To ask about private ASD assessment?

[mither]

Has anyone any experience of a private referral for ASD?

I don't know how (GP referral I guess) or where (Tayside) or who (same CAHMS team?)

Just in case it's relevant...
My adult NHS referral only took 5 months. Obviously it will depend on area, but it might be worth investigating.

Everyone seems to be assuming the diagnosis is for a child, OP doesn't say that (I don't think).

Dylan, don't question people's reasons for seeking a diagnosis

But this is an important and serious diagnosis. It deserves the full assessment. (I know that not everyone gets this but they should- and ados alone isn’t it)

Dylan, don't question people's reasons for seeking a diagnosis

In my head I can question whatever I want. I don’t think a diagnosis is always a good thing. I am allowed to have that opinion.

If you are in the East Midlands can recommend here. Ds attended the attached school and the professionals involved in diagnosis also worked in the school and without exception were fantastic.

We simply did not know if our child had ASD, a learning disability or a language difficulty. Without a privately obtained MDA we would still not know.

bleedin nora. We paid £500 in hertfordshire for a private diagnosis (assessment and consultation)

Yes, I suppose you can. You're coming across as incredibly dismissive though.

My son doesn’t like me telling anyone and almost fights against it.

Always challenging himself, goes to social events even though he feels incredibly awkward, did his D of E and NCS.

He wants to do things others do and he doesn’t want to feel held back by it so for him the diagnosis wasn’t helpful but it was for me as his parent.

Yes, I suppose you can. You're coming across as incredibly dismissive though

I not dismissive.

I see the NHS groaning with the amount of referrals they have,schools unable to support families and children’s services cut cut and cut again and there are some people taking support they could could live without from families at breaking point.

None of it is easy but it’s the reality we live in atm unfortunately.

I agree that a diagnosis isn't always helpful, I'm reluctant to seek a diagnosis for my eldest for various reasons. It important for myself though.

Anyway, don't want to add to further derailing of this thread

Mrs Dylan blue

There is no "lower end" of autism. You are either autistic or not.

There are massive massive varying degrees of the spectrum, high functioning and low functioning however you want to phrase it.

Some people you would never know were autistic and some autistic people cannot be in main stream school.

"And "mild autism" doesn't mean the person with autism experiences it mildly - it means YOU experience THEIR autism mildly."

Beautifully put.

The autistic spectrum according to mrsdylanblue

just because YOU CAN'T FUCKING TELL that someone has autism DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T SUFFER. It means they don't show you their suffering.

you need to do some serious learning. people like you are the huge problem for people like me

seriously don't give a fuck if I'm deleted as people like mrsdylanblue really need to get themselves a bit of an education

Thanks - my son who has a diagnosis of what was formerly know as Aspergers and my level 4 qualification in the Autistic Spectrum arm me well thanks and enable me to form my own opinions on the subject.

Dylan we are a family at breaking point and have been for well over 2 years, and you know what help we have got NOTHING. My dd is aggressive she hurts herself, me, my husband, siblings. Meltdowns for hours, she stims, doesn't sleep.She is obsessed with certain things and we live in a managed environment. The list is endless. Yet because she masks at school I'm supposed to put up and shut up? Where is the help for them???? These children need early intervention. I think a lot of trusts rely on teachers to look for signs and what training have they had? Absolutely none. Most teachers would not know what signs to look for especially with girls - I wouldn't go to a teacher and ask them to look at my blood pressure or a doctor to check my spelling so why is something so important being left to teachers? The whole system is stupid and for families who are desperate a diagnosis has to be a good thing private or not! A medical professional is a medical professional it makes no sense why the NHS would refuse it when they had delayed the whole process in the first place.

Early intervention/help has been massively cut in most areas too - I don’t disagree - it’s woeful and some early help practitioners don’t have the skills to give the support needed. If you have a diagnosis you can try CWAD etc but getting the diagnosis is the problem.

AutisticHedgehog, did you mask as a child? If so, do you remember when you started? My son didn't mask at preschool but is masking in Reception. At his ASD assessment a year ago, the speech therapist who seemed to be holding sway over the proceedings said it was impossible for an autistic 4 year old to learn ways of 'fitting in'. She also decreed that his ability to make eye contact (sometimes spontaneous with family and other trusted people, other times encouraged by education professionals) means he's not autistic. I'd be really interested in your thoughts if you wouldn't mind sharing them.

We have been given some research at work which also suggests that Autistic behaviours in Pre-schoolers are very similar to behaviours from children who live in homes where there has been domestic abuse.

I’m sorry you think I am an inadequate parent to my son or in fact any of my children. Rest assured I am not and I am very proud of my son and all of my children and there is absolutely no need to pity any of them.

There is no "lower end" of autism. You are either autistic or not

Autism is a spectrum, of course there is a lower end that is severe and a high functioning end were the individual is more then capable of more things.

No one is saying that both ends don’t suffer but when you have one autistic child that doesn’t even understand the sentence ‘get your shoes’ and another that can go to mainstream school that does show there is a lower end of autism. Autism is not all the same.

I don't live in the UK and am amazed that the waiting lists are so long. We were 3 months from first phone call to diagnosis. We paid the equivalent of £3000, and it was worth every penny. Good luck OP.

Just want to reiterate that I've had an adult NHS referral and it's taken 5 months from GP appt to diagnosis. It's not the same in all areas, but I'm SE and I think this is pretty good.
Recent experience with child referrals via GP were 8-10 months (CAMHS via the school take longer here)