WRETCHED EXPERIENCE!! I had the displeasure of seeing Evelyn (Danielle) Abram, LCSW, for what was…read moresupposed to be an evaluation for adult ASD/Asperger's. She did diagnose me as having Sensory Processing Disorder and PTSD, but it all went downhill from there. In our first appt, she was nice at first, then at several points she became aggressive in her manner and attitude, almost hostile. I felt threatened. At one point, in response to my comments on an issue, she fired back at me: "Do you know what love is?" and when I said yes, she snapped, "Then you don't have Asperger's." WTF?? And that wasn't even the worst of it. Her attitude was very abrasive, condescending, and not at all caring.
My 2nd appt was by phone, for which she was 10 mins late. I only have 30 mins for lunch, so I was late getting back. During the call, she ignored my real issue and steered the conversation to my childhood and relationship with my parents -- completely off-topic. She then said she'd put in a referral to the psychiatrist for a "med eval." I assumed she meant a medical evaluation, since I'd already made it abundantly plain that I will NOT take drugs of any sort. It's against my personal and spiritual beliefs.
The next day, I got a call from Kaiser to schedule a "MEDICATION evaluation" with the psychiatrist! First, there are NO drugs to treat Autism/Asperger's, nor even Sensory Processing Disorder; second, I'd made it perfectly clear I would not take drugs. However, my aim in all this was to get a referral to an out-of-network clinic specializing in adult ASD, since Kaiser has no protocols for diagnosing adults with ASD, so I went ahead and scheduled the appointment.
Third appt with Danielle Abram was at her office on 11/18, and this one left me literally traumatized. My system is on overload from the SPD, and I am seeking to reduce my work hours so I can at least try to cope by reducing the number of hours exposed to the stress. I've already tried everything I can -- earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, even bomb-testing earmuffs (which I'm wearing as I write this) -- but the sensory overload and burnout are at critical mass. During this 3rd appt, Danielle told me I could get fired for making such a request of my employer, and basically incinerated all my hopes of getting relief. I broke down sobbing, uncontrollably, and SHE KEPT TALKING!! I asked her to please stop, I couldn't take any more, and she stopped for about 15 seconds, then started talking again. WHEN A PATIENT IS UTTERLY OVERWHELMED WITH SENSORY OVERLOAD, YOU DON'T KEEP ADDING TO IT! My husband was at the appt with me and had to ask her again to stop talking -- she just kept going on, completely oblivious to the fact that her patient was in total meltdown.
Finally she said she'd send paperwork to my employer's HR dept for FMLA, to request a reduction to 30 hrs/wk for ONE MONTH. As if that solves anything!! This is an ONGOING problem, a cascade effect that has resulted in severe burnout and stress, as well as anxiety, because of the SPD. She said she'd draw up the paperwork that evening.
I can't even go into all the eff-ups that happened after that, but suffice it to say, I didn't receive my paperwork until 12/8 - TEN DAYS after she said she'd write it up. When I opened it, I found she'd COMPLETELY NOT UNDERSTOOD my issues: she had me down as suffering "anxiety and depression" (nothing about SPD), and recommended that I work 30 hrs/week for one month, at a rate of 10 HRS FOR 1 DAY PER WEEK. She can't even do basic math!! Wtf...saying a stressed-out person should work a single 10-hr day????
She also indicated on the paperwork that my condition is expected to "last 1 year" (this is LIFELONG! -- I've had it for over 50 yrs now, and it doesn't ever go away), that it's "not expected to have flareups" (100% WRONG) and that any flareups would NOT require missing work. Um, lady, have you ever actually studied SPD??? Do you even have the first fricking clue??
So the FMLA paperwork I requested nearly two months ago is totally worthless. I can't show that to my employer -- it's not a true picture of my condition or how to treat it, AT ALL.
Oh, and the appt with the psychiatrist I had to schedule almost a month in advance, then eventually canceled because when I FINALLY got an answer from them, they said it was a medication evaluation only, which I had repeatedly said I would not take drugs.
I am so traumatized over this whole nightmare, I need therapy just for this alone. I wasted copays twice, took off work a half day each time to drive all the way across town, just to be bullied and abused by this horrible woman who has NO BUSINESS working with people who are stressed and emotionally fragile. Thank goodness my husband now has insurance through his new job, so I can go elsewhere.