Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi Everyone. My name is Lee and I have a son who is almost 21 and whom we believe has PDA with traits. We have struggled for so long to try and understand what is different with Harry and always kind of knew that something was, different, but never knew what. After speaking with a friend at work she told me about another colleague who has a husband that has PDA and gave me loads of info about the PDA org site and Facebook page which has been so amazing. However as yet we still don't know if H has something going on or he doesn't . After years of struggling, and I mean struggling, it came to a head after his friends became involved in drugs and one died. H found him, this alone is enough to blow anyone's mind but with Harry it just triggered his already fragile nature in to almost imploding. Any way enough of my issues, what I am after is finding out what the average time frame is to get H assessed for ASD with PDA? Harry finally agreed to go to the doctors with us, he admitted that he feels different to others and can't understand why (hooray), and the doctor seemed clueless and spent more time talking about someone else with PDA than actually speaking with H. What he did say was that it can take up to 2, yes 2, years to have Harry fully assessed. is this right.
Thanks for listening.
Hi Leeboy66
Sorry to hear you have all struggled for so long. I am posting some links.
NAS Information about Diagnosis:
You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis.aspx
Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
You may like to have a look at the following page which includes personal accounts, which may help: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/stories.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: http://www.autism.org.uk/Working-with/Health.aspx
AQ Test
The AQ test was developed by a team of psychologists to measure autistic traits in adults. It's not a means of diagnosis but may indicate the need for further assessment. It is important to say that these online 'autism tests' do not guarantee accuracy, and while they are no replacement for official diagnosis, if the results are significant it's worth taking it along to the GP.
We know that this can be a really worrying time, but it's important to know that you're not alone, and that we're here to help.
Autism Helpline
If you have further questions, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice about getting a diagnosis. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday 9am to 3pm).Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an advisor.
You may also want to search on the forum for other useful information from people who have been through this experience.
Hope this helps,
Nicky-Mod