what’s the best place to get a autism diagnosis test? Not everywhere is the same. Is there any better places to go in Scotland as it costs a out of money
what’s the best place to get a autism diagnosis test? Not everywhere is the same. Is there any better places to go in Scotland as it costs a out of money
Yes, perhaps you are right. I think I accept it from finding out the hard way hope autistic I get when I can't mask, but it's best to look forward now.
, good luck with finding answers!
I didnt mean any offence. Hope none was taken
Thank you. I have moved on so all is well.
Thanks for sharing - I didnt even realise I could check this, very useful. ArchaeC I wanted to say I can get quite passionate and focused on subjects, our earlier chat for example, I read it back and seen I got quite emotionally involved - I didnt mean any offence. Hope none was taken.
a quick google search and found this in central Scotland. Stirling to be precise. They look to be professional.
https://neurodevelopmentalassessmentstirling.com/autism-diagnostic-assessment-adult/
For Scotland, it's the body that ArchaeC linked to. Their search page is here:
Healthcare Improvements Scotland - Find an independent healthcare provider or service
The Care Inspectorate deals with providers of care services (as opposed to, for example, assessment providers).
It's there an equivalent in the other regions Bunny ?
If your provider is registered in Scotland (unlike Eton P who are registered in England) then the equivalent looks like the Care Inspectorate.
May I suggest (with kindness) not going down too much of a rabbit hole with these details.
I know what it's like from my own experience - people who are already diagnosed can be completely thrown off track by others' comments and start doubting the validity of their diagnosis.
I have found this which may be what you are looking for?
I received my diagnosis for ADHD and Autism through Psychiatry UK.
The whole process felt smooth and efficient.
I live in Sheffield.
It's there an equivalent in the other regions Bunny ? That looks really helpful but only covers England?
Iain has already mentioned the importance of checking in advance whether your GP will accept a diagnosis from any particular private provider that you might be considering using. And ArchaeC and have discussed the relevance of the NICE guidelines and multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs).
Another factor that you might like to consider is the quality of each provider's service, as indicated by the Care Quality Commission's (CQC's) inspection ratings. The CQC assesses whether services are: safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led, and provides a separate rating for each of these.
For example - and whilst I am in no way questioning the quality of their service - Eton Psychiatrists (a suggestion below) was only registered with the CQC in late 2024 and hasn't yet been inspected or rated (CQC overview here).
An example of a different private provider is Psychiatry UK, which has been rated by the CQC as "Good" across all aspects of its service (CQC overview here).
Trustpilot ratings and reviews might also be worth looking at.
We are all autistic so fully understanding what is meant by the guidelines and what is needed can be import to us. So I hope no one is taking it personally, (it gave me major anxiety all night), especially understanding why some have maybe paid for a bigger assessment with an in person part, but same results at the end of the day really. This is why ideally, it would be better to be able to have it at least through the NHS even if it was paying for a set thing for a set price like the dentist. I hate the privatisation model
I am sorry that you had anxiety all night about this and I agree that it is a sad system when getting a diagnosis can be such a life saver for many people. There is a dreadful amount of inequality from region to region and within regions with regard to autism diagnosis and in other specialisms. From posts here, many people in England have had fast diagnosis through ‘Right to Choose’, although somebody recently mentioned an over one year waiting list for assessment. A year ago, N. Ireland waiting lists in my region were over 4 years long and I think I saw a post stating a region of Scotland has stopped assessments altogether.
there is growing toxicity around getting assessed currently
That is the worrying thing and that causes me anxiety. If society invalidates us more than it does already, where does that leave us? Like many, I am very late diagnosed (60s) and words are inadequate to convey what it did for me. It is an understatement simply to say that since diagnosis, my mental health has never been better.
It given me major anxiety too and lost a whole night of sleep over this. I would encourage you to speak to your GP as I did this morning and the psychiatrist team - I’m told that as long as the criteria used are inline with the recommended assessment criteria than there should be no reason for your medical record not to be updated. This reassured me, however, I do suspect there may be some bureaucracy at play as others have said.
I think you've hit on the main issue, that it will depend on the interpretation of the guidelines and knowledge of your GP.
I haven't spoken to mine to find out if they accepted it or not, I am afraid to. Last time I was there I didn't know anything about autism bar the stereotypes, and I sat there looking at the wall and wringing my hands as I talked, and I think he just thought I was stressed as that was what I was sort of there about. So that makes me think they don't know anything about it, as I can look back and see the signs were all there.
We are all autistic so fully understanding what is meant by the guidelines and what is needed can be import to us. So I hope no one is taking it personally, (it gave me major anxiety all night), especially understanding why some have maybe paid for a bigger assessment with an in person part, but same results at the end of the day really. This is why ideally, it would be better to be able to have it at least through the NHS even if it was paying for a set thing for a set price like the dentist. I hate the privatisation model.
I think it is important to know and get diagnosed if you need it for self understanding, as it could even save your life knowing why you struggle and finding language to talk about it, but there is growing toxicity around getting assessed currently which I think will take it away from people and make it something you only get if you can afford it.
It's a sad system. It all is currently.
I can fully see why you would just self-determine austism and not have to touch the system.
I don’t know if GPs are individually allowed to choose what they will accept, or if it comes from higher up within each individual country.
I wondered that too.
my GP and the NHS Adult Autism Service would accept diagnosis only if undertaken by a multidisciplinary team.
I have had my diagnosis accepted by my GP but then it was a private provider via the NHS.
I am wondering whether the fact that I live in England, you in Northern Ireland and JB33 in Scotland makes the difference with regard to what GPs will accept.
I understand it to be if not MDT led than your diagnosis is not valid? Is that your point?
You misunderstand what I am saying. I have not suggested that your diagnosis was invalid.
My personal opinion is one thing, it isn’t claiming to be anything else. I will explain as best I can. If I wasn’t already diagnosed, I would seek a clinic that offered assessment by a multidisciplinary team. NICE guidelines are based on best evidence, so it makes sense to me to take their advice. Best evidence doesn’t mean that multidisciplinary teams are necessarily always the best way to go about something. Available evidence is weighed in favour of a multidisciplinary team assessment, so it makes sense to me to go down that route.
As I’ve already said in my previous post, my GP and the NHS Adult Autism Service in my area would accept diagnosis only if undertaken by a multidisciplinary team.
glad you finally got your diagnosis too; I absolutely would not doubt it. Mine was a single psychiatrist and he was more than qualified too. What some people dont recognise is that the people that run some of the private assessments are usually NHS consultants too. Mine was online as well, but again, doesn't deter from the validity of the diagnosis as that comes down to the methods and assessments used and that these are inline with NICE guidelines and recommendations (which many are). I would approach your GP, have them key it into your medical record as this will also not be keyed in lightly and will be scrutinised, as it should be, but once it's in, its valid. The doubt I think comes from scam online claims that you can be assessed and seen in 30 minutes kind of thing and that they do not follow the DSM-5/ICD-11 and other rigid guidelines required to make a formal diagnosis.
What some also dont see is that while NHS assessments are often MDT led, lack of resources can mean that the lead clinician owns the diagnosis and is often made by one consultant. If your diagnosis letter outlines the criteria used to diagnose you and your GP / medical system accepts this on your record, then that's all there is to it. Best of luck :)
I understand it to be if not MDT led than your diagnosis is not valid?
Welcome to the forum.
I obviously can't answer for A but I've learned from being on this forum that there is quite a variety in autism diagnosis methods.
Mine was online and via only 2 people - one consultant psychiatrist and one psychologist.
I had lots of forms too.
From reading here, I have at times doubted my own diagnosis as not being thorough enough (especially because it wasn't in person) but I've also read of lots of people who had a single psychiatrist diagnose them and that is sufficient to have the NHS records updated which should be good enough for everyone.
I'm glad you got yours - mine was much later in life.
It makes a huge difference, I've found.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at here? I don’t know how to take this? And I’m struggling to get to the root argument you have and what you’re trying to say (without all the words going around it). I understand it to be if not MDT led than your diagnosis is not valid? Is that your point? I think it is , you just won’t say it. Also, you really like to quote certain parts out of context and somehow draft it as factual and miss the other detail out. This is not helpful.
Regardless - I’m wasting energy now. Let’s agree to disagree. For the benefit of everyone here who may now be concerned about their diagnosis thanks to this forum member, I have asked my psychiatrist to write a summary around this - he will gladly do so and I’ll be posting the response here for clarity.
