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.
Ultramarine,
Getting diagnosis of ASD seems very complex I am no expert but just from reading your detailed posts I would hazard a guess you are somewhere on the spectrum!
I was also wondering what 'treatment' you would expect from the NHS after diagnosis, as ASD is a part of your personality and not really something that needs treatment.
What does need treatment is the anxiety that often accompanies ASD. The chances of getting treatment for anxiety on the NHS are low due to overloading and current high levels of anxiety in general, but it would be possible to ask for help with the anxiety even without an ASD diagnosis.
If.you want to know more about autism there is training available on the NAS website, it may give you strategies that might help you.
Hi Gerty,
Thanks for your message. I am still very much learning about autism. I was wondering what it is about my posts that comes across as autistic? I'd be very interested to know.
I agree with you about ASD not needing treatment - in fact I don't like the 'disorder' part of the title ASD, it sounds as though they are saying that there is something wrong with us. I don't know how others feel about this. I prefer to just say 'I'm autistic'.
But I agree with you about wanting treatment for anxiety. In fact, late last year, before I started looking for a diagnosis, I had online therapy on the NHS for stress and anxiety. At the end of this therapy, they told me that I clearly had deeper underlying issues, and therefore they were stepping me up to the next level of therapy (longer-term CBT) and I have been on the waiting list for this for several months. I recently contacted my initial therapist to tell her I thought I was autistic, and asking if the CBT that I was on the waiting list for was relevant any more, or whether I should instead look for specialised therapy for autism. She told me that they don't do specialised therapy for autism, but that the CBT offered could focus on the difficulties that I have because of autism. So I am still on the waiting list for that. Hopefully the therapist I eventually see will be open and accepting of the fact that I feel almost sure I'm autistic, and hopefully s/he will know something about autism and be able to help.
Thanks so much for telling me about the training available on the NAS website. Where on the website can I find it please?