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Awaiting assessment for formal diagnosis

schnozzles

Hi everyone :)

I'm a 42 year old female senior computer programmer who is currently only informally diagnosed by my therapist  - I've been referred by my GP but I gather it's a loooooooong wait for assessment if you're an adult. In the meantime my work are being great and so are my family and friends, and as I have therapy anyway we're already working on some of the issues I have.

I won't list all the Aspergers pointers that I have, but I scored over 40 on the AQ Test. I have fewer problems now than I did, say, 10 years ago, thanks to being high functioning and self aware. I've always referred to myself as a chameleon as I've always tried to blend in but until recently I never quite managed it. In fact even now I feel slightly apart. If you read the checklist at the back of Rudy Simone's "Aspergirls" book, it pretty much describes me. 

I'm seeking diagnosis partly because I'll always doubt it otherwise, even though my therapist is quite experienced. But it would mean having protecting in the workplace - I'm fairly sure my Aspergers got me fired a while back. And it means I can ask for help with some of the things I find really hard. It also means I might be able to go back to University as I could get help studying - vague questions and lack of structure were the bane of my University life....

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  • Scared woman said:
    I was diagnosed by an Autism specialist in 2007, after several hours of him round my house, but it was part of an assessment done by the family court on my son and I didnt have time to read all the huge boxes of paperwork so didn't realise I'd been diagnosed as well. I had to concentrate on my son so didnt really bother reading what it said about me until I was about to burn the paperwork this year and read what I was about to burn. I had suspected I have Asperger Syndrome by about 2009 and kept asking my GP for a referral, which I have now been told theres no funding for, but all the time I had already been diagnosed, and no-one bothered to tell me, its very upsetting.

    Surely the clinician would have written to your GP informing him?  If it's a private one they don't do that as a matter of routine though, you would be responsible for that yourself.  I cannot believe they didn't tell you though, that's most unprofessional.  If you want it on your medical records you need to copy the report to your GP yourself.

    Regarding an NHS diagnosis they are legally not allowed to refuse assessment because of lack of funding.  If that is what your GP has told you he needs to be educated on the facts.  I would ask the NHS in writing to state that they recognise your diagnosis as valid and if they don't (which PALS and NHS rules say they must) you can insist on them doing their own assessment if they want further verification.

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  • Scared woman said:
    I was diagnosed by an Autism specialist in 2007, after several hours of him round my house, but it was part of an assessment done by the family court on my son and I didnt have time to read all the huge boxes of paperwork so didn't realise I'd been diagnosed as well. I had to concentrate on my son so didnt really bother reading what it said about me until I was about to burn the paperwork this year and read what I was about to burn. I had suspected I have Asperger Syndrome by about 2009 and kept asking my GP for a referral, which I have now been told theres no funding for, but all the time I had already been diagnosed, and no-one bothered to tell me, its very upsetting.

    Surely the clinician would have written to your GP informing him?  If it's a private one they don't do that as a matter of routine though, you would be responsible for that yourself.  I cannot believe they didn't tell you though, that's most unprofessional.  If you want it on your medical records you need to copy the report to your GP yourself.

    Regarding an NHS diagnosis they are legally not allowed to refuse assessment because of lack of funding.  If that is what your GP has told you he needs to be educated on the facts.  I would ask the NHS in writing to state that they recognise your diagnosis as valid and if they don't (which PALS and NHS rules say they must) you can insist on them doing their own assessment if they want further verification.

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