and doing inappropriate things, the other one needed almost no 'care' at all, as he just went aroung doing his own thing, not interacting with anyone or anything much, sometimes having a little play with the feathers or taking an interest in the diabolos the others were playing with.
So I did a one hour show and workshop, then a workshop, then lunch, then workshop whilst I prepared for the balloon show, which was from 1.15 ish to 1.50, when I shoved everything into the car and was driven back to the station and I got the 2.06 train back to York, a fast cycle back home, change of tee-shirt and off again to Dalton Terrace for a 6 year-old's party, arrived just in time, did my one hour show then whilst they ate tea, I blew up balloons and then we did the balloon workshop, loads of fun! Finished soon after 6pm and came home feeling brilliant!
I had the remains of the nutloaf for tea, plus an out of date 'organic pot rice' thingy, which was destined for composting, but thought I'd try it out. I've never had a pot noodle or any similar thing, so this was a first. It was ok. Fresh-cooked rice is better.
Then I did a bit of compost management in the dusk, came in for 9 and had a bottle of Kopparberg pear cider, yum.
Got an email from Community Care inviting me to submit another column which could be put in instead of my already written one on 'sustainable communities', they'd like me to write about the Heathrow protestors, the Camp for Climate Action. To be published on 30th of August... I might be able to, will need to think about it overnight.
