Where should I go for private ASD assessment for women?

[ChristmasMayhem]

I have a diagnosis of dyspraxia, ADHD and "a few traits of ASD" but not ASD.

I'm not convinced. The Doctor was very nice but reasons given for no diagnosis were things like I'm creative, could make eye contact, and that I actively seek out friendship. It seemed quite dismissive of my longstanding complex difficulties around social stuff as well as all of my sensory difficulties.

Anyway, of course he could be right but I'm thinking of getting a second opinion from someone who is experienced with presentations in women in particular. I doubt I'd be able to get a second opinion from my local NHS clinic who assessed already, as that original appointment took 18 months.

Where should I consider going? I know it will be very expensive so have to weigh up if I definitely want to, but I would like to research properly.

The best place for women is the Lorna Wing Centre. They are however arseclenchingly expensive.

Depends where in the country you are? I went to Yorkshire and it was £500.

We had DD assessed privately for the same reason. NHS had said she has autistic traits. Private assessment came back as inconclusive, because she has autistic traits but didn't quite meet all the criteria due to her communication being good. We spent £2k to be told the same as the NHS told us.

As for where, it depends where you are, we are in Scotland.

Help for psychology in Norfolk have quite a good reputation.

Interesting replies, thank you. The fee for private assessment seems to vary a surprising degree then. I'm in the south east.

I have looked at the Lorna Wing website but couldn't see a mention of a price, but had a hunch they would be £2-3000. I definitely would feel an idiot if I spent that much to be told the exact same thing as NHS! A clear yes or no would be much more satisfying.

Will have to give it all some careful thought.

I had everyone pinned on the private assessment giving us the answer, when it didn't it took a long time for me to accept that. I was gutted we had spent all that money and still things were 'hanging' iykwim.

*everything not everyone

I was assessed by a clinical psychologist who specialises in assessing women. It was far more affordable than the Lorna Wing centre.

www.spectrumspecialistconsultancy.com/

She was really good and travelled to my area. You have to complete some screening questionnaires to identify if you have a potential problem before a face to face assessment is arranged.

Her service looks really interesting, her experience seems good.

It is expensive because it is multidisciplinary to get a disgnosis so you need both clinicians and psychologists who specialise in the various different scales.

@knittedmouse please could you tell me roughly how much she charged for the assessment?

Blimey £2 -£3k guess I'll just stay on NHS list...

I just had one appointment with NHS clinician. Unsure if he was a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist off the top of my head. When I went back for the result he had a student with him, but for the assessment it was just him.

I liked him but couldn't help but get the feeling the questions and exercises were more suited to what we think of as the traditional idea of an autistic boy. Questions like did I enjoy studying patterns and was I fascinated by mechanics of my toys when I was little, etc.

It was £700 around five years ago.

Someone who has in depth knowledge of autism presentation in women is really important. I spent donkeys years discounting it due to reading the male presentation which I couldn't identify with. I then discovered that females have a different presentation and usually have stronger social skills and mask more.