Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello all
i have just joined the forum and could do with some advice please
i am a 49 year old male who is trying to get an assessment for autism
the first referral from my gp around November 2021 was refused, I was then put on a waiting list to speak to a psychologist about my mental health, I had to wait over a year and a half for Ann appt to be given a trainee that discharged me as we weren’t getting any where, but she did do a referral for another asd assessment, this was in May this year.
as I never heard anything I telephoned the autism centre where the referral was made and was told the referral has been made but it will take some time to be triaged to see if I can get on the waiting list and if I do make it to the waiting list it will be a 2-3 year wait for an assessment
I asked both my gp and psychologist for an O/C as I find it difficult to live in my current accommodation but the I/C refused as I have no mobility issues
i am living in private accommodation and the tenancy is a rolling contract that feels me with fear as I have no stability, the council refuse me to join social housing register as I am not homeless I am self harming as I live with alcoholic and junkies who make so much noise at night
sorry about the long post I just don’t know where to turn or what to do
KolaKube, Hi
I'm sorry to read of your circumstanaces, it all sounds pretty horrendous,
I think the council have given you incorrect information. I don't think you have to be actually homeless to qualify to go on the social housing register. Maybe you should have a word with Citizens Advice, or Shelter. Or how about contacting your local councillor? Or, of course, you could always contact your local MP; many of them hold 'surgeries' these days so you can meet them face to face and tell them your situation.
I'm just sorry I can't offer more advice.
Ben
Hi Ben
thanks for the reply appreciated.
the council told me that if I am not happy with their reply to go to the lgsco which I did but they sided with the council.
I have contacted citizens advice many times but they were of no help just gave me the number for shelter, when I rang shelter they said there are many cases similar to mine and that if their lawyer don’t contact me then they can’t help, their lawyer never contacted me
i sent an email to my mp which was answered by her secretary who asked for more info, once I gave the info the secretary said the mp is aware of housing shortages and is raising it in parliament and that was the end of that.
I haven’t contacted the councillor as when I don’t get any help I become distressed and self harm
I'm sorry to read your reply, KolaKube.
You mustn't give up, you must contact your councillor next. Try Shelter and the MP again, keep writing to them. Don't just accept their empty replies.
For Citizens Advice and Shelter, can you book a face-to-face appointment? It might be easier that way, but I know it could be daunting for some.
Can you look for alternative private accommodation? In most places they advertise in the evening papers.
I'm sorry I can't offer more, but don't just give up..... keep contacting them, make a nuisance of yourself..... don't let them forget your name... you've nothing to lose. And please don't self-harm, if you feel you're going to do that then call the Samaritans and talk talk talk, then talk some more, unload your problems. they WILL listen. It helps to talk, it really does, I know from personal experience some years ago, long before I was assessed.
I can wait, not a problem for now. Your current situation is more dire than mine and needs dealing with more urgency. My living environment is not ideal but it's not bad either.
Hi Thomas
i understand your concerns with the confidence in the system
hopefully the wait isn’t too long for your asd
My will power is lacking and so is my confidence in the system. I think my best approach is to seek an ASD assessment, given my life/history tells the story. All the ASD assessor needs to do is look at my history and my current situation to see there is something not right, something that does not reflect how I look and how they perceive me. I mask obsessively and that's not something my Dr could understand or recognize but an ASD specialist should be able to see it for what it is.
I didn't even know I was masking and what masking was until I joined this site and gave some details about myself. That's when someone made a comment telling me that I was autistic masking. Then it suddenly all made sense to me. A random person on the internet was more inquisitive than any Dr or health professional that I've ever seen.
That’s about the same waiting time down here in Greater London
Thomas, I would fill out the uc50 form again giving real life situations when asked for evidence, if they deem you fit for work ask for the MR, if that fails go to tribunal
noone should be persecuted on their ‘looks’
On the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS) website, they give an example of time for those over 18 years of age:
Quote: "Lucy was referred to LADS in June 2023. She was seen for an initial appointment in September 2024. The final appointment took place in March 2026 and Lucy received her diagnostic outcome"
Wherever I look the trend is longer waiting times.
I have but I failed the Work Capability Assessment. The assessor came to my home and told me to grab his wrist and squeeze and I was deemed fit to work. That was despite getting diagnosed with agoraphobia several years previous. My problem is that my looks are very deceiving. I look like a guy in his prime, fit and healthy, attractive even, has good fashion style. On top of that I also mask. No one can see through it, they only see what is on the surface. It's always worked against me when trying to get support.
Thanks again, when I was first referred for my asd by the gp it was refused and I was notified within 2 weeks, I’m going to look into paying private so that I know
go is appreciated
I had my assessment purely to validate my self-realisation that I was autistic. Having coped in society for 59 years I had no expectation of getting any financial or other practical support. As long as you ensure that the private provider is suitably registered with the NHS you should be fine. If any public body challenges your diagnosis it is they who are in the wrong and ignorant of the rules (this does happen, unfortunately).
Taken verbatim from the NICE guidelines for the assessment of ASD, "Diagnostic assessment, which in the UK uses ICD-10, is often within a multi-disciplinary team but at a minimum is by a qualified clinician, usually a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or neurologist." From the document: Autism Recognition, referral, diagnosis and management of adults on the autism spectrum, National Clinical Guideline Number 142, p. 25.
Many thanks for this info Martin, I’m considering paying privately due to the waiting list and if I am assessed as having autism it will help me come to terms with things