Private autism assessment

[PossiblyND]

Inspired by another thread which has reignited a little voice in my head which thinks I may be autistic.

A diagnosis wouldn't necessarily make a huge difference to my life, but I would like to know one way or the other, especially as I now have a DD.

Two of my cousins have children with ASD and several other ND individuals in the wider family.

I suspect I may also be dyspraxic.

To my questions:

1. AIBU to think it would be worthwhile getting a diagnosis so I know one way or another?
2. WIBU to spend a decent chunk of money doing so when I'm currently only on SMP(although I do have a decent amount of savings)?
3. AIBU to ask for recommendations for private assessment providers, preferably in the London or Surrey areas?

I paid £900 but it was a charity very local to me. That included three face to face appointments and some post diagnostic support.
My 52 page private report was far more detailed that Ds's NHS one. And like I said, absolutely no questions from the NHS regarding how 'offcial' it was and they updated my records within 24hrs of receiving it.
My parents were not involved. My husband was and one of the appointments was just him, without me there.

No, I don’t know of any specific evidence that it exists in relation to autism either. There used to be a service in my town which became notorious for selling dyslexia diagnoses to anyone who was willing to pay the (steep) fee but I think this was a national problem. The JCQ changed the threshold evidence needed to secure exam access arrangements (extra time etc) so that a private diagnosis report alone was no longer enough and that seems to have knocked out their market.

Lucy Korneki at Knutsford Therapy Rooms diagnosed me. It was done during covid and virtually. Very indepth and I didn't need input from my mum at all. It's made a huge difference to me getting the diagnosis. I'm not just shit at life. Now got an adhd diagnosis too, which was done via the NHS. Life is better now.

Man, that's shitty behaviour Pockets. Must've made things difficult for genuine dyslexic young people and their parents.

Absolutely @FurryDandelionSeekingMissile and as you say the ultimate victims were the CYP with a genuine need.

I’m sure the private services already mentioned are genuine and reputable. Nevertheless there has been a huge increase in the number of adults, especially women, seeking diagnosis for ND conditions and as in any growth market, no matter how personal or sensitive, there will be people who seek to turn a profit. OP is absolutely doing the right thing in securing personal recommendations.

Yep agreed Pockets.

We are in Yorkshire and DD is 17
The NHS provision wont even add her to a waitlist until next March and then it’s around 18 months to 2 years from there so we are going Private.
Even some Private providers have long waits and won’t add anyone to the list

I think it all depends on what you find hard, and if a diagnosis would help. For example, is there a particular aspect at work you struggle with and would reasonable adjustments help with that?

For me, I was already Diagnosed with dyslexia, and then diagnosed ADHD privately mainly because as soon as I had children I was no longer able to mask as well and was easily overwhelmed. I could mask outside the house but behind closed doors I was exhausted.

My diagnosis has helped me a lot to understand how to cope with being an adult, and work have been able to put adjustments in place so I don't have to deal with feeling overwhelmed when I get home. I now work part time which has also massively helped. (I would add though, I struggled at school, and was the kid 2 years behind with the 1 to 1 help and picked on so had a lot of background supporting the diagnosis).

I would recommend looking at assessments who also treat NHS patients and will work with your GP for a shared care agreement. You will have people say "you get what you pay for, so if you pay you get diagnosed" but this isn't the case. They are medical professionals, they can't hand out diagnosis. They can however offer the support you need be that autism, another Neurodiverse condition or mental health.

I'll also add my GP wasn't 100% happy with my private assessment and wanted me to use her preferred specialist- so maybe worth asking your GP who they use. As it turns out her preferred specialist also diagnosed me and can provide a-lot more support.

The support I now receive has been life changing for me and my family.

That's the thing @Rosebud890 - I haven't hugely struggled at work so far, because I put all my energies into doing what I know I need to do, but then I'm exhausted outside of work. Especially if there's been something social-heavy going on. Now I have a DD and I am struggling more, I feel my mask is slipping, even at home. I'm thinking about my return and I'm not sure how I'm going to manage everything, so there are some RA I'm thinking about in terms of targets, hours etc.

I'm sure you can apply for RA without diagnosis? I would check your policies regarding this or speak to a trusted manager.

Think about what will help you and what is reasonable. The adjustments are there to bring you up to the same working level as your peers (I added a link to a short YouTube video for you). I never used any RA up until about a year ago, because in the past I was made to feel like I had an unfair advantage with extra time in exams. I see now that wasn't the case and it was a small minority of opinions. I used to work through my breaks, and couldn't understand why everyone else had time for a cuppa and I was running around like a headless chicken.

i finally asked if I could have deadlines extended for me. It has been a game changer as my work is much better quality and I'm not overwhelmed anymore. it's a win win for employer and me, I can produce high quality work and they have retained an experienced and keen staff member. Sometimes it really is a small change that makes all the difference.

You don’t need a diagnosis to be covered under the Equality Act and for reasonable adjustments to be made.

We used a private assessor last year, Clinical Partners, who are London/Surrey based. They assessed our teenage child for ASD. Mainly due to Covid backlog it was all done via Zoom, but felt very thorough and professional.
Lots of forms and questionnaires beforehand, then sessions with a paediatrician and a speech and language therapist. Verbal and written assessment followed.
It was about £2000, but worth every penny. Like a light being turned on for all of us. I’d recommend them.

My daughter is recently diagnosed with ASD and I sought an adult assessment for myself. I have health insurance through work and I’m booked in with Clinical Partners next month. Reassured to see positive comments about them. I’m having separate assessments for ASD and ADHD. Even reading about inattentive ADHD (formerly ADD) has helped me understand myself better so I’m curious as to what will be diagnosed, if anything.

NHS adult ASD diagnosis is much quicker to access than child diagnosis in my area (a few months vs years) - so may be worth looking into if you haven't already.

@Thatsnotmycar and @Rosebud890 I know, I am an employment lawyer 😁 but I also know it massively helps and would be the first thing disputed/requested in an employment tribunal situation (not that I think it would get to that, but you never know). I also feel a diagnosis would give me confidence in requesting RAs.

I just can't shake this feeling I'm being silly seeking a possible diagnosis, or that people that know me would think so.

That's helpful @Blueroses99 - I have private health insurance through work too, so I'll check with them.

I just can't shake this feeling I'm being silly seeking a possible diagnosis, or that people that know me would think so.

Immediate universal disclosure is not compulsory… other than telling people who are supporting you through the process, it's entirely possible to keep things private for a while, until whatever the outcome was has settled for you.

@FurryDandelionSeekingMissile I mean like my DH, who will have to watch the baby while I have assessments, or DM if I decided to get her input. I know they love me and will support me, but I also know they'll think I'm being silly.

Ah right, yes, I can see how it might be tricky not to mention it to your DH or DM at any point.

I guess all I can say is that perhaps they'll come round to it when they realise that even if this is something that appears silly to them, it's meaningful to you, and since you are important to them, it becomes meaningful to them via what it means to you. But I don't know exactly know the dynamics work round yours…

I suppose you could probably make a better guess than anyone as to how it will go. Would it be very difficult for you to deal with the people close to you thinking that you're doing something silly, or do you think you would be able to find a way to go ahead anyway?

I was diagnosed with an asd on the NHS as a child, sent home with a leaflet and basically told "get on with it". The only thing it helped with at school was that I got extra time in exams. When I went to uni I looked into the extra time thing again and as it had been 15 years since my original diagnosis my uni asked for me to be assessed again. This was done for free by the university psychologist so not official but I was relieved to get the same diagnosis at 20 as I did at 6. If you are in full time education then it might be worth talking to your organisation about something similar.

@FurryDandelionSeekingMissile I've spoken to DH about it tonight as I have a private GP appointment tomorrow morning at 9.15am and he needs to watch the baby. Luckily this is included in my health insurance and from a quick glance today, it looks as if I may be covered for an assessment. He was very good about it. I will speak to whichever provider I go with about parental input, but I am inclined to keep DM out of it as I feel her biases may skew her answers (and DH agreed). I will report back!

Ooh fingers crossed on the insurance front. Even if you can afford it out-of-pocket, having it covered removes a potential source of acts angst. And your DH sounds like a decent soul. Best of luck

I dunno where "acts" came from. There wasn't meant to be a word there at all.

I’ve been diagnosed as an adult and it helped me to start to accept the way i am instead of being angry that i couldn’t change myself, i would say it was worth it just to know one way or the other.

Thank you @FurryDandelionSeekingMissile 😊