Need assessment

Hello NA S63654

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling at the moment.

Trogluddite has sent a very helpful reply and you may also find some of this information would benefit you:

You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is.aspx

If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis.aspx 

Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx

You may like to have a look at the following page which includes personal accounts, which may help: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/stories.aspx

It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals:
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/professionals-involved.aspx

You may find it useful to have a look at our Community Care page on our website. The page contains information about community care services, at home or in the community, that may be available to you:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/community-care.aspx

You may want to search for services in your area that cater for people with an autism spectrum disorder on our Autism Services Directory: www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx

You may also  like to have a look at our website which includes many topics on benefits that you may find useful:

Benefits: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care.aspx

PIP: http://www.autism.org.uk/pip

DLA:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/benefits/children/dla-children.aspx

ESA: http://www.autism.org.uk/esa

Universal Credit: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/benefits/universal-credit.aspx

Carers Allowance:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/carers-allowance.aspx

Appeals and Reconsiderations: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/appeals.aspx

Making a complaint: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/letters-and-complaints.aspx

Also you could look at :

You may find the following links which provide information on getting help from social services useful:

(Adults England)

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/community-care/adult-care/england.aspx

(Adults Scotland)

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/community-care/adult-care/scotland.aspx

(Adults Wales)

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/community-care/adult-care/wales.aspx

(Adults Northern Ireland)

http://www.autism.org.uk/about/benefits-care/community-care/adult-care/northern-ireland.aspx

You may like to contact our Autism Helpline team who can give general autism information and advice, but please be aware that they are unable to offer specialist advice on benefits.

To contact the Helpline directly you may wish to call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday, 9am to 3pm). Please press Option 2 to speak to an adviser. Please note the Helpline team are experiencing a high volume of calls so it could take you a few attempts to get through to an adviser.

I know this is a lot to digest but hopefully you might find some of this helpful to you.

Best wishes

Lorraine Mod

Welcome to the forum,

It sounds like you're stuck in place that lots of autistic people find themselves in. Technically, local authority social services should support autistic people, but way they organise things, autism doesn't quite fit the responsibilities of any particular department, so we fall through the cracks - it's like school all over again, no-one wants the "weirdos" in their gang, and it's not unusual to be brushed aside if you happen to speak to the wrong person.

The first thing I would do is to get in touch with your local Citizen's Advice Bureau (CAB). A lot of them have a disability specialist you can speak with if you ask when you book. They can't always do anything directly, but their knowledge of how local services are set up is usually excellent - so if there's any other way to approach the local authority to try getting what you need, they will know it, and they can sometimes negotiate a little bit on your behalf. They're also good for finding out about local disability support charities and advocacy organisations. They are very busy these days, though, so do be prepared for a bit of a wait to see someone (and yes, I know going to see someone isn't always easy, but it's worth it just to see them cut jobs-worths down to size over the phone!)

The second route, if you haven't tried it already, it to claim the PIP benefit from the DWP, which is intended to cover the additional expenses of living with a disability. However, I'll warn you now, it is not easy to claim - very likely you wil be rejected at first and have to appeal, and that can take months. Again, the CAB is a good place to start for getting a bit of help with the mind-boggling application process.

And, while we can't help you with the practical stuff, there's us lot here on the forums to give you a bit of moral support in the mean-time!

Best wishes.