Aspergers diagnosis process

I was diagnosed two years ago & quite late at age 55. It took over a year from the initial referral to the written report, although I was given a verbal diagnosis around four months prior to receiving the written report.

My diagnosis was on the NHS in North Manchester via an outsourced company called LancUK, but since anything on the NHS is a postcode lottery nowadays, experiences can vary even for people that only live a few miles apart.

I had two assessments spaced three months apart, but only because I was told that I was more complicated to classify in the first assessment & it would require a more experienced person. At the second appointment, it didn't seem to take her long to reach a conclusion though, so if I had seen her the first time then presumably I would only have needed one appointment.

Many people have reported having to follow scripted assessment questions or being asked to construct stories around children's storybook pictures, which were then used to create a formal numerical score at the end. I didn't have any of this, possibly because I had read up on the assessments online beforehand & made a joke about how I hoped I wasn't going to be asked to make up stories around 'Frogs on Lily Pads' or anything else designed for young children. The assessor scolded me for having done online research (to which I replied "What did you expect, I'm a 55 year old computer nerd"), but then said she didn't have to use that material & both assessment appointments were more like a cross between an informal chat & a counselling session.

Once I had the formal diagnosis, they did mention that I could now access 'Support Services for People on the Spectrum', but when I asked for examples of what might be available, it was only simplistic stuff like "How to Plan a Trip to the Supermarket" or "How to Follow a Balanced Diet". I just laughed, reminding her that I had been taking care of myself for a very long time & she agreed none of the proposed services would be appropriate in my case.

The only available support in my area seemed to be quite patronising & presumed I was incapable of fairly basic things. Had they offered counselling for depression tailored to people on the Spectrum, I probably would have accepted since the reason for my referral was that I had previously completed a whole year of Psychotherapy on the NHS & my therapist was trying to understand why it hadn't helped my Depression at all. She thought that Autism would explain why my negative thought patterns seem to be completely impervious to change. I have heard of specialist counselling services for people on the Spectrum, but there aren't any in my area, especially not on the NHS. I'm pretty much retired now, so can't afford to pay for expensive private services anyway.

In addition to being resistant to therapy, I also seem to be resistant to anti-depressants. I have tried fairly high doses of quite a few different ones over the last five years & my head just seems to ignore them completely. I'm still badly depressed, but not currently on any medication. My Doctor said that it was moderately common for people on the Spectrum to be resistant to medication because the drugs are designed for people whose brains are wired differently than mine.

I was referred to the Psychiatric Dept of a local Hospital who agreed that it was pointless trying to prescribe more anti-depressants or refer me for more therapy, because at least in my case, it just doesn't work. This isn't because I am somehow sabotaging it before it starts with negativity, it just can't help because I am clearly resistant to the medication & the main cause of my depression is excessive rumination over memories of past mistakes that seem to be perfectly preserved 'Virtual Reality Bubbles" in my head & never lose their ability to cause me pain.

There was one hopeful development of being referred to the Psychiatric Dept though, the mental heath nurse I spoke to was absolutely convinced that the real cause of my depression is ADHD which has been heavily masked by my Autistic Spectrum symptoms. I didn't know much about ADHD prior to that, but now that I understand more, I can see what he was getting at & it would neatly explain symptoms I have had my whole life.

Whereas there are no specific medications for Autism, there are several available for ADHD but which can't be prescribed without a formal diagnosis, hence why I am now back on a waiting list for LancUK & will hopefully get an appointment by June this year (their estimate).

Apparently there is quite a large overlap with ASD & ADHD, so people on the Spectrum are more likely to also have ADHD than 'Neurotypicals' & vice versa. Not sure what I do if LancUK say I don't have ADHD after all, or if I do get the diagnosis but turn out to be weirdly resistant to 'Methylphenidate' as well.

Hopefully all this rambling is helpful to someone. The overall point that I was trying to make was that depending on how 'High Functioning' you are, having a diagnosis of ASD potentially won't change anything other than your own viewpoint. I know that you are convinced that you have Aspergers already, but having that confirmed in writing might still alter your perception of self more than you might currently think.

I was always convinced that I couldn't on the Spectrum because I can read body language quite well, prefer socialising to being on my own & can even appear to be 'Relatively Normal'. Since my diagnosis though, I am no longer in denial & find it quite liberating.

Sorry for the length of this reply, being excessively verbose is one of my more obvious autistic traits !

I was diagnosed two years ago & quite late at age 55. It took over a year from the initial referral to the written report, although I was given a verbal diagnosis around four months prior to receiving the written report.

My diagnosis was on the NHS in North Manchester via an outsourced company called LancUK, but since anything on the NHS is a postcode lottery nowadays, experiences can vary even for people that only live a few miles apart.

I had two assessments spaced three months apart, but only because I was told that I was more complicated to classify in the first assessment & it would require a more experienced person. At the second appointment, it didn't seem to take her long to reach a conclusion though, so if I had seen her the first time then presumably I would only have needed one appointment.

Many people have reported having to follow scripted assessment questions or being asked to construct stories around children's storybook pictures, which were then used to create a formal numerical score at the end. I didn't have any of this, possibly because I had read up on the assessments online beforehand & made a joke about how I hoped I wasn't going to be asked to make up stories around 'Frogs on Lily Pads' or anything else designed for young children. The assessor scolded me for having done online research (to which I replied "What did you expect, I'm a 55 year old computer nerd"), but then said she didn't have to use that material & both assessment appointments were more like a cross between an informal chat & a counselling session.

Once I had the formal diagnosis, they did mention that I could now access 'Support Services for People on the Spectrum', but when I asked for examples of what might be available, it was only simplistic stuff like "How to Plan a Trip to the Supermarket" or "How to Follow a Balanced Diet". I just laughed, reminding her that I had been taking care of myself for a very long time & she agreed none of the proposed services would be appropriate in my case.

The only available support in my area seemed to be quite patronising & presumed I was incapable of fairly basic things. Had they offered counselling for depression tailored to people on the Spectrum, I probably would have accepted since the reason for my referral was that I had previously completed a whole year of Psychotherapy on the NHS & my therapist was trying to understand why it hadn't helped my Depression at all. She thought that Autism would explain why my negative thought patterns seem to be completely impervious to change. I have heard of specialist counselling services for people on the Spectrum, but there aren't any in my area, especially not on the NHS. I'm pretty much retired now, so can't afford to pay for expensive private services anyway.

In addition to being resistant to therapy, I also seem to be resistant to anti-depressants. I have tried fairly high doses of quite a few different ones over the last five years & my head just seems to ignore them completely. I'm still badly depressed, but not currently on any medication. My Doctor said that it was moderately common for people on the Spectrum to be resistant to medication because the drugs are designed for people whose brains are wired differently than mine.

I was referred to the Psychiatric Dept of a local Hospital who agreed that it was pointless trying to prescribe more anti-depressants or refer me for more therapy, because at least in my case, it just doesn't work. This isn't because I am somehow sabotaging it before it starts with negativity, it just can't help because I am clearly resistant to the medication & the main cause of my depression is excessive rumination over memories of past mistakes that seem to be perfectly preserved 'Virtual Reality Bubbles" in my head & never lose their ability to cause me pain.

There was one hopeful development of being referred to the Psychiatric Dept though, the mental heath nurse I spoke to was absolutely convinced that the real cause of my depression is ADHD which has been heavily masked by my Autistic Spectrum symptoms. I didn't know much about ADHD prior to that, but now that I understand more, I can see what he was getting at & it would neatly explain symptoms I have had my whole life.

Whereas there are no specific medications for Autism, there are several available for ADHD but which can't be prescribed without a formal diagnosis, hence why I am now back on a waiting list for LancUK & will hopefully get an appointment by June this year (their estimate).

Apparently there is quite a large overlap with ASD & ADHD, so people on the Spectrum are more likely to also have ADHD than 'Neurotypicals' & vice versa. Not sure what I do if LancUK say I don't have ADHD after all, or if I do get the diagnosis but turn out to be weirdly resistant to 'Methylphenidate' as well.

Hopefully all this rambling is helpful to someone. The overall point that I was trying to make was that depending on how 'High Functioning' you are, having a diagnosis of ASD potentially won't change anything other than your own viewpoint. I know that you are convinced that you have Aspergers already, but having that confirmed in writing might still alter your perception of self more than you might currently think.

I was always convinced that I couldn't on the Spectrum because I can read body language quite well, prefer socialising to being on my own & can even appear to be 'Relatively Normal'. Since my diagnosis though, I am no longer in denial & find it quite liberating.

Sorry for the length of this reply, being excessively verbose is one of my more obvious autistic traits !