Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, I was diagnosed about 12 years ago with ADHD, and recently, I was seeing a psychologist about something unrelated, and it has ended up with them referring me for an autism diagnosis. He warned it can take a couple of years to get it all done, so I was wondering if anyone on here in the NW of England has gone privately, and if so, how much did it cost? Aside from the reduced waiting time, are there any other benefits to going private? I did a bit of googling, but there were loads and the prices varied quite a lot. I figured that here would be the best place to ask.
And then, there's the how do you deal with a fairly late diagnosis? (50s). I'm not sure how I feel about it all. I'm not an emotional person really, but I have felt quite intense emotions since this all happened and it's really not like me at all. Not sure if to just accept it and get on with it or wait for the diagnosis and process it then. What did you do?
Any input greatly appreciated, thank you.
I was in my fifties too when I found out. Did loads of reading & research & used this forum, which was a great support to me.
The main thing to keep in mind is that you haven't changed, you're still the same person you always were. The key thing is to forget about the idea of autism that you've picked up from society over your lifetime, and read the experiences of other autistic adults and more current research and discoveries.. That will help you recognise yourself.