Waiting times for assessment

Hi. I just joined this as a parent of an apparently autistic son who had a lot of support at school even without a diagnosis but this has dropped off since he left. We requested a diagnosis when he was 17, I've seen other people say how long it takes, I know it's normal except that he is now 23 (nearly 24) and the Notts (NESS) waiting list just seems to be getting longer (they told me that since July 2021 they've had to take on ADHD assessments as well and so the list is stretching out. My GP has told me to try using 'Right to Choose' but I am very confused by this, they sent me a link to some providers but none of them are local and the ones that I called up said they weren't accepting Right to choose patients any more. Does anyone have any experience of this? I've tried to get advice from the GP and am getting nowhere, I'm at a loss. 

Parents
  • Hi Julia, 

    First of all welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through this. I'm sure some members of the community have faced similar challenges and may be able to offer their experiences. I've linked below a few pages that may be of assistance.

    Our website has a diagnosis hub, this includes information, practical and multimedia resources to support autistic people and their families before during and after diagnosis.  

    You may want to visit the other resources on our website, we have advice and guidance on a wide range of information about autism, socialising and relationships, communication and education: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance 

     You can try searching on our Autism Services Directory for diagnostic services in your local area.  The Directory also includes listings for support and social groups for autistic people, their families and friends. 

    Please keep us up to date.

    All the best

Reply
  • Hi Julia, 

    First of all welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through this. I'm sure some members of the community have faced similar challenges and may be able to offer their experiences. I've linked below a few pages that may be of assistance.

    Our website has a diagnosis hub, this includes information, practical and multimedia resources to support autistic people and their families before during and after diagnosis.  

    You may want to visit the other resources on our website, we have advice and guidance on a wide range of information about autism, socialising and relationships, communication and education: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance 

     You can try searching on our Autism Services Directory for diagnostic services in your local area.  The Directory also includes listings for support and social groups for autistic people, their families and friends. 

    Please keep us up to date.

    All the best

Children