Criteria for getting funding for diagnosis

Hi Emma, 

Are you in the UK (I know there are some US residents on this board, and their criteria differs to ours).

If you're in the UK, I'm not sure why you need to get funding for a test? You'll either go through the NHS (which is funded by them) or go private (which is funded by you). As a female recently diagnosed through the NHS, this is what I did. I prepared a list of traits and how I fit them, explaining which ones I struggled with and how. I especially noted how autism often presents differently in females and gave examples. I explained why I wanted an assessment and how a diagnosis would help me. I also filled in the AQ test and took that with me. I have family members with autism so I mentioned that too.  My doctor agreed to refer me and told me that I'd hear from the assessment centre, either giving me an appointment, asking for more information or simply refusing the assessment. Whilst I waited for the contact I started making even more notes on areas of life that I struggled with, both now and as a child (I'm much older than you and so I didn't have anyone to give their opinions of my behaviour as a child. Therefore I had to do it myself). Things kept popping into my head, events from childhood, my teens, and so on, and I added them to the document as I remembered them, under their respective headings. I eventually heard from the centre and was just offered an appointment. I took my notes with me when I attended the first session and they took copies. The second session was over video call, due to Covid. I was told at the end of the second session that I was on the spectrum, ASD level 1. I received my report 7 weeks later. The whole process took around 2.5 years, from seeing my GP to getting my report, which seems the average. 

Hi Emma, 

Are you in the UK (I know there are some US residents on this board, and their criteria differs to ours).

If you're in the UK, I'm not sure why you need to get funding for a test? You'll either go through the NHS (which is funded by them) or go private (which is funded by you). As a female recently diagnosed through the NHS, this is what I did. I prepared a list of traits and how I fit them, explaining which ones I struggled with and how. I especially noted how autism often presents differently in females and gave examples. I explained why I wanted an assessment and how a diagnosis would help me. I also filled in the AQ test and took that with me. I have family members with autism so I mentioned that too.  My doctor agreed to refer me and told me that I'd hear from the assessment centre, either giving me an appointment, asking for more information or simply refusing the assessment. Whilst I waited for the contact I started making even more notes on areas of life that I struggled with, both now and as a child (I'm much older than you and so I didn't have anyone to give their opinions of my behaviour as a child. Therefore I had to do it myself). Things kept popping into my head, events from childhood, my teens, and so on, and I added them to the document as I remembered them, under their respective headings. I eventually heard from the centre and was just offered an appointment. I took my notes with me when I attended the first session and they took copies. The second session was over video call, due to Covid. I was told at the end of the second session that I was on the spectrum, ASD level 1. I received my report 7 weeks later. The whole process took around 2.5 years, from seeing my GP to getting my report, which seems the average.