Published on 12, July, 2020
Apologies for the long post title.
I'm going to have an assessment at the Lorna Wing Centre, privately funded because my GP says it won't be possible on the NHS.
My GP advised me to check whether I would still be eligible for NHS autism treatment (e.g. therapy) after a private diagnosis.
I asked the LW Centre about this, and they advised me to check with my local service providers. I'm going to email them now, but I don't know if it will be possible to get a clear answer.
I was just wondering if anyone else has had a private assessment there, and then had any trouble accessing NHS treatment? I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue, given the LWC's reputation and the fact that they also accept NHS referrals, but I want to find out if I can.
Thanks in advance.
I think it ultimately depends on each provider. I know someone who hadn't been able to access certain treatment after a private diagnosis, but they moved area and suddenly they could (which could be location *or* time related, as she moved 2 years after diagnosis, so things could have changed in that time). I know that the DWP often won't accept a private diagnosis, and some educational authorities won't. There no hard and fast rule, it's a nightmare.
Hi JustMe,Thanks for your reply. I'm in the process of finding out who my local provider is, and who to contact.
If I don't have my assessment with the Lorna Wing Centre, my GP will refer me to the Maudsley Autism Clinic in South London. They also have a good reputation but I don't know how specialised they are at assessing female presentations of autism. I would find it worrying to wait a long time for an assessment there, not knowing whether I would be able to trust the result. Maybe I am worrying unnecessarily, but I guess I have become very nervous from reading about the experiences of many women who have been misdiagnosed. The other thing is that I don't know how long the Maudsley's waiting list is. My GP said it was 'at least 6 months' but from reading about other people's experiences of being referred on the NHS, it sounds like it can take up to 2 years or more, and I would find that extremely difficult. At least with the Lorna Wing Centre they tell you how long it's going to be (at the moment it takes them 6 weeks to review your application forms, then the actual wait itself is 5-6 months 'subject to change'.
I asked my GP what would happen if I stayed on the NHS waiting list and had an assessment at both the LW Centre and the Maudsley. If each centre gave me a different diagnosis then the NHS would be bound by the Maudsley's diagnosis. If, for example, the LW Centre thought I was autistic and the Maudsley thought I wasn't autistic, then the NHS would trust the Maudsley's result. But, just from talking with her about it, I realised I wouldn't be able to cope with having two assessments and getting two different diagnoses. I wouldn't be able to adjust to it psychologically because I would forever be uncertain whether or not I was autistic. So I think I will go with the LWC because I feel I could trust their diagnosis better than anyone else's. I guess the reason I am so worried about whether or not the Maudsley would diagnose me is that I have had NHS counselling and therapy so many times in my life, but none of the therapists ever suspected that I might be autistic. So I worry that I would slip through the net. From filling in the forms for the LWC, and seeing all my autistic traits on paper, I'm getting more and more sure that I am, but I have no way of knowing what a professional's opinion would be.
I agree with you that it is very worrying. I thought I had done everything I need to do, and now there's another layer of uncertainty and complication.
I'm hoping that, if I got a diagnosis from the LWC, hopefully there would be at least somewhere that would help me. I'm not going to apply for benefits because I have always been able to work. I just want to have therapy and counselling somewhere.