Pre-diagnosis - No follow up on indicative screening

It was suggested by my psychologist and two brothers (who have ASD) that I should do an ASD screening test, based on traits they recognise in me as possibly a result of having ASD.

I'm currently under the treatment of a mental health team for OCD, depression and anxiety. At this institute based on their recommendation I completed a screening test and scored in the range of someone who may have ASD, where a follow up assessment is prescribed. However, they said they will have their psychologist speak to me regarding it. At my appointment, he says he doesn't have knowledge of ASD and can't be of help.

Since then (over a year ago) nothing has progressed despite me repeatabily asking for a follow up. This may be due to a lack of facilities on site or inadequate protocol, I’m not sure.

It has now been almost 2 years since the recommendation and a year since screening, what can I do? I feel I have enough symptoms/traits to warrant further investigation, and have scored accordingly on the test they provided, yet nothing is being done. I believe if a diagnosis is warranted it may help better understand my mental health struggles, offer support and augment my existing treatments, so it's something I feel should be investigated further so one way or another a conclusion can be drawn.
Please can you help advise me further on how to proceed as It seems I am blocked where I am and they aren't suited to handle this investigation.

Many thanks 

Darryl

  • I waited over 4 years for my diagnosis and three assesments. There are so many referrals as the rate of adults and children presenting with symptoms and behaviour traits of ASD is increasing each year. The services have a lot to deal with and not enough funding or  resources. You should consult your doctor and get them to write or fax a letter to your local austism diagnostic team and say that you really feel you need to go through the assesment process. Get as many health care professionals on board. 

  • Wow, must have been hard not to flap your hands into their face :P 
    Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm comforted that I'm not alone in that  type of experience and that yours had closure in the form of a diagnosis.

    Thank you! I will.

    Best

  • Nah.  I just kicked him hard, where it hurt.

  • That’s funny Tom, you ought to have stood there and started flapping your hands while staring at him with a demon look in your eyes! 

  • Hi Darryl,

    Yes... do what the others have said.  I was initially referred to MH services - with a similar result to yours.  In fact, the psychiatrist I saw told me I couldn't be autistic because I didn't flap my hands!

    I was lucky in that a therapist I was seeing at time picked up on ASC traits, and recommended to my GP a direct referral to the county autism unit.  I had a follow-up visit at home from an assessor, then - about a year later - a formal diagnostic session.

    My mental health has improved a great deal since diagnosis.  It's given me a context for everything.  It's enabled me to put all the pieces of my life together and make sense of it all.

    Good luck, and keep pushing until you get what you want.

    Tom

  • Thanks a lot for your advice! I will return to the GP, as per your advice I also rang the hotline who helped clarify my next steps.

    Best

  • Thanks so much for the advice! I will start again with the GP and present a clear case.

  • Hi Darryl,

    As BlueRay has suggested, you may find it useful to have a look at our diagnosis page on our website. I have popped the link to the page below for you:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/adults.aspx

    Furthermore, if you were looking for further information and advise, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice about getting a diagnosis. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday 9am to 3pm).Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an advisor. Alternatively, you can contact the team via web form: https://www.autism.org.uk/services/helplines/main/form.aspx

    I hope this helps.

    Ayshe Mod

  • You need to go through your gp to be referred for an assessment. He simply needs enough evidence to suggest that you could be on the spectrum. You’ve already got that, with the screening test you took, but it would be helpful for you to search on this website, the statutory procedure for getting an assessment for ASD in this country. It will give you a clear outline of the procedure so you know what to expect and what questions to ask and what information you need to gather together. It will advice you of what to say when you approach your gp etc. It’s straightforward, the information is presented clearly and once you have this knowledge, you can move things forward. Good luck. Ask us anything you don’t undertstand.