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How to go about being tested for autism?

NAS50818
over 5 years ago

Hi, I'm kate, I'm 26 and i believe I'm one of those people who has gone through life suffering because nobody noticed that i was different from most people. I think i have autism and in particular, asperger's. It affects me in all aspects of my life: socially, my education and career, family life and communication amongst other things. I'm wondering if anybody has any advice for how to go about being tested for autism/aspergers? I have already been to my GP and they said that the waiting list is so long, that they're not allowed to add anyone else to it. I have tried to contact AWARE and they said i have to be referred by my GP before they'll see me. I'm on antidepressants for my anxiety, stress and to stop me from becoming depressed.

Thanks for any comments SmirkNo mouth

  • over 5 years ago

    Hi NAS50818!

    I'm not sure if you've seen any of this before but you may like to look through some of these NAS website links relating to diagnosis:

    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

    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.

    Hope you find something helpful,

    Kind regards,

    Heather - Mod



  • over 5 years ago

    Hi Kate, welcome to the forum. 

    Bluntly speaking your GP is talking complete s£&@ GP’s have a statutory duty to ensure a clear diagnostic pathway for adults with suspected ASD. I suggest you return to your GP armed with the nice guidelines on diagnosing ASD in adults (available on this website); a copy of your results of one or more online Autism Quotient tests. Neurodiverse scale is also a good test; and a couple of sides of A4 about what symptoms you suffer and how they affect you and impact on your day-to-day functioning. Insist that he refers you, I had to get assertive to get my referral. If you need support to help you do that then maybe take a family member or friend with you to the appointment. Good luck