To ask if anyone has had an adult ASD assessment?

[RobynRedhead]

And what happened and how long the whole process took and how people reacted?

I've recently plucked up the courage to ask my GP for a referral. Although I haven't heard anything back yet (it was an e-consult).

Yes i have i was referred by the mental health team. I waited over two years for the first appointment then it took around 3 months of various appointments and assessments they want all the details from your past so had to provide school reports and everything i could remember basically.
It was pretty tough but i have my diagnosis now and i feel a bit better knowing that there’s a reason why i am the way i am.
Good luck with it all 😊

Me! It was about a 6 month wait for the appointment (back in 2016) and then it took another 5 months for them to send the report confirming the diagnosis, although they did indicate in the appointment that they were 95% certain I was autistic.

The one thing that happened to me that I’d be prepared for is that my GP asked me why it was important to me to get a diagnosis if I had reached adulthood without one. She needed this to confirm the funding for assessment; my reasons were struggling to hold down a job so wanted access to reasonable adjustments in the workplace and that I wanted it for self development reasons to improve relationships etc. She was very clear that the NHS would not provide support for an adult with autism and this couldn’t be my reason for wanting a diagnosis .

It’s changed my life and I don’t regret it for a second. It’s given me a whole new sense of identity that feels like it “fits me”, a community of autistic friends and after constant job hopping before the diagnosis, I celebrated my 5 year anniversary this month. It doesn’t sound much but at one point I had a New Year’s resolution to stay in a job longer than 3 months.

I have. Took about 4 months from seeing my GP to the assessment process itself. That took place over a couple of weeks in 3 appointments, but first I had to complete an online questionnaire which took me a couple of hours. One of my adult DC's also completed another questionnaire as both my parents are dead.

I already had all my past school reports and made a patient subject access request of my medical records because I remember being seen as a child in what was then a Child Guidance Clinic (now CAMHS) and I never knew why, so I wanted to have any documents that might help the clinical team.

The last part which was the diagnostic interview was about 90 minutes and I was diagnosed at the end of the interview.

I don't know what you mean by how people reacted, whether you mean how I reacted or how other people have reacted to me?

For a while afterwards although I felt some initial relief, like things made more sense, I then had a period of feeling like I was an imposter (like I am not really autistic, they made a mistake or something) and I since discovered that others have experienced that, too, for a while. Now it isn't something that I think about much at all, I just got on with my life, I am still me but the thing which has changed is I feel more free to be who I am but I don't feel the desire or a need to tell anyone else so it is only me and one of my DC's who know.

Thank you. I meant how did people react when they found out you were being assessed or after you disclosed a diagnosis.

I don't have any old school reports and was hoping to avoid involving my parents as I suspect they will scoff and tell me I'm being ridiculous.

I think you don't need your parents there; if there is someone else who knows you well who can take part.
My DC just wanted to know if I was alright, she is Autistic herself so for her it was quite a matter of fact really.

But really this is for you, not anyone else; that's what I think.

I have recently been diagnosed but I went private after the GPs response was “You don’t look autistic” and wouldn’t refer me.

Because of COVID it has taken around 5 months start to finish. I had an initial screening consultation, was sent a load of questionnaires to complete, supplied some old school reports, then had an ADOS test with a different clinical psychologist, then my mum did the developmental interview via telephone and then I had the final diagnostic interview and then the feedback session.

My parents were initially a bit against it, mainly because of the cost but when I asked if they would have the same reluctance if it were a physical issue they thought about it and realised I had a point. My mum has since been very supportive and was involved in the diagnostic process. My dad still doesn’t quite understand why I pursued a diagnosis but he is supportive. You don’t have to have parental involvement but it is helpful for the developmental part.

I only told one or two close friends and they were also supportive, with one confessing they had thought I was likely autistic for a while.

I am wrestling with whether to tell anyone else that I’ve been diagnosed. The general view of autistic adults on this forum is really scary and really puts me off sharing my diagnosis with people in my life, though I don’t know how representative of the general population this forum is.

I am mostly glad I pursued a formal diagnosis, though I think I am still trying to figure out what to do with it. I was quite sure I was autistic but didn’t want to go down the self-diagnosis route as I don’t feel it is the correct thing to do. Conditions have specific diagnostic criteria/thresholds that only a qualified professional should be measuring. Self screening is not a diagnosis.

I did (privately through the NAS). It was one of the best things I ever did.