Getting a diagnosis as an adult

Hello I’m new to the forum. I’m looking for advice and am interested to find anyone who has had a similar experience to me. 

I am a 27 year old female and am considering seeking professional advice as I believe I have traits and characteristics that would place me on the autistic spectrum. It is something I have wondered about for a while but have put off going to the doctors. 

Can anyone share their experience of being diagnosed as an adult, especially any other women? Was it difficult to get the right help and advice? Did your GP take you seriously? Is it a relief to have a diagnosis?

Thank you

  • I was just diagnosed a month ago (in my 40s). I went private as the NHS waiting list is 18 months. In my region (SWest) I could self refer rather than going through my GP, although I did discuss it with him and he supported my referring.

    I had taken several online test first to gain an idea of whether i did fit an AS profile and they conformed I did. I would recommend you do a couple of these.

    From start to finish my whole assessment process was extremely efficient. I am very glad I did it, and am happy with my diagnosis.

  • Hi fieldofdaisies - and welcome!

    I'm not a woman, but I'm happy to pass on my experiences Slight smile

    I was finally diagnosed 3 years ago, at the age of 56.  I was seeing a therapist for a while following a breakdown, and it was she who first suggested looking into an autism diagnosis.  I took the Baron-Cohen AQ test (link at the end in case you haven't taken it yourself) and scored 42 out of 50.  The 'pass mark' for a strong possibility of Asperger's is 32.  I went to my GP with the result, plus back-up from my therapist, and was initially referred to mental health services.  They turned me away (in my experience, that's not the best route to go down).  My therapist persisted, though, insisting that I was referred instead to specialist autism services.  My GP agreed to this.  Some time later, I had a follow-up visit from an assessor, who asked me some more in-depth questions before recommending me for the final diagnostic assessment.  I had to wait just over a year for that, and about 6 weeks after it I finally got my diagnosis.  From beginning to end, on the NHS, the whole process took just over 2 years.

    Getting the diagnosis is often double-edged.  Overwhelmingly, for me, there was the relief and validation of finally getting answers to all the questions my life had posed.  If anything, that diagnosis improved my confidence and my mental health.  No longer was I this 'strange' hypersensitive person who found it difficult to understand why I couldn't make friends, didn't like social situations, felt anxious much of the time, etc.  On the other side, of course, was the thought that if only it had been picked up years before (all the pointers were there in my childhood) - how much difference might it have made to the course of my life and my development?  But I try not to get hung up on that.  The past is the past.

    Check out the information on diagnosis here:

    Autism Diagnosis for Adults

    And here's the link to that test:

    AQ Test

    Good luck!

    Tom