[DazedandConfused254]

It's taken a lot for me to come out of my 3 year absence from MSF, but this upcoming psychological test in May has me freaking out and I didn't know where else to go.

My new doc wants to screen for autism, as I disclosed autistic traits I knew I had when I was younger. I was delayed in acquiring language, had sensory processing difficulties, and needing help with tasks like tying my shoes. I was diagnosed as borderline autistic around age 3, because my symptoms were numerous but not enough to be considered truly autistic.

My primary concerns for the last 10ish years have included issues like anxiety, OCD, depression, and sleep problems. I am not happy with this new doc suggesting an autism test because I don't want to be stigmatized in every aspect of life from now on and she will just get hung up over my autistic traits and refuse to focus on anything else. Plus, I have had to take 2 tests (RAADS and Clark Beck's OCD Inventory), with 3-4 more assessments on the way. I am beyond overwhelmed and I wish I did not pursue psychotherapy in the first place.

The autism test has me worried sick since I am fearing that she will use every little quirk and social communication oddity to label me autistic. I am seeking advice and opinions from those who have tested for autism so I can know what to expect. Can someone describe to me what testing for autism is like? Please help!

Why are you doing the tests if you don't want to? Don't engage with them.

[LonesomeTonight]

I agree that you can decline to take the tests.

To answer your question, my only knowledge of autism testing is how they did it for my then-3-year-old daughter, so I'm sure it's different for adults. I mean, if you really don't want the diagnosis, you could probably opt to throw the test, like I imagine some questions should be obvious in whether they're screening for autism (like, "I have trouble reading others' emotions"). So you could answer them dishonestly, I suppose.

[DazedandConfused254]

Thank you all so much for answering so far!

To answer the first question about why I was doing tests, it's because it seems like I'm giving into the pressure from my doctor and my parents. My parents have said stuff about "the doc just wants to do a thorough screening" and "you'll be wasting the doc's time if you decline tests/not seek her opinion". My parents are usually supportive but it seems like until reaching out on MSF, I've felt alone in my feelings to decline tests.

And as for LonesomeTonight, I took the RAADS test for autistic behaviors with my parents' help to give informed answers based off current and past behaviors. But all of us honestly agreed that except for a few traits (nervousness in social situations, not knowing what people expect of me, speaking with hesitation), the characteristics that the test was screening for did not apply to me, particularly today. I ran my RAADS results on the Embrace Autism site, and I scored lower on autistic traits than the average, even for typical people. I'm still worried about the final diagnosis later in May, but I also think I can answer like a typical person and not worry about lying or not.

P.S. I love old music, so I also dig the user name LonesomeTonight!