Published on 12, July, 2020
Just had a note on the web portal with an update on waiting times for the assessment appointment for anyone who is interested or in the process at the moment. Not great in terms of my anxiety over it all but I can't really fault it when I'm one of the people adding to their caseload.
I believe that the Covid lockdowns increased the demand for autism assessments. I was diagnosed by Psychiatry UK in February 2021 and only had to wait 3 weeks - though I paid myself. The extension of the 'Right to Choose' NHS scheme from ADHD to include autism has made the demand for assessment by Psychiatry UK vastly higher.
So it seems. But still better than the wait time for the NHS at the moment.
Yes, the NHS assessment regime is essentially designed for children, with minimal modification for use with adults. As it is reliant on testing and observation by a team of clinicians, it is overly long-winded and costly, hence the stupidly long waiting times. Unfortunately, the NHS has not realised that, while testing and observation are vital for child diagnosis, they are not nearly as important for adults, because you can just ask adults and they will tell you their traits and experiences. DUH!
Thank you, that's very helpful. I spent a lot of time on the form so hopefully they find my answers useful. I've looked at the diagnostic criteria and how I fit it so I can reiterate that as well.
No toys or stories, with Psychiatry UK you get a private assessment paid for by the NHS, not the NHS assessment procedure. The psychiatrist who diagnosed me did so mostly from the copious notes I provided, and from our conversation. The only observations he made that were relevant to the diagnosis was that I had a 'flat affect'. I think providing as much written 'history' beforehand is very useful. If you can fit your traits into the criteria listed in the diagnostic manuals, so much the better. I think we were only about 20 minutes into the consultation when I was told that I would be getting a diagnosis of ASD. The rest of the time we were discussing my anxiety and OCD problems. In the end I got two extra diagnoses.
Having gone through the children's testing with my son this year I can definitely confirm that. I was hoping that the adult assessment with Psychiatry UK would be different, I wasn't looking forward to having to play with toys or make up stories.