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Private assessment help

JennyB

Hi there I am new here and have a lot to learn

My 21 year old daughter is on a 2 year waiting list but I have been offered help to go private. I live near Birmingham and have seen a few places but they offer video call assessments, is this the norm? I am surprised especially given the costs involved!

Is there anything I should be aware of? Will a private diagnosis be recognised by her GP?

Many thanks

Jenny

  • in reply to AuTriker

    There were activities in mine where I needed to use the centre's resources (puzzles etc) so I think if it had been more like yours I would have been fine with video! They definitely saw me mucking about with a charger cable mid-assessment so I agree with you on that sort of thing being noticeable.

  • in reply to battybats

    I was happy to have mine on video call, I feel the observational component was more natural as I was in my home and more relaxed. I suppose it might be just as well that I don't tend to have the laptop too close so she could see me me using my fidgets, maybe people whose stims are all in their feet might not get that observed? But facial expression or lack of would be observable by video. I'm not sure I'd have been so happy if it was all just on the phone.

  • Private diagnosis will be recognised by the NHS as long as they're using the right criteria and properly qualified assessors- the organisation that did my assessment put that info on their website very clearly.

    Video calls are a fairly normal part of the process these days, though I'm not sure I would have wanted all my appointments to be online as there was an observational component to my assessment which would have been difficult to do if I hadn't attended in person. I think having video calls to go through questionnaires and family/developmental history is fine though as it's just an exchange of factual information.

  • I was wondering whether to get a private assessment where I am, but on the other hand, as it would only otherwise by my word, there are those medical notes, and I know plenty was written on those. I know, because I caught sight of them by accident. Unfortunately it seems to be practically impossible to get hold of them these medical notes from outside the UK and I've no doubt Brexit has thrown in extra spanners. The only thing is, is that it was seen as part of a rather different spectrum in those days, not an autistic one. 

  • Some assessments switched to online because of covid. I would prefer to be seen in person. My own private assessment was with a professional who specialises in ASD. I had 2 appointments in person, and 2 on the phone (my choice for the latter two).

  • It should be recognised if thoroughly done by a properly qualified team.  You do need to check them out though.  I'd be suspicious if one individual were diagnosing alone.  Generally you'd expect a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist together with a speech and language specialist minimum and they should be taking full histories from you as well as interviewing your daughter.  At lot was done by video call during the pandemic, but I'd have thought that the assessors would want at least some of the assessment to be in person.  I'd also be checking how uptodate their training is especially with respect to women and girls.

    For the Birmingham area there is one with a good reputation in Nuneaton - Lawrence House, I think.