Paying Privately for Adult Aspergers Assessment?

I certainly identify with the frustration you are experiencing. Have you had any contact with your local parents group? Some of these are bizarrely anti adult diagnosis on the supposition that such diagnosis is taking funds away from children. Others are more constructive, particularly as the first children when their group was formed are likely to be adults. They aren't the most obvious recourse for an adult, but depending on where their sympathies lie, they might be somewhere you can get help.

There may be a local branch of NAS you could talk to (they vary a bit too). But you need to seek out some informed advocacy to give you some support. There is the question whether you were appropriately assessed.

The programme Rewarding & Fulfilling Lives initiated by the Government in response to the Autism Act is supposed to improve the lot of adults seeking or having a diagnosis. Local authorities responsible for social care, mental health, learning disability etc were supposed to send a progress report to the Department of Health by 16th February this year - called the self-assessment form. In it they answer a series of questions about diagnostic and support services, funding for autism, staff training etc.

You can request a copy of this. Some local authorities have them on their website. The quality varies widely. Mine has decided they are only going to provide support to people on the spectrum who are learning disabled, and has given the government two fingers - to which the response from Government I guess is likely to be slow or non-existent.  But it would be worth trying to find out what's being done locally. Find out the name of the portfolio holder for adult social services - there's adice on how to do this on the NAS websites.

If you feel inadequately treated you have as right to complain and seek redress. Maybe the NAS moderators can offer some suggestions.....

I certainly identify with the frustration you are experiencing. Have you had any contact with your local parents group? Some of these are bizarrely anti adult diagnosis on the supposition that such diagnosis is taking funds away from children. Others are more constructive, particularly as the first children when their group was formed are likely to be adults. They aren't the most obvious recourse for an adult, but depending on where their sympathies lie, they might be somewhere you can get help.

There may be a local branch of NAS you could talk to (they vary a bit too). But you need to seek out some informed advocacy to give you some support. There is the question whether you were appropriately assessed.

The programme Rewarding & Fulfilling Lives initiated by the Government in response to the Autism Act is supposed to improve the lot of adults seeking or having a diagnosis. Local authorities responsible for social care, mental health, learning disability etc were supposed to send a progress report to the Department of Health by 16th February this year - called the self-assessment form. In it they answer a series of questions about diagnostic and support services, funding for autism, staff training etc.

You can request a copy of this. Some local authorities have them on their website. The quality varies widely. Mine has decided they are only going to provide support to people on the spectrum who are learning disabled, and has given the government two fingers - to which the response from Government I guess is likely to be slow or non-existent.  But it would be worth trying to find out what's being done locally. Find out the name of the portfolio holder for adult social services - there's adice on how to do this on the NAS websites.

If you feel inadequately treated you have as right to complain and seek redress. Maybe the NAS moderators can offer some suggestions.....