Diagnosis

[shivabeaver]

After a lot of introspection and reading I think I might be asd. It makes a lot of sense to me, I keep remembering things that make sense. How would I get a diagnosis?

My advice would be to do some screening questionnaires and see how you score. You can google the main ones.

If you want to go private then do a search for someone in your area or you can ask your GP to refer you on the NHS. Waiting lists can be significant on the NHS though.

If you go private make sure they're a fully qualified clinical psychologist.

Agree with Barrow, for some testing online and then go to your GP.
This test is a good one psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient

Go. With a list and knowledge of nice guidelines. Ask for a referral for assessment. Probably about 2 year wait. Some places quicker. Some don't assess.

Have an answer to why you need a diagnosis.

You may need to go private

The GP said I was ‘probably’ autistic and said I didn’t need a formal diagnosis because there’s no support available for adults with autism, only for children. I said a formal diagnosis would make me legally entitled to reasonable adjustments in the workplace which would help me to cope, and would also give me legal recourse if I’m discriminated against because of my condition. So she referred me for diagnosis. Be prepared to wait at least a year or two and don’t let them fob you off by saying diagnosis is unnecessary.

@Alayalaya

The GP said I was ‘probably’ autistic and said I didn’t need a formal diagnosis because there’s no support available for adults with autism, only for children. I said a formal diagnosis would make me legally entitled to reasonable adjustments in the workplace which would help me to cope, and would also give me legal recourse if I’m discriminated against because of my condition. So she referred me for diagnosis. Be prepared to wait at least a year or two and don’t let them fob you off by saying diagnosis is unnecessary.

Your GP is wrong to say that there's no support for adults with autism.

I was diagnosed in my early 50's and since then, I have support from an autism charity, pre-pandemic I attended monthly meetings with other autistic women where we'd have a topic for discussion which often lead to other discussions (I miss that group), I have reasonable adjustments at work and I also have an autism mentor funded by Access to Work.

Your GP is taking out of his/her arse.

It was really important to me that I had a proper, official assessment and the subsequent diagnosis. I don't believe in 'self identification' of anything.

I hope the waiting list isn't too long in your area.

Your GP is wrong to say that there's no support for adults with autism.

Unfortunately in many areas there is no help. Support is very much location specific.

yeah but you still have legal protection... which is one step up from nowt.