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Advice!!

Bonbonbon

I have a phone call with the gp tomorrow, I’m literally terrified i cannot handle phone calls but ive heavily suspected that i am autistic for 5 years now! My therapist also a few months ago brought up her believing i am also autistic, she has helped me finally muster up the courage to speak to a gp, however, historically my gp has been awful with understanding that ive needed support with my mental health and have dismissed me- i am trying to write a script right now but my mind has gone blank! My therapist has made a list of things she has noticed about me that will help support me while speaking to the gp but im just worried it wont be enough? If anyone could give me any advice id really appreciate it! :-)

Parents

  • Hi and welcome to the community!

    I've found that preparing a script (or at least a list / bullet points of things to discuss and ask) can definitely help with GP phone calls. 

    In addition to reading this article:

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic

    You might also find this resource helpful; it includes a download with a list of suggested questions that you can ask your GP when requesting an assessment:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    If you live in England, you might particularly like to read about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose (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).

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

    ADHD and ASD assessment – Right To Choose

    The NAS articles include links to some screening questionnaires that you might like to complete, to get a better idea of whether your suspicions might be correct. However, you might prefer to use the website below for this, rather than the versions linked in the NAS article.

    The site below provides some very useful commentary for each questionnaire, and also enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for you), saved as PDFs and - if the results support your suspicions - printed off to share with your GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 seem to be the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals, so I'd suggest completing at least the AQ-10 and having the results ready to discuss during your phone call. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, although some recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool). 

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

    I wish you the best of luck with your call.

Reply

  • Hi and welcome to the community!

    I've found that preparing a script (or at least a list / bullet points of things to discuss and ask) can definitely help with GP phone calls. 

    In addition to reading this article:

    NAS - Signs that a child or adult may be autistic

    You might also find this resource helpful; it includes a download with a list of suggested questions that you can ask your GP when requesting an assessment:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    If you live in England, you might particularly like to read about requesting an assessment via Right to Choose (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).

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

    ADHD and ASD assessment – Right To Choose

    The NAS articles include links to some screening questionnaires that you might like to complete, to get a better idea of whether your suspicions might be correct. However, you might prefer to use the website below for this, rather than the versions linked in the NAS article.

    The site below provides some very useful commentary for each questionnaire, and also enables them to be completed online (with scores calculated for you), saved as PDFs and - if the results support your suspicions - printed off to share with your GP.

    The AQ-10 or AQ-50 seem to be the most frequently used / required by GPs in support of NHS referrals, so I'd suggest completing at least the AQ-10 and having the results ready to discuss during your phone call. (RAADS-R might also be helpful, although some recent research has thrown doubt on its validity as a screening tool). 

    Embrace Autism - screening tests

    I wish you the best of luck with your call.

Children
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