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Diagnosis and Support

Peter
23 days ago

Hello,

I was diagnosed with ASD Level 1 by Psychiatry UK before Christmas last year. Although this has been very positive and a lot of things that didn't make sense to me now do, the report I received was only really a summary of the documents submitted and the appointment and was quite general with the issues I experience as a result of being autistic. I have still had to figure things out by trial and error to understand what does and doesn't work for me and I have gaps that I don't know how to address or even articulate to others e.g. navigating friendships and romantic relationships. Similarly for work purposes, although they know I have the diagnosis and have my report on file, they haven't been able to provide recommended/required support because of the lack of specifics.

I've tried looking around for adult support services in my area but can't find anything so I'm a bit stuck. My priority mainly is for work, I'd like them (and future employers) to have something that outlines my specific needs. Is this something I can seek out? And if so, how would I go about securing it?

Thanks in advance!

Parents
  • 23 days ago

    Hi Peter

    I was also diagnosed last year by Psychiatry UK. My take on their role is that, as a private provider of diagnostic services, their role is limited to assessing and reporting on whether or not we are autistic (unless we then choose to also pay them for more).

    You don't mention which route you took in using them. I used them through the NHS via Right to Choose, but I believe / assume the same would apply if accessing their services privately.

    It seems to me that, having made that diagnosis (or not), they then effectively "pass the baton" back to the NHS and local services to identify and provide the most appropriate types of support (which includes taking our personal targets / goals into account).

    For example, in my case, their report included the following support-related recommendations for my GP to action:

    • Referral for therapy (with a therapist experienced in ASD)
    • Referral for occupational therapy assessment and management (with a therapist experienced in ASD)
    • Referral for a psychosocial needs assessment, followed by interventions performed by an ASD-experienced assessor
    • Due to mental health-related issues, suggestions for further medications to try

    There were also further recommendations for me personally, including participating on a forum like this one - which I am definitely finding helpful :)

    It might be worth checking your report (across the first two pages in mine) to see whether there are similar referral / GP recommendations that you can follow up on with yours.

  • 19 days ago in reply to Bunny

    Sounds almost identical to my report (I went with NHS - Right To Choose as well). It's been a few months since I checked it, I had hoped that the referral would be done automatically by my GP but it seems to have never happened. Didn't mind at first, it was nice to have time to just live, get to know myself again and not be pre-occupied/worrying. But I'm conscious now that I'm getting older and may need additional support. I have looked into adult support services but they seem to be non-existent in my area. To have some aims and guidance set with professional help would be really useful!

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  • 19 days ago in reply to Bunny

    Sounds almost identical to my report (I went with NHS - Right To Choose as well). It's been a few months since I checked it, I had hoped that the referral would be done automatically by my GP but it seems to have never happened. Didn't mind at first, it was nice to have time to just live, get to know myself again and not be pre-occupied/worrying. But I'm conscious now that I'm getting older and may need additional support. I have looked into adult support services but they seem to be non-existent in my area. To have some aims and guidance set with professional help would be really useful!

Children
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