Can adults get tested for autism

[Dsautism]

Can adults get tested for autism on the NHS?

A quick Google will tell you 'Yes'.

Yes but you might have a battle getting referred and a long, long wait.

yes, there are assessments and clinics for adults but the waiting lists can be v long.

start by going to your GP and describe how autism is causing problems for you.

In theory, yes, but some areas won't accept referrals.

My DH was diagnosed at 50. It is a slow process and quite intense.

Sorry to slightly derail. Genuine question. I think I may be autistic. I’m 48. How would a diagnosis help me?

Of course you can. The average NHS waiting list at the moment though is a minimum of two years, and their criteria is shockingly outdated in terms of how autism appears in women. So if you are a woman, you could wait over two years and get told you’re not “autistic enough”. It’s about £800 to go private but you can get your diagnosis in about six weeks or so.

I went to my GP and was referred. A few weeks later I had an initial assessment the outcome of which was that they felt there was more than enough indicators to warrant a full assessment. The initial assessment was fast but they said it would be a three year wait for the full assessment. They are contacting me every three months to check in while I wait as I’m finding things a struggle right now

Yes but what is it that you want it to achieve - if you need support you don't need a diagnosis because services are allocated on need not diagnosis

I want to know to understand myself better and to hopefully help others understand me better. I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of self-diagnosing and telling people I’m autistic if I might not be.

I told my employer I’m waiting for an assessment and that was enough for them to offer support and put reasonable adjustments in place