Can you ask for a reconsideration for ADHD assessment?

I'm an Autistic (official diagnosis of ASD) woman in my thirties, after an 18+ month wait I've recently had an assessment for ADHD - I was denied the diagnosis. 

I have severe executive dysfunction problems, severe enough that I can't hold down a job or go to higher education, I can go days without sleep, etc. also problems with focus so I struggle to read more than a few paragraphs at a time and can't even sit through a few minutes of a video, among other traits - autism explains the executive dysfunction, not focus issues. 

I was seeking diagnosis to help with benefits assessments (I claim ESA-WRAG) also for support, as obviously options like ADHD meds can't be accessed without diagnosis. 

I'm wondering if I can appeal the decision or ask for another opinion, given the waiting list and potential cost to the NHS I'm not sure if they'd even allow it. 

Parents
  • I just got my diagnosis last month and the last two weeks of waiting for the results to come through were very difficult but I did make the decision that if I didn't get the diagnosis, after all the misdiagnosis, this was the only one that has ever fit 100%, so I knew that if it came back negative, I was going to appeal. I even thought that I would go to the Lorna Wing Centre and pay for a private consultation. I didn't know where I would get the money from to pay for it but I knew I would some how because getting the diagnosis was so important to me. I already knew by this time that I was autistic, it was obvious once I realised, but I had read a lot about older adults and particularly females, not getting the diagnosis and I don't know why it was so important to me but it was and it has made a huge difference to me. So yeah, I would say appeal and follow the advice of the other two commenters.

Reply
  • I just got my diagnosis last month and the last two weeks of waiting for the results to come through were very difficult but I did make the decision that if I didn't get the diagnosis, after all the misdiagnosis, this was the only one that has ever fit 100%, so I knew that if it came back negative, I was going to appeal. I even thought that I would go to the Lorna Wing Centre and pay for a private consultation. I didn't know where I would get the money from to pay for it but I knew I would some how because getting the diagnosis was so important to me. I already knew by this time that I was autistic, it was obvious once I realised, but I had read a lot about older adults and particularly females, not getting the diagnosis and I don't know why it was so important to me but it was and it has made a huge difference to me. So yeah, I would say appeal and follow the advice of the other two commenters.

Children
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