I already posted this about 2 years ago after my non-diagnosis by the NHS. It took 5 years on the waiting list to be seen. I was 50 when I asked for an assessment.
The outcome was that the Psychologist who saw me said I definitely have autistic 'traits' but not enough by NHS standards to go with a full diagnosis. He also said their standards may change in the future, problem is that this won't help me one bit.
I am hard to diagnose as I had several decades without any idea that my 'weirdness' could be Autism and hence I masked a lot of behaviours. I also realise now that I didn't say the right things they want to hear, instead I told them every little thing that is weird about me. The one personal session was a failure because I did what I always do, i maintained eye contact [my husband says it is sometimes too long and without blinking], but it was one of their main reasons they said I am merely an eccentric typical German.
I am also a female and have learned certain things in order to work and keep my work, one of which was eye contact. Which was incredibly difficult at the time but I have my tricks now.
It's almost that if I had the ability to act and pretend and use all the right words I would have passed. But I deliberately didn't rehearse for the meeting as I can neither act nor pretend and believed that the professional could see this. He didn't. Now that I read up on everything I realise that I have 100%, definitely and absolutely ASD. No doubt. Of all my suspicions throughout my life as to why I am how I am none ever passed the longterm test apart from ASD.
The problem is that in real life it helps to say to certain people for example Dentists etc that I am 'on the spectrum', yet I feel that because it isn't official I have no right to do so. But I do it anyway, because my worries and my quirks make then more sense to them.
I know that if I went private and with someone who has deeper inside as to adult female Autism, I would be diagnosed in a heartbeat. But alas money isn't there. This post however is about what happened afterwards.
I did complain about the diagnosis and was promised to hear back from someone. After 6 months I asked again. They ahd not forwarded it. With an audible click teh woman said it is now with the right people.
2 years later I still haven't heard back, so I told them to stick it. I do not trust them at all any longer. Nobody in teh NHS cares, they probably thought I was a mad nuisance, when in fact it is my extreme sense of justice which just doesn't let me go.
What can we , who are falling through the cracks do in real life apart from being on this website? Isn't there some higher up help? They would then just say that they are the specialists and I am just a lunatic. After all they said that to me. Is this allowed to call someone a stereotype? Why has nobody answered back in years? Why did they not forward my first complaint? I feel I was a nuisance and they didn't want to deal with me.
What is above the NHS to check on these things? I understand that they are all interconnected and unless it is a force outside the NHS they won't ever answer me back. I feel so stupid. 7 years of my already advanced life I had hopes of at last having the answer. I do, but not officially. This makes me in the eyes of official establishments a 'normal' person who can be treated and asked like anyone else. This has always happened in my life and often it was detrimental to me.
I don't care personally for an official diagnosis, but it would help so much to make at least the winter of my life easier. So what else can I do, who else can I tell, I feel utterly helpless and hopeless. I wish I had money for a private diagnosis. Is there any help for this?