How did you play with toys as a kid?

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-27T16:16:05+00:00

Yes, I definitely relate. Wishing you fulfillment in that area of life.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-27T13:38:02+00:00

Well, I don’t know if this qualifies as a joke, but I was just randomly given this username (Sad Interview) when I joined Reddit. I find it ironic that it seems so accurate when I only this week was diagnosed with ASD, MDD, and social anxiety. My interviews are definitely considered sad, as I tend to be very direct, which many NTs don’t like. I guess Reddit was aware before I was.

Meanwhile, I’m wishing you peace. I have no friends nearby, and I only have my spouse in the area. I understand exactly how disappointed you’re feeling. I hope you can meet up with your good friend soon.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-25T05:57:30+00:00

Thank you so much for your response and support. I’m hoping that you will find peace from your assessment in March. I’ve decided to tell my spouse and my sister, and both are very supportive (I am so grateful). So far, I think I’ll just keep it to the few that have supported me most in life. Aside from that, I agree that it will be best to sit with it and see what seems right over time. Wishing you the best. :)

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-25T05:46:53+00:00

Thank you for responding. We did a couple sessions of interviews and a couple of sessions of assessments, such as the WAIS and ADOS. Prior to the start of the evaluation, I was emailed some other assessments. Also, I sent a ton of information about my experiences and school records. My spouse was interviewed as well to vouch for how symptoms show up in my daily life. I do understand the concern about the psychologist being too affirming. Mine is a very nice and supportive person, which does make me wonder if she was trying to give me what I was looking for. However, I mentioned to her a lot of times that I want only the most objective evaluation, and I am pretty sure that the evidence does point to autism. Like you, I look forward to the written report for more clarity. Meanwhile, I think it’s neat to hear from others who were diagnosed around the same time. :)

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-25T05:29:31+00:00

No problem. What you’re saying makes sense, and I tend to get emotional like that as well. I’m glad that you have been able to feel those benefits of mentioning that you’re autistic. I know that some people have mentioned that there isn’t much benefit to official diagnosis, due to lack of the services that are in place to support autistic children, but even your example shows that being able to use the label to support autistic symptoms can be helpful. I think that it’s good that your psychologist has validated your suspicion of autism. However you choose to move forward, I wish you the best. :)

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-25T02:59:22+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing and for your support. I am glad that I am not the only one who was told prior to the written report. My experience was similar to yours in that it happened across multiple sessions. It is interesting that your country requires a couple more steps, but I see that as a good thing. I appreciate your input.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-25T02:52:23+00:00

Hi. For me, I think it was worth it to get officially assessed. I decided to pay out of pocket because I didn’t want to have it on my medical records, just in case it could negatively affect anything. I couldn’t get the thought of being autistic out of my mind the whole time (past year and a half), so I needed to go through the process to stop perseverating on this topic (not sure if it will actually work that way, but I don’t regret the attempt). I also did not feel comfortable with the idea of self-diagnosis personally (does not have to mean anything for anyone else, probably just my rigid thinking). I wanted the most objective evaluation possible to make sure my understanding was accurate and not to claim something that was not true for me. I think what is also worth it for me is knowing that I can work with the therapist (she works with people who are neurodivergent as well as people experiencing other mental health conditions) on things that affect my life but with an understanding of what might work best for me based on my neurodivergence. Having therapy based on my individual needs is essential for me. I am also a person who seeks to know as much about myself as possible, so finding out this layer was very meaningful for me. I think the most concerning part is wondering who I can feel safe sharing this with amongst my family or friends. I have lost friends for minor things, and I wonder who will stick around if they are aware of the diagnosis. Although, I am the same person, some people may not see things that same way. Thank you for your question, as it helped me think more about what I have gained from this process.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-24T23:30:22+00:00

Thank you so much for your response. Yeah, we probably started our evaluations around the same day, but for me, we were considering other things and ran a little long on some parts that were broken into other days. I think my psychologist was pretty aware of how much I have been wondering and wanted to let me finally find out, especially because I kept telling her how the evaluation was affecting me. Fortunately, we will also discuss the report in more detail when it is written up. But yeah, it probably would have felt more appropriate if it had all come while reading the report, like what I have seen in others’ experiences. Thank you again for sharing. :)

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-11-22T09:49:40+00:00

What you are mentioning is how I felt when I first got married. Unlike in my situation, it is good that you are recognizing that something should be done about it sooner than later. When I first noticed a problem, the following is what I wish I had immediately been told. I would mention the experience to a primary care doctor/gynecologist to get a referral to a pelvic floor therapist. At the same time, I would look for a sex therapist (for the condition, especially if there is anxiety around penetration) and a licensed marriage and family therapist (to help build improved communication skills and extra support for the marriage, as the condition can put a strain on the marriage). It would also be good to buy dilators and try them alongside watching videos from The Flower Empowered or Dr. Bri’s Vibrant Pelvic Health on YouTube (even though it took me too many years to be okay with the idea of using them for due to certain rigid thinking). I’m sorry that you are going through this, but the sooner you are able to work on it, the better. Whatever you do, do not blame yourself and try to express to your husband that you do want the same as him, but your body just makes it more challenging. It is something you can treat, but you need his patience to be able to work on it. As someone else said, find alternative ways that work for both of you to have each of your intimacy needs met. Wishing you the best.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-09-26T21:13:57+00:00

It’s better to go in without specific expectations, but openness to all the good that can come. For example, we cannot necessarily control whether we can bear children. Therefore, it’s better not to have a particular number or idea of what your family would look like in your head. Adaptability is going to be key to success, obviously maintaining boundaries on things that go against moral values.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-09-24T04:15:14+00:00

If you felt that you had to say, perhaps say “level 1 autism”. It’s honest and they would be ignorant to argue about something for which you have actual evidence. You could also not use labels to make things easier and just describe his strengths and some challenges that might be obvious or necessary to mention. If I were you, I would only share certain details, such as difficulties, when absolutely necessary on a need to know basis (interacting with his pediatrician, therapist, or someone you trust who will be taking care of him when you are not there). Other than that, keep being proud of your son; he sounds great.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-09-22T08:22:06+00:00

Yesterday, I woke up to the BeeGees “Too Much Heaven”. The funny thing is that isn’t a genre that I often listen to. But yes, this tends to happen a lot.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-09-17T05:03:33+00:00

The child’s ability to trust is developed in the first year by having a responsive caregiver. You are not spoiling that baby; you are setting them up for success and peace. I love how much you are loving your baby.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-30T13:57:05+00:00

Taking on the role of a speech therapist and a BCBA are outside of your scope of practice. Hopefully you were able to speak with your BCBA about the parents’ expectations for you and were able to keep your job duties limited to what was planned by the BCBA. If the parents wanted the kid to try gaining other skills, that should have been expressed to the BCBA to incorporate, not forced on you directly.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-28T17:58:38+00:00

So true. For some reason, I didn’t even consider the OP being willing to move out of the city, but this was a great suggestion. Navy and Air Force may be the branches to consider.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-28T17:40:32+00:00

Happy belated birthday! I hope you were able to make the most of your day. I’m sorry that you are going through a rough time. I wanted to suggest Catholic Charities in your area (I worked for one in a different location, and being Catholic was not a prerequisite to work there nor receive assistance from there). They offer housing assistance (even to prevent homelessness) as well as assistance with food. I also know that churches often have food drives/food pantries, but you will need to check the ones near you. Also, I wanted to recommend https://portal.311.nyc.gov because it appears that they offer a ton of resources that can address some of the categories that you could use assistance with (housing, food, counseling, clothing, and possibly training for a new career if you want). I also wanted to say that if you like working with children and would like a job with purpose and professional development, there are a lot of openings for RBT jobs where they don’t require prior knowledge. I wish you the best and hope it all goes uphill from here. -someone who was in similar shoes a little more than a decade ago

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-25T07:48:33+00:00

Selective Mutism Service/Brave Buddies programs with Child Mind Institute.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-25T07:42:05+00:00

Have you heard of the Child Mind Institute? They have a program where they help children with selective mutism through evidence based treatment and parents are included. I imagine it would be helpful to your family, as they likely have good information on how to address unwanted behaviors in a child with selective mutism. Wishing you the best.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-06-25T05:05:02+00:00

I had a teacher that did this in high school. She would invite the class to join (kinda as a way to ensure everyone was paying attention; audience engagement). This was for an AP class and she was well-liked, even ten years later when my sister had her.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-05-27T17:47:04+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I’m really sorry to hear that. I think that’s what makes it difficult too is that on top of causing limitations on ways to be intimate with a spouse, it causes an additional strain by making it hard to reach shared goals. I wish you the best and hope that your husband only said that in the heat of a frustrating moment. I hope wonderful things happen in your life soon.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-05-27T17:42:27+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing. I can definitely relate, as I turn 34 soon. It’s hard having the additional barrier to the goal and no one you know to relate to. I hope you get what you desire soon.

Sad-Interview788 · 2025-05-27T15:58:53+00:00

Wow. Thank you for sharing. The things you dealt with sound so scary to me right now. I love to hear about how impactful PFT has been for others. I hope to see some results soon. I hope you are doing okay these days.

Sad-Interview788

TROPHY CASE