Sara Heath Assessment

Hi

So assessment all done , over 3 hours long we chatted and in the end I'm being referred onto Dr Pravin for an official diagnosis sometime in November. 

The bombshell part is she thinks ADHD may be present also which I had absolutely no idea about. 

Still trying to process everything so more to come

Thanks 

Have thought long and hard about whether to post this, but here goes. What are your thoughts on how the autonomy plus assessment compares to the NHS multi disciplinary approach? As professional as Sara is, its my understanding that she can't give an official diagnosis of autism, that's where doctor Pravin comes in. 

The cynical and negative part of my brain is giving me doubts about the process. Is it a case of Dr Pravin doing a thorough assessment or is it a quick meeting online to rubber stamp the pre diagnosis findings. 

I don't quite understand how the process works. Is the first stage with Sara designed to filter out people who aren't autistic?  Is it purely an information gathering process? Or an assessment... The pre bit would suggest not. 

It seems to me that people are taking the opinions from the pre assessment as fact, feel free to correct me if thats not how it is. 

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, as I know how certainty in this matter is so important. That's why I really want to get others thoughts on this, perhaps I'm in the denial phase, but if I'm going to accept that I am Autistic I want to have full confidence in the robustness of the assessment process. 

I would be really interested to hear the thoughts of the posters on here that have used the service. 

Has anyone else had these doubts? Is everyone else fully confident in the process? If yes, what makes you confident in it? 

Hope I haven't come across as really negative, I'm just having a lot of doubts, and feel like I need certainty. 

Have thought long and hard about whether to post this, but here goes. What are your thoughts on how the autonomy plus assessment compares to the NHS multi disciplinary approach? As professional as Sara is, its my understanding that she can't give an official diagnosis of autism, that's where doctor Pravin comes in. 

The cynical and negative part of my brain is giving me doubts about the process. Is it a case of Dr Pravin doing a thorough assessment or is it a quick meeting online to rubber stamp the pre diagnosis findings. 

I don't quite understand how the process works. Is the first stage with Sara designed to filter out people who aren't autistic?  Is it purely an information gathering process? Or an assessment... The pre bit would suggest not. 

It seems to me that people are taking the opinions from the pre assessment as fact, feel free to correct me if thats not how it is. 

I don't want to make anyone feel bad, as I know how certainty in this matter is so important. That's why I really want to get others thoughts on this, perhaps I'm in the denial phase, but if I'm going to accept that I am Autistic I want to have full confidence in the robustness of the assessment process. 

I would be really interested to hear the thoughts of the posters on here that have used the service. 

Has anyone else had these doubts? Is everyone else fully confident in the process? If yes, what makes you confident in it? 

Hope I haven't come across as really negative, I'm just having a lot of doubts, and feel like I need certainty. 

There was nothing wrong with your original post and I interpreted that you were just seeking answers to some valid questions. I didn't reply immediately, because I needed to time to process your questions and answer as clearly as I could. Good luck with your diagnosis journey, whatever you decide.

You have nothing to feel sorry for, you raised valid points. 

Thankyou for the reply Craig. Yes it did help. 

Craig said:

Sara does not normally make appointments with Dr Pravin unless she is convinced that there is enough evidence to support a medical diagnosis.

Again, another reassuring point. 

I think my previous post probably said more about my state of mind at the time of writing it (very confused/ anxious) than anything to do with Sara heath and Dr Pravin. I am reassured by the 3 responses I have had from my post, and feel clearer in the direction I should take. Again, sorry if I've caused anyone any distress or anxiety because of my own doubts about the whole process. 

Thanks so much for your reply. I really hope I haven't made you doubt things, that was never my intention, if I have i opologise for that. 

NAS80814 said:

currently practicing DR dealing with autism that also strengthed the case for using

I agree this is a massive reassuring fact. 

I believe I have got a lot of negative feelings and doubts around the whole process. I never once considered autism  throughout my life, so think it has knocked me sideways. All the doubts and confusion needed to be got out of my head. I feel a bit better reading your reply , so thankyou, once again, hope my negative thinking hasn't left you with doubts. 

I can't compare this diagnosis route to an NHS multi-disciplinary approach (as I have no direct experience of that method), but I do know that this was definitely the right decision for me. Although money was a factor, it was also the nature of splitting the process into two parts (pre-diagnosis and diagnosis) that appealed to me. My chat with Sara lasted around 5-6 hours and it became apparent very early on how knowledgeable she is about the topic. She might not be a medical professional, but she is certainly an expert in ASD. I am still waiting to see Dr Pravin, but Sara does not normally make appointments with Dr Pravin unless she is convinced that there is enough evidence to support a medical diagnosis. As she stated to me, Sara is not in the business of wasting people's time or money. I had carried out a fair bit of research on private diagnosis options prior to choosing Sara and, as I said earlier, this diagnosis route was definitely the best option for me. I hope that helps.

I think it's described as a non medical information gathering process based on her experiences and if deemed necessary all the notes are passed to Dr Pravin for review and then a official diagnosis. 

Cost was a massive consideration for me , I simply could not afford the costs of some other services, there was a few mentions on the forum about her and the process and the fact it was a currently practicing DR dealing with autism that also strengthed the case for using the service. 

I had some knowledge regarding autism because I have children with autism but my knowledge about ADHD is poor so when she suggested that in our discussion I was quite shocked but after reviewing ADHD information it seems to now ring true which maybe goes someway to validate her opinion. 

I obviously can't speak for the whole process as I haven't saw Dr Pravin yet, until your post I was fairly certain in my diagnosis being accurate but you do raise good points.