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Support between self and professional diagnosis

Hop Doctor

I'm 47 and my wake up call was mental burnout at work . I sought councilling which was helpful to a point  It all fell over when it crossed into support for my marriage when my wife was painted a picture of how I should be and this was contrasted to how I am. There was and is a big gap. My councilor had no experience of Aspergers and was causing me more stress than good ca. four weeks ago so I thanked them and parted ways. I read a really well referenced as useful book on very late diagnosis Aspergers and relate to this so closely . Locally the route to diagnosis is 14 months or £1500 privately . I had to step down to a job paying just £16k PA vs. the excellent salary I used to have as an R&D manager . Am unsure about this spend and am seeking support and advise in the limbo period  especially as my wife doesn't have any faith at all in my self diagnosis  

Parents
  • Hop Doctor said:
    Locally the route to diagnosis is 14 months or £1500 privately

    I have just done a google search and it depends where you live of course but there are people who do assessments/diagnoses for considerably less than that.  And I am sure if you are prepared to travel you could have someone in a different part of the country do the assessment.  For example, I found the following who do assessments in Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, and Wolverhampton is well served by rail from many parts of the country.

    https://www.summerfieldhealthcare.co.uk/autism/#BookNow

    The psychologist is also listed separately if you google his name, so his own independent assessment 'may' be a little less but his waiting time may depend on the time he has available from his other commitments , but the above is one of the few services  that actually lists a firm price.  You would also have to factor in the cost of two trips to Wolverhampton or Shrewsbury.

    It seems as though you initially only pay the price for the first part to see if it is 'likely' you get a positive diagnosis.  If so, you carry on to the next part at the additional higher cost.

    Just a bit of information for you ....  I will also say 'others are available' so don't take this as an endorsement or otherwise for excellent service, but waiting times, according to the summerfield healthcare website are very short.

    I was privately diagnosed at the age of 62.  I chose the private route because of the time for an NHS diagnosis would have meant a very long wait and I was having such problems at work that a diagnosis was the step to take to get the help I needed in the workplace.  And it was well worth the money I spent for the advantage of a short wait - I waited about six weeks.  It could have been less but I had to fit available days by the psychologist with the days I was also available.

    Have you done an AQ test?  This will provide you with a good indication also as to whether you have autistic traits although not a diagnostic tool.  I would recommend the 50 question test as it is more thorough.

    https://aspergerstest.net/aq-test/

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  • Hop Doctor said:
    Locally the route to diagnosis is 14 months or £1500 privately

    I have just done a google search and it depends where you live of course but there are people who do assessments/diagnoses for considerably less than that.  And I am sure if you are prepared to travel you could have someone in a different part of the country do the assessment.  For example, I found the following who do assessments in Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, and Wolverhampton is well served by rail from many parts of the country.

    https://www.summerfieldhealthcare.co.uk/autism/#BookNow

    The psychologist is also listed separately if you google his name, so his own independent assessment 'may' be a little less but his waiting time may depend on the time he has available from his other commitments , but the above is one of the few services  that actually lists a firm price.  You would also have to factor in the cost of two trips to Wolverhampton or Shrewsbury.

    It seems as though you initially only pay the price for the first part to see if it is 'likely' you get a positive diagnosis.  If so, you carry on to the next part at the additional higher cost.

    Just a bit of information for you ....  I will also say 'others are available' so don't take this as an endorsement or otherwise for excellent service, but waiting times, according to the summerfield healthcare website are very short.

    I was privately diagnosed at the age of 62.  I chose the private route because of the time for an NHS diagnosis would have meant a very long wait and I was having such problems at work that a diagnosis was the step to take to get the help I needed in the workplace.  And it was well worth the money I spent for the advantage of a short wait - I waited about six weeks.  It could have been less but I had to fit available days by the psychologist with the days I was also available.

    Have you done an AQ test?  This will provide you with a good indication also as to whether you have autistic traits although not a diagnostic tool.  I would recommend the 50 question test as it is more thorough.

    https://aspergerstest.net/aq-test/

Children
  • in reply to Trainspotter

    Thanks for that.  Yes I settled on the test you suggest because it was the only one I found with a reliable source behind it, Baren Cohen.  I scored 37.  It was that which led me to read more.  My wife is sceptical about my self diagnosis and I'd be keen to find out what I should be looking for in a clinician to show them / their methods to be credible. Is there a recognised professional body I should look for, for example?  Is being listed on on the autism.org.uk a sign of being 'sound'?  Ditto what should I look for in a councillor as I am struggling going through this on my own.  My wife's support is limited because she doesn't (want to?) believe me and has had to deal with control and meltdowns from me for the past six years.  Her lack of trust in me, whilst hurtful, is completely understandable.  I suspect she is on the spectrum too, but that she is unwilling to explore and it has to be her choice I feel.