waiting for an assessment

Hi and welcome.

There are already several replies giving you some good advice, but I just want to say don't worry if the assessors decide your traits are not disabling enough for a diagnosis - you're still welcome here.

I am not professionally diagnosed - I'm self discovered - but I feel that I fit in here. I've had a lot of support from other members and try to support others in return.

I hope you enjoy being part of our community.

omg thank you thats a lifesaver i never knew this existed till you said it 

thank you so much i will give the therapy route a try i think, that also cleared up that confusion for me tysm

i never heard of the right to choose part that's a huge help thank you so much 

oh wow thank you so much i never thought of writing things down 

Find out about the assessment criteria, using resources on this site.  You-tube: I found a couple of videos really helpful on the diagnosis assessment and criteria in more understandable terms.  Then basically use this knowledge to look back at you and your life, so you can recognise behaviours/difficulties/events which you can provide in the meeting so maybe jot some of these down on a notepad.

It's a bit of a discovery journey and on-going learning project which can be a bit consuming , 1 month ago I never knew about masking and autistic anxiety there's no shortage of resources...it seems a case of deciphering which aspects you can relate to

Hi and welcome to the community!

You might find this resource helpful:

NAS - What can I do while waiting for an autism assessment?

Also, if you live in England, you might like to consider asking your GP to re-refer you via the Right to Choose pathway (which enables access to private providers who might have shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS):

NAS - What is Right to Choose

Some examples of Right to Choose providers are listed here, for example:

ADHD and ASD assessment – Right To Choose

Hi, as A said do your research and use it to understand yourself . I also found speaking to a psychologist very helpful, it allowed me exploring my feelings and thought process.

The NHS waiting list is horrendous and I was on it for 3 years before I used the "right to choose" which is available in England. This is where the NHS outsources the assessment to another organisation.

Hi Evie, Waiting for the assessment is an anxious time. I distracted myself by researching autism to try to better understand if it really fit me. I also went through therapy while waiting, which helped.

Re some people not getting the diagnosis: it’s really important that they get it right, not just give everyone a diagnosis. There are other conditions which have overlapping symptoms (eg ADHD and BPD) so it’s important correct condition is identified so people get the right help.