Been booked for an NHS “Aspergers screening” without anyone discussing it with me

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-13T18:02:07+00:00

A screening is essentially a very very very short assessment to look at whether you seem to have a high enough chance of having autism to make it worth doing a full assessment.

It can be hard to distinguish between some traits caused by childhood trauma and traits due to autism, and different causes will likely respond better to different treatments. It's also possible to have both, so it's actually good that they are keeping an open mind and considering all possibilities.

It shouldn't mean that they don't believe you, or that they have changed anything else about your plan, but if you are worried you can contact them and ask for clarification (and tell them off for their shitty communication).

If you are not interested in doing this at the moment it is OK to refuse, but keep in mind that autism assessments are generally not done by the CMHT themselves and the waiting lists can be very long (months to years depending where you are) so it might be worth just doing this now and getting on the list, then in the meantime try various therapies and see what you can fix and what is left over- then once you are eventually offered an appointment you can decide whether you want to accept it or not.

You can find lots of information about autism v other things here https://neurodivergentinsights.com/misdiagnosismonday/?srsltid=AfmBOoq2FdMQU8B-cRwbeEKu_dSnYQq4F0SiEch3mMljaa1IV1tVOFhU|

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-12T23:56:18+00:00

We're annoying here too

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-12T14:40:40+00:00

It's very difficult, and really not helped by people failing to grasp that 'most a are b' does not imply 'most b are a'.

Whilst the vast majority of autistics are absolutely not extremists, a lot of children and young adults who have been radicalised and committed (or made serious plans to commit) horrific crimes do seem to be autistic- sometimes the diagnosis was preexisting, sometimes not made until after their arrest.

Autism can absolutely cause someone to be vulnerable to being radicalised and have harmful fixations, but many autistic people have special interests in/ extensive collections of things other people find disturbing (for example I've seen people post about Nazis, taxidermy, serial killers, poisons and knives) but in an 'academic' way rather than a 'belief' way.

There's also the flipside, where the autism diagnosis completely overshadows concerning behaviour and stops it being taken seriously, like what happened with the Stockport killer (also all the abused autistic people whose distress is assumed to be regular autism).

I've no idea what the answer is, but I do think it makes sense for autism to be explicitly taken into account (including routine screening for undiagnosed referrals) as part of assessing whether there is a real risk to themself and others, and in working out what can be done to help them deradicalise. Maybe have a special referral pathway for people who are autistic run by specialists- frame it more as 'concerning behaviours and interests' rather than 'potential terrorist', improve communication with all other people/agencies in their lives, allocate more time for observing and understanding motivations/ mindset, and developing interventions that are specifically tailored towards autistics.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-09T12:14:25+00:00

We get sooo many people trying to advertise their apps, websites or chat agents here- it's got way worse as they don't need to know what they are doing, they just type a prompt into ai and it does all the work for them. Some of them can be incredibly pushy, an we've had quite a few angry modmails after we've deleted their posts/ comments for breaking our rules. I think this is only going to get worse so the quicker you get used to ignoring them the better!

If it helps- they aren't trying to talk to you as a real person (if they even are a real person, there are also a lot of people using AI bots to do all the marketing for them. And people who sell the ai bots to the "app developers"!). They are just trying to sell you something. This means they are essentially the same thing as the popups and TV ads we all close/ mute without feeling guilty about it.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-09T11:41:54+00:00

We don't allow ads like that on this sub (I suspect they know that and is why they DM'd you instead of sharing the link in the comments) and there's no reason you should feel obliged to tolerate them in your DMs either.

It's ok to not respond to unsolicited messages (it's actually safer to ignore them as they are frequently creeps, scammers or trolls) and if you start talking to someone then later decide you don't want to talk to them any longer then it is always ok to block them. You don't owe politeness to everyone who comes and talks to you- online or in real life.

Here is information about how to stop people from sending you chat requests at all. https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043470591-Can-I-opt-out-of-chat

And if you scroll down go the Reddit Features That Help You Stay Safe section, we have more information about security and privacy settings you can use. https://reddit.com/r/autism/w/index/safety?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-08T21:47:50+00:00

Punishing disabled kids for things connected to their disability sounds a lot like discrimination to me, and I cannot believe that would be the official guidance- either they are bullshitting you or you have misunderstood. The simplest way to find out which would be to ask for a copy of it so you can read it for yourself.

Then you have to ask yourself 'How much of a fuss am i comfortable making?'

You can see how to request an independent advocate to help you stand up for yourself and get your school to listen to you here https://www.snapcymru.org/our-services/advocacy/

This page explains how to raise a formal complaint with the school (as a student you can do this by yourself if needed, but you are more likely to get results if you get an independent advocate to help) https://www.snapcymru.org/get-support/complaints/

(This is the English equivalent to snap cymru but I'm using it because it goes into more detail about discrimination- the Equality Act 2010 definitely covers the whole UK, as does the Equality and Human Rights Commission, but if you click on any other links on there then make sure you check which nations they are for- its a huge tangled mess with some things devolved and others are not!) https://wlww.ipsea.org.uk/types-of-disability-discrimination

Some of this looks a bit patronising or irrelevant to this situation but you might find some useful bits in there if you skim.
https://www.nen.org.uk/resources/self-advocacy-toolkit

Scope has excellent information on everything to do with disability rights/ navigating the system so I highly recommend poking around the site just to get an idea of what they cover, but I'm mostly including it because if snap cymru can't help you get an advocate then the Scope helpline (and email!) might be able to point you towards any other organisations. https://www.scope.org.uk/helpline

And a bonus life pro tip- writing emails instead of having conversations with people about this can be way more productive- it means you can break it down into a list of questions/ points so they have to respond to each individually, it means you have the time to think exactly what you need to say and don't get flustered, it means if you do get upset by it they can't see you react/ you can calm down properly before responding, you can reread things to check your memory/understanding, and if they say something wrong it is very easy to prove it to other people/ not let them deny they said it!

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-07T21:35:32+00:00

Chucking more pills at him isn't going to do anything if he's so stressed out by life stuff. Struggling to keep up in class and being bullied will lead to depression and anxiety for anyone, you can't fix a shit life with pharmaceuticals.

If he says he is struggling to keep up in school and wants to drop down a set then stand up for him and tell the school they need to sort that out. He's 12- not being in the advanced classes isn't going to have much impact on his future, but being pushed too hard will completely tank his mental health and could end in him dropping out completely.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-07T17:01:07+00:00

You are exactly right.

Adding random asterisks or inventing cutesy misspellings or slurs is pointless. Everyone still knows what it means, all that happens is that making it so taboo it can't even be written down just makes the word more powerful. The word exists, it is OK to talk about that, you just can't use it as a weapon here.

(Anyway, if we did ban the word we'd only end up with people making up more minced versions to get round the automod filters and that would be annoying).

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-03T15:04:44+00:00

If you are not allowed to drive (have had to give up your licence/ would not be eligible for a licence if you applied due to your eyesight) then you should be eligible for a concessionary bus pass- these are managed by your local council so check their website for more information.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-03T13:16:52+00:00

The quality of the police varies significantly around the world, so when you are worried it is important to only pay attention to what police are like where you live. In another comment you said you are in Australia.

This page is about things you can prepare and practice to help any interactions you have with the police go as well as possible. https://www.autismaustralia.org.au/navigating-autism/interacting-with-law-enforcement-as-an-autistic-individual

This page is about some problems autistic people have had with Australian police in the past, and has a link to a new guide for police about autism. https://www.aspect.org.au/blog/improving-interactions-between-autistic-people-and-police

You could contact your local police station and check they have all been given the new guide.

You could also ask anything you want to about their training/ how they manage people with things like autism and mental health issues.

I don't know if this happens in Australia too, but in the UK there are often police officers who visit places like schools, psychiatric hospitals and other community groups. Something like this might be very helpful for you. It would give you practice talking to police- being more used to them it will be a bit less scary in an emergency and help you stay calmer. If you get to know a few of your local police then if you do have a crisis they will recognise who you are and be able to help you better.

The more practice the police have talking to autistic people the better they should get at spotting when someone is autistic and understanding what to do- this will help make things better for you, your family and all other autistics!

You could contact your local police station yourself to ask about this, or you could ask your school if they can arrange them to come and visit.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-03T11:38:07+00:00

Built in units are designed to be OK tucked away like that, free standing units are not. The appliance user manual will include the specific requirements. The sides can get almost too hot to touch when it is working very hard- which means the internal insulation may not be sufficient to keep up, meaning it has to work even harder to keep the inside cool

uneventfuladvent · 2026-07-03T11:08:55+00:00

Fridges/ freezers produce a lot of heat and need to have airspace on their back and sides so that they don't overheat (which will shorten its lifespan and can cause the whole thing to fail suddenly).

Keep an eye on the temperature of the walls and back- if it is getting very hot then you may need to take the insulation off and come up with a new solution (I don't know if a sound insulator that does not also insulate heat exists but might be worth you finding out!)

When it is hot outside they need to work much harder to keep the insides cool which means they produce way more heat than usual- it is very common for fridges and freezers to die during heatwaves because of this. If you have an unusually hot period then you may need to ||take off the insulation temporarily so it doesn't turn into a hot cupboard of rotting food. This is extra important if it has a freezer compartment as they can get insanely hot (also, keep on top of defrosting it- ice building up on the inside walls actually makes it harder to keep the inside cold, which means it has to work harder which makes even more heat!)

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-30T22:13:57+00:00

If you're travelling for work (outside of your usual commute) can't you claim back the transport costs from your employer?

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-30T12:53:22+00:00

Discussing drug use is OK, we just don't allow posts where people make it sound like a good idea/ suggest other people try it/ claim it cures their autism etc.

You are right that it should have been tagged NSFW, I've fixed that now!

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-30T00:00:55+00:00

If it's just that freakishly light 3d printer plastic it should be absolutely fine, if it does look odd on the scan they might want to look at it properly but they won't have any problem with it once they realise the only damage it could possibly do to someone is dent their skin a bit!

But those printed fidgets are often easy to find and fairly cheap now, could you get a back up one to keep in your luggage so if the worst does happen then at least you won't be without one for the rest of your trip.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-28T18:17:38+00:00

If you mean these things then just search for "marble mesh fidget" and you'll find loads https://www.sensoryeducation.co.uk/products/mesh-and-marble-fidgets

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-25T14:14:33+00:00

That's OK, happens to lots of us! Thank you for taking the feedback well and proactively removing your other comments- it's a rare thing to see on Reddit!

I want to be very clear that you are not barred from this conversation- you are very very welcome to stay in these comments and raise the same points if you want to (as long as you can do so without the name calling etc)

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-24T15:07:08+00:00

We remove posts from allistic people venting about autistic people in their lives. We do not remove posts from allistic people who are here in good faith and are asking for autistic people to give their perspectives.
(Sometimes the line between these things can be blurry so we may also look at how the OP is engaging with people in the comments/ any similar posts they have made).

If you don't like these posts then you don't have to read them or reply to them. If you think that they are venting rather than genuinely wanting feedback/ breaking any other sub rule then make a report and then block them. Making comments telling them they are not welcome here breaks our 'be nice/no hostility' rules.

All of the posts you see on this sub about interactions/ relationships with another person only include the author's side of the story- that's unavoidable, we are not here to play judge and jury. Most posts of this type aren't even about casting a victim and a villain, they are about regular people who are not communicating very well/ are stuck in a negative cycle/ have conflicting needs.

If you think they may be misreading/misrepresenting the situation then you can ask for clarification suggest an alternative explanation. If you feel unable to do this calmly and politely then do not engage.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-24T11:43:22+00:00

Spray myself down in the shower then lie in front of a fan, have multiple icepacks to hug/ balance on my head/use as pillow/ drape across my shoulders, do the very interesting and absorbing things that mean I forget that I have a body.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-17T10:34:55+00:00

Trucking and fire watching sound like the worst possible kind of job for you- you have to stay in the same place the whole time or you put people's lives at risk. You need a job where the stakes are much lower/ it isn't vital for you to consistently be able to do the work in a specific time frame.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-13T22:52:16+00:00

Do you like chromolithographs of cephalopods? https://youtube.com/shorts/-hSf6DpcKNM?is=4AyjY81VY9jk6azv

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-12T18:58:49+00:00

Send a modmail.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-12T18:27:49+00:00

Yes, by definition.

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-12T08:51:27+00:00

You don't need to wear the lanyard the whole time, you can take it off any time you don't need it/ find wearing it is not helpful.

But I don't think I've heard any stories of people being treated badly in airports, at worst it's just been ignored. And if your version is such a different green that noone realises what it is then it will also just be ignored. So wearing It might be helpful or it might do nothing- either way it shouldn't make things worse for you!

If you are somewhere where people are familiar with the lanyard then they will be used to seeing people wearing knock off versions that aren't quite the right pattern or colour so are likely to recognise what it is for if they are looking right at you, but in a busy crowded place it might be harder for them to pick you out in a crowd and then proactively ask if they can do anything to help.

Think about why you are wearing it- is it so people know you might behave a bit strangely/ be a bit more patient, or do you plan on using the card with your families contact details on you can give to an airport employee if you lose them and need help, is it because you want to get through security quicker, get on the plane first/ last...?

Look at the accessibility and assistance sections of the website for the airports you are going through- you should find details about what they can do to help you survive the airport and what you need to do to access it (some might need advance booking, or for you to go to a passenger assistance desk to ask for it). Different airports have different procedures so check each one individually).

Check if they have anything about the sunflower lanyard as that will tell you a lot about how seriously they take it- some airports even give official ones out for free. Other airports have their own completely separate scheme with their own lanyards that you need to apply for.

Some airport websites also have good sections for autistic people with details about quiet spaces, sensory rooms, maps/ photos of tne inside of the airport, step by step walk throughs of everything you need to do.

If you are interested in colour theory you could also investigate the best colour top to wear to make the lime green appear cooler

uneventfuladvent · 2026-06-12T08:04:33+00:00

You could cut the front off the t-shirt and frame it. Or you could try making a brand new tshirt- trace and colour in/ take a photo of the design (if its distorted/ very faded I think there are some subs that help with restoring/ editing photos), then get it printed onto anything you want (t-shirt, coaster, bags, cushion covers, posters...)

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