Published on 12, July, 2020
My son had a video autism assessment today with Psychiatry UK through NHS Right To Choose and the people assessing him said he does have a lot of autistic traits but not enough to "cross the threshold". The appointment lasted for less than 30 minutes. Does anyone know whether their decision can be challenged or whether he is entitled to a second opinion elsewhere. Advice please.
Were there any written materials to complete beforehand?
For example, questionnaires and the RAADS-R?
That is what I had for my online assessment along with two 45 minute to an hour interviews.
If the assessment was mainly done via the written work this could be why the conclusion was reached although half an hour is inadequate.
My son filled in a questionnaire, he is 25, and I did too. Just checked with him about the timings and he said they spent about 10 minutes explaining about the assessment, asked him questions for about 15 minutes, and took 5 minutes to make a decision, so 30 minutes total.
For adults, their history of traits should take precedence over observation. Observation is vital for childhood diagnosis, but it is unfortunately often carried over into adult assessment where its utility and application is questionable. A three year old autistic child is very different from a 30 year old autistic adult with many years of perfecting masking techniques behind them.
No one talking to me would suspect that I was autistic - unless I was in a very rare meltdown and I bottle up meltdowns until I am alone virtually 100% of the time. However, I amassed pages and pages of notes on my autistic traits and history. I made sure that my notes covered all the necessary criteria from the diagnostic manuals. This might sound a little cold-blooded, but I do not trust clinicians to ask the right questions all of the time.
You would have been paying for 2 hours of the clinician's time. This includes reading through the written submissions. It helps to look at the diagnostic criteria beforehand (available online) so that the written material covers all the necessary criteria. It sounds like the information provided missed out on some aspect of the criteria. The common stumbling blocks are 'evidence of traits from early childhood' and the 'impact that autistic traits have on everyday life'.
Thank you for your reply. I think it would have suited my son to have a face to face assessment rather than by video. I know we filled out forms, but to meet someone and within 30 minutes have already made a decision seems not thorough enough to me.
This sounds hugely inadequate.
I had a questionnaire, an hour discussion on the questionnaire, then another long wait. An hours discussion with my parent over the phone. And then an appointment with 1.5 hour interview and an hour where they got me to do tasks and observed me.
I was given the impression that the observation component is an important aspect.
My assessment was with Harley Psychiatrists via the NHS.
Thank you for your reply. I will report back as it then may help others who find themselves in the same situation.
That definitely seems inadequate.
I think I had around 4 questionnaires plus the RAADS.
All the best with this.
It would be good if you are able to report back if you make any headway.