Denied full diagnostic assessment

Oh Lord. I feel for you. You are obviously a victim of too many referrals and too few resources and that of course will be cold comfort to you.

As the others have stated, what the Hell does "functioning" mean anyway? Sure, there are people on the spectrum who will never even suspect that they are (that was so nearly me) because in many or most respects, they manage. But that doesn't mean we don't deserve to a) know who we are b) get some support where autism makes life tougher.

Clearly, if you can find the funds private is an option, and I'd recommend the NAS own service, but functioning on the surface of it or not, if you are finding stuff underneath tough you deserve to have that made easier.

I'd spend sometime listing the impacts to you and ask again. After all, they wouldn't ignore a diabetes patient just because they were more or less controlling that through diet. They'd still get that bit extra attention for that to make sure the impacts to the rest of their health were managed as well as they can be. 

Yeah they didn’t use any AQ style tests and basically got me to repeat everything I wrote on my referral form, without much room for explaining. I’m definitely going to ask my GP in Devon to re refer me, and hope for a better outcome

I think that the diagnostic criteria have a section about your ASC having a debilitating effect on daily life: "Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning". This does not mean that you have to be unable to function in daily life, just that you have impairment. This can be many things, like finding it difficult to make phone calls, finding social occasions so stressful that you would prefer to avoid them (even if you do attend), finding crowded places stressful and avoiding them, being misunderstood in conversations or misunderstanding others - the possible list is practically endless. The takeaway message is not whether or not you can function, but the amount of distress and exhaustion you experience in managing to function. The people who assessed you do not seem to understand this. It is like saying to someone with only one foot that they cannot be disabled because they can manage to struggle across a hundred yards on crutches. They were functional in being able to move a certain distance, but they still had a missing foot. Get a second opinion from people who are competent.

bee,

I see that you've now added further info to your first post.  I really don't know if a triage counts as an assessment, but  I seriously doubt it. It most certainly isn't a FULL assessment.

When you move to Devon you need to discuss things with your new GP.  

Waiting time FOUR YEARS!!!  That really is outrageous.

Ben

Hello bee,

LIke Tonik, I went private.  My local NHS MH team had been letting me down for years; decades, in fact.  Private is quick, but expensive, however, if you look around prices vary a great deal

If you want to stay with the NHS then I'm sure you have a right to a second opinion. Maybe you should discuss this with your GP. or perhaps someone on this forum can advise you, there could be a member or two here that have had second opinions.

I don't understand why they've turned you down because you are 'functiong'. My assessment states that I am  'ASD High Functioning'.  so just how do they  define the word 'functioning' ? A bit of a mystery eh! I see Tonic is also puzzled by the word.

Sorry i can't be more help.

Ben

I failed to get help from the NHS, so had to seek private help. A Psychiatrist is quite expensive, but was worth it despite taking nearly every penny I had. I sought help with my life-long anxiety, social, and sensory issues and was diagnosed with Asperger's, or high-functioning autism. The word 'functioning' frustrates me, because from the inside it doesn't feel like I'm functioning at all. But, from the outside it looks like I am because I am rather good at masking it (until I have a complete meltdown). I was lucky to find a psychiatrist that could see through my mask, but I also had to be really honest with him about myself.

I presume that you are seeking help because it doesn't feel like you are functioning either. There must be a way to appeal their decision, so unless you can afford to go private I would start there. If you are like me then it might include being more open and honest with them about yourself than you are comfortable being, so you may need to mentally prepare yourself for that as best you can.

Not sure if that helps, but good luck with your diagnosis.