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Autism diagnosis test places.

Water

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 

Parents

  • In addition to comments below, it would be advisable to ask if the assessment would be completed by a multidisciplinary team. NICE guidelines specify this. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    This isn’t a hard rule, it states where available. Usually children get this or any other NHS assessment (if you don’t retire before you get seen). NHS is based around MDT.  

    A single experienced consultant psychiatrist (or clinical psychologist) who:

    • is trained in adult autism
    • uses DSM-5 / ICD-11
    • takes a detailed developmental history
    • uses validated tools (AQ, RAADS-R, etc.)
    • gathers informant input
    • rules out differential diagnoses
    • documents impairment and reasoning

    this is sufficient, valid, fits NICE criteria and is 99% of private assessments. Mine was done by a leading psychiatrist in the field at NHS South London and Maudsley which are also home to some of the top consultants in the world, but also sees people privately. It was accepted by my GP and is my medical record. I don’t want people thinking if it’s not MDT led then it’s invalid as that’s not the case. Your comment infers that, at least that’s what I taken from it. 

    www.nice.org.uk/.../Recommendations

  • in reply to JB33

    The ‘gold standard’ according to NICE guidelines is for the assessment to be conducted by a multi disciplinary team of appropriate professionals. This is shown in the link you have provided and I have copied the relevant section.

    In my area, the GPs accepted private diagnosis only if the assessment was conducted according to these guidelines. 

    Here is a section of the NICE guidelines from the link you provided:

    Structures for the organisation and delivery of care and interventions

    1.1.12

    In order to effectively provide care and support for autistic adults, the local autism multi-agency strategy group should include representation from managers, commissioners and clinicians from adult services, including mental health, learning disability, primary healthcare, social care, housing, educational and employment services, the criminal justice system and the third sector. There should be meaningful representation from autistic people and their families, partners and carers.

    1.1.13

    In each area a specialist community-based multidisciplinary team for autistic adults (the specialist autism team) should be established. The membership should include:

    • psychologists with training and experience in working with autistic adults

    • nurses

    • occupational therapists

    • psychiatrists

    • social workers

    • speech and language therapists

    • support staff (for example, staff supporting access to housing, educational and employment services, financial advice, and personal and community safety skills).

    1.1.14

    The specialist autism team should have a key role in the delivery and coordination of:

    • specialist diagnostic and assessment services

    • specialist care and interventions

    • advice and training to other health and social care professionals on the diagnosis, assessment, care and interventions for autistic adults (as not all may be in the care of a specialist team)

    • support in accessing, and maintaining contact with, housing, educational and employment services

    • support to families, partners and carers where appropriate

    • care and interventions for autistic adults living in specialist residential accommodation

    • training, support and consultation for staff who care for autistic adults in residential and community settings.

  • in reply to Iain

    Yes. Good spot on that Iain, I think it’s because there are some suspect assessments out there and not all are from qualified doctors who specialise in this area with the right credentials. 

    it is absolutely important people do their research first before paying privately to ensure these are ideally the same clinicians who work in the NHS or are equally as qualified. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    The section 1.2.5 A details “should” for each of the recommendations you quote above. If you dig into the language development manual for NICE guidelines, ‘should’ is not mandatory; it’s a recommendation. The whole of the section for ASD you’re referring to, is a “Recommendation”. 


    If MDT was mandatory (which it’s not), GPs around the country would not be coding autism into people’s NHS record (which is the final stamp). This demonstrates my point and how the NICE guidelines are applied in the real world. You say that your GP surgery only accepts private diagnosis from NICE, it’s not a choice to follow them or not depending on area; GP must follow NICE guidelines or there would be breaches all over the place. Private assessments are routinely accepted all over the country because some of them are from specialist trained consultants - likely the very ones working in NHS.

    NHS have a single clinician doing the assessments too who may have MDT oversight (most consultants do). 

    This section describes recommended service organisation and assessment best practice, not a mandatory requirement for diagnostic validity. adult diagnoses by trained clinicians are routinely accepted and coded by the NHS. I’m comfortable leaving it there.

  • in reply to Iain

    I see from your link that Scotland follows different protocols, although it defers to NICE.

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