• Replies 2 replies
  • Subscribers 82 subscribers
  • Views 957 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Choosing a Right to Choose provider for an autism assessment

blueduck21
Hello,

I am a female in my early 30s and have just been referred for an autism assessment via the Right to Choose Pathway. I've been sent a list of providers to choose from but I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed and not quite sure how to make this decision. Any advice or experience to share?

My initial thoughts are perhaps to choose the place where I can have an in-person assessment that supposedly has the shortest waiting time. However, I'm also worried about what kind of clinician would be doing the assessment and whether that makes a difference, and also whether some places may be better than others in terms of understanding of autism in women.

If I'm honest, I'm also a bit nervous about what the outcome of the assessment will be. I *think* an official diagnosis would be the most satisfying and validating outcome. I guess I'm actually a bit worried at the moment that I might not receive such a diagnosis.
Parents

  • I was referred to, assessed and diagnosed by Psychiatry UK.

    The process was relatively straight forward, my GP wrote the referral, I just provided them with an AQ10, you can get there here. I received a text and an email from Psychiatry UK to sign up to their online portal and answer some questionnaires, they were very in depth and quite draining, they took a few days but I was able to give a lot of information. There is also an informant report for someone who knows you well, I actually didn't get someone to complete one of these but it had no impact on my assessment. 

    Once they were completed I was contacted again by text and email to sign onto the portal and book an appointment. I could choose my psychiatrist from available appointments so I went with one who was interested in 'high functioning autism'. 

    The assessment itself was online, it was an hour long appointment on Teams. It actually worked well for me. He just went over the information on my forms and asked some further questions. At the end he summarized his thoughts and how my experiences fitted with the diagnosis, he gave my diagnosis and asked if I had any questions. 

    I got the report about four weeks later. I would recommend them, there is a fair bit of work for you to do with the forms but I think that's ideal as you can get all of your thoughts down ands the psychiatrist will likely have a good overview of you before the appointment. 

    I believe their waiting time is currently 3 months. 

    Good luck! 

Reply

  • I was referred to, assessed and diagnosed by Psychiatry UK.

    The process was relatively straight forward, my GP wrote the referral, I just provided them with an AQ10, you can get there here. I received a text and an email from Psychiatry UK to sign up to their online portal and answer some questionnaires, they were very in depth and quite draining, they took a few days but I was able to give a lot of information. There is also an informant report for someone who knows you well, I actually didn't get someone to complete one of these but it had no impact on my assessment. 

    Once they were completed I was contacted again by text and email to sign onto the portal and book an appointment. I could choose my psychiatrist from available appointments so I went with one who was interested in 'high functioning autism'. 

    The assessment itself was online, it was an hour long appointment on Teams. It actually worked well for me. He just went over the information on my forms and asked some further questions. At the end he summarized his thoughts and how my experiences fitted with the diagnosis, he gave my diagnosis and asked if I had any questions. 

    I got the report about four weeks later. I would recommend them, there is a fair bit of work for you to do with the forms but I think that's ideal as you can get all of your thoughts down ands the psychiatrist will likely have a good overview of you before the appointment. 

    I believe their waiting time is currently 3 months. 

    Good luck! 

Children
No Data