Vaccines/learning disabilities: eligibility

Yep to everything you say ... no wonder it's so traumatic having anything medical done ...

Then: I think it's the autism even though you are obviously very high functioning. 

Me thinks: you won't think that if I slap you.

I'm tempted to wish you had. I hate it when people make assumptions about functioning.

An autistic person may be able to function well in one environment but completely unable to function in another, like an medical appointment for instance. There are good reasons why functioning labels are not usually assigned during the diagnostic process in the UK 

You shouldn't have had to face the Spanish Inquisition about why you were there when they invited you. As if the appointment isn't stressful enough without having to endure that.

Once you'd mentioned the autism the nurse could have apologised for not noticing that on your records and asked how they could make the process easier for you.

You are right that autism isn't a disease. If the medical professionals don't understand their own guidelines what hope is there for us.

I think the problem is there are a fair number of low functioning autistic people diagnosed only as autistic, not as autistic + interlectually disabled / sevear learning disability. So they added autism to the filter to catch these people.

I had my jab today and this conversation. 

Nurse: why have you been invited?

Me: no idea.

Nurse: you must know.

Me: well I don't.  It may be that I am autistic. 

Nurse looks it up in a book.

Then: I think it's the autism even though you are obviously very high functioning. 

Me thinks: you won't think that if I slap you.

Nurse: it comes under neurological conditions. 

However.... I looked it up and it says 'disease' not 'condition'.

I’m normally invited but probably because I’m bipolar as well as autistic. Even here though there are different types of bipolar (I have type iI instead of the more severe type I) so as others have said it comes down to the level of understanding of whoever did the coding.

I spoke to my GP about it when I got the booster last year and it's not autism it'self that is the reason but because autistic people are more likely to have co-ocurring conditions, be extra sensitive to symptoms of illnesses and therefore find them more debilitating, but also tend to have worse outcomes if we need to be hospitalised (he didn't say it was a reason outright but there was allusions to the DNR scandal during the peak of covid) basically the best thing for us is to be kept as healthy and out of hosptal as possible.

Yeah your GPs records don’t indicate if your autism is  low functioning or high functioning. And because learning disabilities aren’t always recorded separately from the autism diagnosis theyre just treating it like a learning disability.

Thankyou.

Autonomistic said:

I think it depends how you have been coded by your GP practice and the level of understanding of autism by the staff member doing the coding. For example if they wrongly believe that autism is a severe mental illness you may be invited

Yes, I think you are right.

I'm not eligible for a 'flu or Covid vaccine according to the rules.

That's a pain about not getting invited when eligible.

Even though there are some clear rules about eligibility, it seems a bit of a lottery.

If anyone needs some bedtime reading, chapter and verse on who is eligible can be found in this document:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1182341/Greenbook-chapter-14a-4September2023.pdf

Specifically Table 3 on pages 23/24 sets out what the clinical risk groups are for adults under 65. It doesn't mention autism anywhere and I would assume that the main categories that autistic people may fall under are the following:

I think it depends how you have been coded by your GP practice and the level of understanding of autism by the staff member doing the coding. For example if they wrongly believe that autism is a severe mental illness you may be invited. You may also be eligible as a result of something else on the list.

I do not get invited, even though I'm eligible as a carer 

Had no text message. Also end of the year entering a new age decade. 

Went out for a walk before rain heavy again. Bumped into someone I know and told her I've got a cold and sinuses infection. Reply was hope it's COVID and told her I wouldn't be sneezing.

I'm also in a vulnerable group and have been getting free flu and COVID vaccines for years.  As far as I know it's not connected to autism.  In my case it's due to heart failure, mental health, suicide attempts.

Yes, definitely say something. I'm in my 30s and have no physical issues but I got a text inviting me to book a covid booster last week.

You might be eligible for the booster without knowing. I certainly assumed I wasn't until I got the text 

Good morning, 

I don't meet the criteria for the flu vaccine. Also COVID booster vaccine. The virus is back and debating to weara face covering. I've got a cold and sinuses. Gradually getting better.

Next week I've got a GP appointment and is it worth mentioning this? I may run out of time. Autism is a hidden disability.

Briar said:

doctors absolutely hate us doing it, because we’re stupid and they know far better, while they reach for a book on the shelf above their desk because they have no idea what’s wrong with you. 

Absolutely.

They can be so patronising.

I agree, as long as you research properly- it’s put my mind at ease many a time! Though doctors absolutely hate us doing it, because we’re stupid and they know far better, while they reach for a book on the shelf above their desk because they have no idea what’s wrong with you. 

*Im sure there are some great doctors, I just haven’t met one yet. 

Briar said:

didn’t mean to infer that you hadn’t researched it btw :)

I didn't take that inference, but thanks

Yes, that's one of the blessings of the internet - that we can educate ourselves.

I find the internet particularly wonderful with regard to health problems.

I hate GP contact and, as I know a lot of people here do, avoid it wherever I can.

I didn’t mean to infer that you hadn’t researched it btw :) When I posted here people seemed to think it was a mistake and I should phone my surgery. I don’t particularly like having to contact them so decided to try and find out for myself  

I’ve just looked back through my text messages and I was invited in November last year for covid. I didn’t get offered a flu vaccine though. 

Thanks.

I did some searching too.

I also wondered whether although there are government guidelines, individual health authorities have some leeway regarding who gets them and who doesn't.

There's been some useful feedback on this thread, and it will be interesting to see if anyone else gets an invite.

It could potentially be down to individual surgery’s whether they put you on the list, I’m not sure. I know they won’t be offering the covid vaccine to as many groups as they did previously. Might be worth emailing your surgery to ask.

I should add, it was only down to my extensive searching on autism and covid that I found a paper suggesting we are more likely to have comorbidities and could potentially have worse symptoms, so I came to that conclusion myself.