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Autism assessment waiting list

John878990



Hey everyone Wave

So today my psychiatrist said he suspects I might be autistic and recommended going for an assessment.

I agreed to the referral, but then he told me the current wait time is around 4 years and 8 months Flushed

Is that normal?! Has anyone else been through this recently and can share what your timeline looked like?

Just trying to figure out if this is typical or if something’s gone a bit mad with the system.

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences. To be honest, it all sounds pretty stressful—and I’m not keen on the idea of just being handed antidepressants as a quick fix to mask what might actually be a broader health condition.

Also I'm wondering if the psychiatrist might’ve regretted starting the referral, and maybe was subtly encouraged to stretch the process out so I’d eventually give up on it altogether.

Thanks all

Parents

  • Hi John and welcome to the community!

    If you live in England, then you can ask your GP to re-refer you using the Right to Choose pathway (RTC). 

    In England (only), this enables access to certain, approved, private autism assessment providers who typically have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS. You don't need a reason - this is a legal right and you would just be choosing to exercise it. That being said, avoiding a longer waiting time is a very good reason.

    For example, if you were to choose Psychiatry UK, their process is explained here. You can prepare the required materials - an AQ-10 form and accompanying letter - and use them to request the re-referral:

    Psychiatry UK - Right to Choose Autism Assessments > How to apply

    Their website advises that their waiting time for adult RTC assessments is currently up to four months.

    More information is available here:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    There's a list of RTC providers for autism at the bottom of this page, for example:

    NHS Sussex - NHS Right to Choose: for Autism and ADHD Assessment

Reply

  • Hi John and welcome to the community!

    If you live in England, then you can ask your GP to re-refer you using the Right to Choose pathway (RTC). 

    In England (only), this enables access to certain, approved, private autism assessment providers who typically have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS. You don't need a reason - this is a legal right and you would just be choosing to exercise it. That being said, avoiding a longer waiting time is a very good reason.

    For example, if you were to choose Psychiatry UK, their process is explained here. You can prepare the required materials - an AQ-10 form and accompanying letter - and use them to request the re-referral:

    Psychiatry UK - Right to Choose Autism Assessments > How to apply

    Their website advises that their waiting time for adult RTC assessments is currently up to four months.

    More information is available here:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

    There's a list of RTC providers for autism at the bottom of this page, for example:

    NHS Sussex - NHS Right to Choose: for Autism and ADHD Assessment

Children