r/AutismAustralia

I’m trying to get a formal diagnosis so I can get support via NDIS (and hopefully Centrelink eventually). I have a very long report from my psychologist who wrote she provisionally diagnosed me with ASD level 2 and moderate inattentive ADHD, pending a psychiatrist’s review.

I have spent literally months trying to find a psychiatrist. Every doctor, LAC, autism support group person, everyone, is confused as to why I can’t get accepted as a patient. I have been rejected by about 5 psychiatrists so far, with none giving any reason. And every time I get rejected, I have to go back to my GP to have the referral sent elsewhere and then wait like 2 weeks before the new practice’s set of psychiatrists bother to review if they want to take me on.

I contacted an autism support organisation, maybe Autism Connect, I can’t remember which one. She was very lovely and said I didn’t need a psychiatrist for the ASD diagnosis - my psychologist should be able to do that or a clinical psychologist. I then called the LAC company and they checked with their supervisor and confirmed that a psychologist or clinical psychologist can formally diagnose ASD, just not ADHD.

I literally don’t care about the ADHD half right now. I was seeing a psychiatrist for a year who never gave me anything in writing and was a dick about it when I tried to get it in writing, but I had many side effects to stimulants and I just have too much else to try and sort out before trying to figure out the ADHD (I’ve recently been diagnosed with MCAS so that’s a whole massive thing of trialling new meds for months). So my primary goal right now is a formal diagnosis of ASD level 2 instead of just provisional.

Does anyone here have any experience with getting NDIS approved via a psychologist or clinical psychologist diagnosis, rather than a psychiatrist diagnosis? I am desperate for support, I am not coping with life, but so far all I’ve got from months of calling any service possible is a little bit of counselling for being in a carer role at times for my partner. I’m almost at the point of giving up and just dealing with being a burden to everyone around me forever because finding support beyond my family is impossible.

I’m looking for some new over-ear noise cancelling headphones. I’d really love something I can wear all day and use for work/Teams calls as well. So that means I need something that isn’t going to give me a pressure headache when I wear for hours. But also has a good mic and does well to filter out background noise.

I feel like I’m looking for a unicorn. Suggestions?

I always thought I was unmasked, but I find myself so socially anxious even around people I like that seem kind and non judgemental that I’ve used alcohol as a crutch, I have maybe one friend I feel comfortable around sober (most of the time) and my ex who broke up with me this week, because while I enjoy the false confidence alcohol brings I turn into an uncaring, selfish and obnoxious person
I have found it hard to quit in the past because of the big drinking culture here, still in my 20s and finding that it’s what most of my friends, acquaintances, my ex do on weekends or even sometimes during the week
I wish I felt like I could be around people without it but I get to a point where I feel like crying even 5 minutes into a conversation, like I’m struggling to hold a conversation, overly aware of my body language and expressions and trying to respond quickly and appropriately
A lot of people have made me feel like I can’t do it, I am upset I hurt someone so dear to me and I want to be better, I also put myself in unsafe situations while drinking
If anyone has advice it’d be really appreciated, I have done talk therapy and never found it to be particularly helpful and even then I believe I’m masking

Hi everyone, I have two kids one is seven. She has ASD level 2 and ADHD I have one boy. Who's 10 who is level two asd. They both go to the same primary school in Australia.

Both of them are refusing to go to school, every day and it is an absolute battle. Just to get them to go. My son used to love going to school last year, and now because he keeps saying everything's boring. He doesn't want to go to school at all, and it's literally a battle every morning to get them to go. My daughter is just says she hates school and says its boring. She goes into these huge violent tantrums and ends up trying to destroy things and hurt us. She gets triggered When we try to get her to get dressed or try to prepare her lunch box, anything to do with school will set her off. She absolutely hates it when we get to school the teachers and AIDS have to pry her off my wife or me to take her into class.

When we talked to the teachers about how they were for the day. They say she had a good day. And when I picked them up they both seem happy, but it's just a matter of getting to go to school. The school has been super helpful and are really doing everything they can to help.

My son used to be doing advanced classes in everything, but now they say they can't put him in the advanced class because he's not even doing the basic level of things that they're doing, so he's gone from being advanced to barely covering the basic school work. Because he says he finds a boring. We've tried psychology, OT, Councelling. We've tried talking to many different people and talking to the kids about what is truly wrong but they just say they hate it. Weve said maybe we look at other schools and they hate the idea. My daughter also has been prescribed Ritalin which she absolutely refuses to take.

We really don't know what to do anymore. And we are exhausted. We just want to be a happy family with no unnecessary fighting or stress and tension. I am not working at the moment but when I do get a job it will be mostly back on my wife again..

Does anyone out there have any ideas about what may work? Any help would be greatly appreciated? Thank you.