Just referred for diagnosis

After years of suspecting that I am autistic, I have just this morning been referred for assessment by my GP.

My son was diagnosed a few years back, and my GP agreed with me that I also exhibit many traits,. and said that he thinks a diagnosis would be helpful for me.

I live in the north of England, and have been referred to a centre in Sheffield for assessment. This would be on the NHS, but my GP explained that the waiting list could be really long for this. He also gave me information about a local service which do private assessments, where I could be seen much sooner.

Does anyone have any experience of using the NHS service based in Sheffield, and what are your experiences of it? How long is the waiting list likely to be, and what did you feel about the diagnostic process?

Also, what are people's experiences of private assessments versus NHS?

Any ideas or advice would be helpful.