What to expect from diagnostic test (adult)?

Welcome, Greenfly!

I would guess from the fact that you're seeing a nurse practioner, that the first session will be a preliminary screening, to be followed by a few sessions with a psychologist and/or maybe an occupational therapist if indicated by the screening. That was pretty much the case for mine (likewise I was referred by mental health services after 30 years of recurrent "untreatable depression" - which I'm now pretty sure would have been better described as "autistic burn-outs").

Besides the usual anxiety that I have about appointments and travelling, my experience was a really good one. It was the first time in my life that I spoke to anyone, professional or otherwise, who really understood what I was trying to say, and I found that I was able to open up about it all really easily after a little while to find my feet. IIRC, I had four or five of the full sessions with the psychologist, each of about an hour, and the occupational therapist was invited in only for a little while just for a second opinion on a couple of things. That may not be quite the same for you, as different units have their own way of working, but it seems pretty typical. A few of the tests might vary depending on what they see as they go along - for example, I had to do some co-ordination tests because my autism has a touch of dyspraxia about it (hence the OT).

The main advice I'd give you is to try not to antipate what answers they're expecting to hear and just be as honest as you can be. If you're struggling to answer a question, just say so, and if possible try to explain why - they will be plenty used to that, or even people just going completely mute, and such difficulties can be as useful to them as any other answer might have been. Some of the questions can seem really strange at times; sometimes it's just because they're "control" questions to rule out other things, and other times it's because they've noticed traits that you don't even know you have yourself. I was really worried beforehand that I was such a "borderline case" that I might get no diagnosis at all (I'd have happily accepted that my problems were due to some other condition) - but I discovered a lot about myself that I'd never have linked with autism in a million years.

And whatever happens, you'll be welcome here on the forums - what matters is sharing experiences that we have in common, and useful advice is still useful advice whether or not we have the same strange technical terms on our medical records.

Gosh that is really helpful advice and insight! Thank you!!

im only just setting out on this path of strongly suspecting I have high-functioning autism. I can’t work out which was to go. I need help and support urgently, but the wait with the NHS is literally years (as I’m sure you know) and in desperation I’m trying private therapists but just finding the professionals I’ve contacted have little understanding or experience with someone with autism. To read that you found the assessment process the way you did, is very reassuring. Did it take you a long time to get to that stage, writhing the system? Is online support perhaps a better option do you think? I say that because there may be a broader selection of “experts” offering support online (maybe.)

Personally, I think getting to know other autistic people on forums like this is about the best thing you could do - I've received far more effective "therapy" this way than from any professional that I've ever seen. My assessment was certainly very enlightening, and led me to make contact with other autistic people, but there was no official follow-up with suggestions for coping strategies or anything like that (there actually should have been, but the waiting list for assessments had grown so long by the time I was seen that all the staff were needed for those; so it never happened).

As for the "how long" question - as I always say, it depends when you start counting from! I got very lucky with the assessment itself, as the NHS unit was brand new when I was referred, and my GP had been keeping an eye out for me (more about that in a moment). So, from referral, I only had to wait a couple of months - but after just that short time, the waiting list had already grown to over three years! And, from what I hear on the grapevine, it still is.

However, over the previous few years, my GP had tried to refer me at least twice before (and possibly before that with a previous GP). However, at that time there was still only a private clinic doing autism assessments locally. That meant that the GP had to request special funding from the NHS - which was refused each time, even though two CBT counsellors had previously written to my GP recommending that I be assessed, and the clinic had provisionally accepted me. I was very lucky that I had such an attentive GP looking out for me - I'd given up thinking I'd ever get an answer by that point!

So it took me either two months or about five years - take your pick!

Personally, I think getting to know other autistic people on forums like this is about the best thing you could do - I've received far more effective "therapy" this way than from any professional that I've ever seen. My assessment was certainly very enlightening, and led me to make contact with other autistic people, but there was no official follow-up with suggestions for coping strategies or anything like that (there actually should have been, but the waiting list for assessments had grown so long by the time I was seen that all the staff were needed for those; so it never happened).

As for the "how long" question - as I always say, it depends when you start counting from! I got very lucky with the assessment itself, as the NHS unit was brand new when I was referred, and my GP had been keeping an eye out for me (more about that in a moment). So, from referral, I only had to wait a couple of months - but after just that short time, the waiting list had already grown to over three years! And, from what I hear on the grapevine, it still is.

However, over the previous few years, my GP had tried to refer me at least twice before (and possibly before that with a previous GP). However, at that time there was still only a private clinic doing autism assessments locally. That meant that the GP had to request special funding from the NHS - which was refused each time, even though two CBT counsellors had previously written to my GP recommending that I be assessed, and the clinic had provisionally accepted me. I was very lucky that I had such an attentive GP looking out for me - I'd given up thinking I'd ever get an answer by that point!

So it took me either two months or about five years - take your pick!