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
The section 1.2.5 A details “should” for each of the recommendations you quote above
Indeed.
I would highly recommend Eton Psychiatrists.
https://etonpsychiatrists.co.uk/about-us/
I am Scotland based too and used them after doing a lot of research. My GP surgery had zero issues accepting their diagnosis (given that some of the doctors here are lead clinicians at the prestigious South London and Maudsley NHS). I’d recommend Dr Hossein Rostamipour- he’s one of the best around in ADHD and ASD and consultant psychiatrist. I paid £1,395 which was very good considering the calibre of doctors here.
the assessment is quite detailed as you’d expect and lots of detail to fill in, as well as family members OR someone who knows you such as a partner in absence of this. The assessment meets the criteria outlined in DSM-5 / ICD-11. This is where people often don’t look and end up being assessed and having their diagnosis rejected by their GP. it’s a shame as people don’t often realise and shouldn’t be the ones having to research but there are genuine places out there providing quality assessments. You get another 2 hour interview and behaviour assessment which is part of the guidelines. I would 100% not hesitate to book here and would recommend to anyone who is finding the NHS impossible in their area. My GP also suggested some other places too however, this one ticks all the boxes.
Thanks for your replies. Can anyone tell me who would be best to go to in scotland or near scotland? I think you’re all better at knowing this than me. Thank you.
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.
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 (specifically you’re getting it being MDT led), 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. By your logic, how do you explain mine and others being accepted by their GP? Are they somehow ‘not real’ and my GP has made a mistake?
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.
Any GP surgery must accept a diagnosis by a qualified clinician who has followed the correct diagnostic guidance
It looks like NAS does not agree with this:
some people may experience difficulties with having their non-NHS diagnosis accepted by local authority and NHS health services; before deciding to go ahead with a non-NHS diagnosis, it is a good idea to check whether this will be accepted in your area.
I’m surprised to be reading this on a forum like here. Any GP surgery must accept a diagnosis by a qualified clinician who has followed the correct diagnostic guidance
I’m not sure why you are surprised as this forum is for all autistic adults, their families, & others who have an interest in autism. All sorts of people post things here and it people may or may not provide factual information. Sometimes posts conflict. If you are happy with your assessment and your GP has accepted it, that is another thing.
I find it Ill placed as you’re implying people’s diagnosis are not valid unless MDT led, which is not accurate
I did no such thing.
I can only tell you what my GP surgery said, and what the NHS Adult Autism services and two Autism charities in my area said. The advice and guidance section on this website provides information about assessment by a multidisciplinary team. Iain has already provided this very good advice, but with government cut backs to services and political scaremongering over autism diagnosis, I would still suggest assessment by a multidisciplinary team, according to NICE guidelines. (It might decrease the likelihood of a diagnosis potentially being reevaluated and not accepted at at later date)
For this very reason some GPs won't accept some private diagnoses to be added to your medical record so I would check with the GP before paying as it may not get the result you want.
Here is a further section of NICE guidelines:
A comprehensive assessment should:
be undertaken by professionals who are trained and competent
be team-based and draw on a range of professions and skills
where possible involve a family member, partner, carer or other informant or use documentary evidence (such as school reports) of current and past behaviour and early development.
You’re conflating service-organisation guidance with diagnostic validation. quite honestly, I’m surprised to be reading this on a forum like here. Any GP surgery must accept a diagnosis by a qualified clinician who has followed the correct diagnostic guidance. This does not include mandatory MDT. People will see your comments as invalidating, I find it Ill placed as you’re implying people’s diagnosis are not valid unless MDT led, which is not accurate.
You’re quoting the service-organisation section of CG142, not diagnostic validity criteria. NICE recommends MDTs where available, but it does not mandate them for adult diagnosis by a trained clinician. That distinction is important.
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:
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.
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).
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.
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:
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.
I went to Eton Psychiatrists and seen a dr hossein Rostamipour. Was excellent and one of the leading doctors in adhd and autism. Was very reasonably priced too and as you’d expect was very detailed and meets all the relevant criteria. I paid £1,395 for my ASD assessment and was a fairly short wait at only about a month.
They should all use the same diagnostic criteria and test processes so there isn't much variance in the quality.
If you are going on the NHS then there is no real choice for Scotland I think.
I would advise doing some of the many free online tests to autism and so long as you reach the criteria for a diagnosis then any assessment centre will be likely to reach the same conclusion. If you are borderline then going private may give you a slight advantage as they can exhibit confirmation bias for you (ie the customer is always right sort of thing) and they may be more lenient that an NHS approved cenre.
For this very reason some GPs won't accept some private diagnoses to be added to your medical record so I would check with the GP before paying as it may not get the result you want.
