Hi everyone!
I just thought I’d share my online ASD assessment journey through Healios in the hope some may find it useful.
I was referred to my local NHS (please support in current climate!) Autism Assessment unit over a year ago. Roughly 4 weeks ago I received a letter through the post saying that due to the high demand for referrals they were signposting me to Healios for my assessments which would be online. *gulp!*.
1 week later I received an email from Healios that my first 2 assessments would be the following Thursday & then the RAADs assessment the Thursday after that. Wow, that all happened very quick! The email gave me detailed information on how to set up my account, the online process & what I needed to do prior to the appointments (how to set up the video link etc) another big thumbs up. I sent a number of emails to clarify certain points & these were all answered within 1 1/2 hours, impressive.
NOW the panic set in, big style!
Thursday came & I was easily able to connect with the Healios clinicians. The assessments themselves were painful (1 developmental history, 1 observation), I felt rather stupid and words didn’t come easily. The clinician was very supportive & allowed me breaks as & when I needed them. It’s worth noting that one of my sensory overload problems is noise. To begin with the clinician was clattering on her computer keyboard, I told her that the was bothering me & after a brief re-think from her she was able to resolve this. I finished the assessments.
A week later I had the RAADs appointment. Again it was easy to connect & the clinician was supportive. I don’t think I’ve ever answered so many questions in 2 1/2 hours. Finally it came to an end *BIG phew*. She told me that the disciplinary team were meeting this week and yesterday I received a very comprehensive report & my diagnosis of autism. I also had an online feedback session where I could ask & clarify some points.
Although the assessments were really difficult mentally I was very impressed with the service start to finish. From being on a waiting list for a year suddenly I had my assessments & diagnosis in just under 3 weeks! Online assessments aren’t right for everyone but for me it worked really well. I think more and more local NHS authorities are ‘sub-contracting’ these online clinicians due to an overwhelmed service.
If anyone has ANY questions about this online experience send me a message & I’ll do my best to answer.
A great service & now I’m starting to explore my diagnosis.