‘I felt both shock and a huge sense of relief when I was diagnosed’
WOMAN, 22, WHO KNEW ALL HER LIFE SHE WAS DIFFERENT GETS AUTISM DIAGNOSIS AFTER LENGTHY PROCES
A HOLTON-le-Clay woman who was bullied at school because she was “different” said she feels a huge sense of relief after finally being diagnosed with autism following a lengthy process. Abbie Hinesman, 22, said it has felt like “jumping through hoops” to get a diagnosis of having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) after knowing for most of her life that she was different to her peers. Through the local Adult Autism Service, Abbie underwent a screening test in January last year, and received a follow-up letter ten months later to invite her to undergo a full autism assessment. Two weeks ago, she received her diagnosis - but will now have to wait several more weeks for the official paperwork to come through, due to a backlog. Speaking to Grimsby Live about the process, Abbie said: “Before you get a full autism assessment you have a screening test. I have a sister who is autistic and because it’s a spectrum disorder, everyone has different symptoms. The screen test seems to test for more stereotypical symptoms of autism. “When I was about 16 I had the autism screening test and didn’t pass, but I definitely felt I was autistic so I pushed for another one. In January last year I had a screening test, and then had a full assessment, which showed I do have autism.
“It was a bit of a shock, even though I knew I had it, but because it took so long and took so much pushing because of the backlog, I felt both shock and a huge sense of relief when I was diagnosed.
“It was just so hard to get a diagnosis because there’s so many hoops to jump through. Since the pandemic there’s long waiting lists for everything - it’s been a nightmare. But I’m so relieved, because when I was at school I was bullied a lot because of me being different.”
Abbie, who also has learning difficulties, has exhibited several symptoms of the disorder for most of her life, including social avoidance and the inability to hold eye contact.
She said: “I’ve had symptoms since being young. I always avoid socialising and I prefer being on my own or being with family, I try and avoid social situations as much as possible, I struggle with any events like parties which involve mixing with other people.”
For more information, advice and support for people locally, you can visit the Adult Autism Service by visiting https://navigocare.co. uk/what-we-do/services-z/adultautism-serviceadhd