u/tinyfrog1234

I have an incredible exotics vet who helped euthanize my senior hen the other day. I have been present for several euthanasias at this point in my life, however this one was especially tough. My girl did not make this vet’s job easy. She was first given IM sedation, which quickly and peacefully rendered her unconscious. The vet tried placing an IV, then IO, then he tried accessing her jugular. For various reasons, none of those worked. He then decided to go with intracardiac injection, which was performed quickly and easily. He did such an amazing job throughout the entire process, from walking me through the plan, to explaining exactly what he was doing and his reasoning behind everything. My sweet girl was treated with utmost respect and care the entire time. I can tell that our vet was pretty shaken by the experience, and he apologized for how difficult it was, though I don’t believe for one second that he could have handled it any better than he did. He was so gentle, kind, and thoughtful throughout the whole process, and I am so grateful for him. I plan on writing him a thank you card, but I’d like to do more, as he’s truly gone above and beyond for me and my girl. What do vets appreciate receiving along with cards? I was thinking maybe a gift card to a local coffee shop, flowers, or cookies? Any and all suggestions are welcome!

I (25/F) finally received my results from my neuropsychological assessment I had done about a year ago. I was diagnosed with level 2 ASD, along with inattentive-type ADHD, MDD, and GAD. The latter three are not new diagnoses for me.

I feel like leading up to receiving my diagnosis, I had been seeing several posts on social media about the occurrence of skill regression after being late-diagnosed. From what I have seen and read, it seems to be fairly common, especially in high-masking women?

I think that maybe (for me, at least) it’s one of those things that you don’t really think will happen to you, until it does. I was pretty aware that this was a thing that might happen to me if I happened to be diagnosed with ASD. However, I truly believed I had about a 50/50 chance of being diagnosed, and that if I was, it was most certainly level 1. I should mention that the psychologist who did my assessment noted in my report that my support needs are dynamic, fluctuating between levels 1 and 2 depending on environmental factors, stress levels, and co-occurring mood symptoms. However, my current difficulties with functioning are pervasive enough that my official diagnosis is level 2.

I really am not too sure what to expect regarding skill regression. I had already been functioning at quite a low level (compared to times in my life where I’ve been more functional) for a couple of months prior to being diagnosed. I don’t think I have necessarily noticed a direct change in my level of functioning in the week since I was diagnosed, however my sensory issues seem to have amplified quite a bit. Which, I guess, is in turn affecting my functioning.

I would love to hear from anyone about their experiences with skill regression, such as how much time passed between receiving diagnosis and experiencing skill regression, how it manifests, how NTs in their lives reacted, etc.

I (25/F) just received my long awaited neuropsychological assessment results two days ago. I was diagnosed with ASD level 2, ADHD (inattentive presentation), MDD, and GAD. The latter three are not new diagnoses. I was diagnosed with MDD and GAD at age 15, and ADHD at age 20. I never suspected that I might be autistic until a psychologist at a residential treatment program I attended at age 23 suggested I look into getting tested. I did my assessment about a year ago, and just got the results this week.

Throughout the past year, my parents expressed to me several times that they didn’t believe I am autistic. I remember my dad saying something along the lines of “you’re not autistic. If you are diagnosed with it, it’s nothing but an EXTREMELY mild form of it.” This really got in my head and I believed I had about a 50/50 chance of being diagnosed, and if I was, that it was most certainly level 1. The only people in my life who really believed I might be autistic were my therapist and my best friend.

Needless to say, I was pretty surprised to receive my level 2 diagnosis. They did say that my support needs are dynamic, fluctuating between level 1 and level 2 based on environmental demands, stress levels, and the status of my co-occurring mood symptoms. However, my official diagnosis is level 2.

Receiving this news has been deeply validating and many aspects of my life are suddenly making much more sense to me. It has been extraordinarily relieving to finally gain some understanding as to why I am so objectively bad at caring for myself. Turns out I’m not just stupid and lazy!

My parents finally now believe that I am autistic, and they have stated more than once that they feel like “bad parents” for not realizing it sooner. However, they seem to be in denial about the level 2 aspect of my diagnosis. They keep talking about how they’ve been “researching” (via brief Google searches) how level 2 autism presents itself, and how they don’t see any of that in me. My mom, in particular, has latched onto the “restrictive and repetitive patterns” aspect. Today, she told me, “you don’t flap your hands or rock back and forth, so I really don’t think you’re level 2.”

I was so grateful and relieved to finally get some answers about myself, and it has been highly frustrating to receive pushback and denial from my own family. I overheard my dad talking on the phone with my younger brother earlier today, and my brother was saying that he looked into my diagnosis a little bit and that he wasn’t fully convinced that I fit the description either. My dad also said something to him like “maybe she never even had depression in the first place, maybe it’s always just been autism.” Bro, I have literally wanted to kill myself since I was 11 years old. I am quite confident that is not just autism.

One thing about me is that I am very high masking. I learned at a very young age which behaviors are considered “acceptable,” and which behaviors will result in me being bullied. I adjusted as needed in order to fit in with my peers as best as I could, though it never became any less exhausting, and I have never in my life felt as though I actually fit in among other humans. Even with those I feel most comfortable around, I’ve never been able to completely unmask. The only time I am able to do so is when I’m alone, and that’s when I let loose. There’s no doubt that my ability to mask is contributing to my family’s denial.

I crave being able to unmask and truly be myself around them, but they are so disgustingly neurotypical that I’m afraid it would genuinely scare them or cause them to reject me entirely.

I’m sure I am not alone in this experience, and I would love to hear about anyone’s experiences with anything similar, and what you did about it (if anything). If you’ve read all of this, you’re a real one and I sincerely appreciate you 🫶

TLDR: I received an ASD level 2 diagnosis and my family doesn’t believe it because I apparently don’t act “autistic enough.”