UK adult assessment

[Dave Nicholson]

Does anyone know how long it takes roughly for an assessment and eventual diag in the UK?

 

[Judge]

Looks pretty grim. Seems the amount of time based on third-parties and media cites considerably longer durations than what the NHS claims. Though ultimately I suppose it all depends on individual cases and how much information is accrued during the diagnosis process.

Mind Professions - Waiting times for NHS Assessments

Autistic people wait years for diagnosis in some parts of England

Autism Waiting Time Statistics - NHS Digital

 

[Dave Nicholson]

Looks pretty grim. Seems the amount of time based on third-parties and media cites considerably longer durations than what the NHS claims. Though ultimately I suppose it all depends on individual cases and how much information is accrued during the diagnosis process.

Mind Professions - Waiting times for NHS Assessments

Autistic people wait years for diagnosis in some parts of England

Autism Waiting Time Statistics - NHS Digital

I live up the very north of Scotland. Not sure if that makes things worse? I've been looking at various private options but not sure.

 

[Judge]

I live up the very north of Scotland. Not sure if that makes things worse? I've been looking at various private options but not sure.

Good question. I was wondering about that. It might make a difference. All the information I found seemed pertinent only to England. Or does the NHS operate relatively the same in Scotland, Wales and Ulster?

Not encouraging to find a Scottish website (non-NHS) where the first thing they cite is they are unable to accept referrals. Though they do offer an online advice form. Maybe they can answer such questions with some degree of clarity.

Advice Line form

National Diagnosis & Assessment Service

 

[Dave Nicholson]

Good question. I was wondering about that. It might make a difference. All the information I found seemed pertinent only to England. Or does the NHS operate relatively the same in Scotland, Wales and Ulster?

Not encouraging to find a Scottish website (non-NHS) where the first thing they cite is they are unable to accept referrals. Though they do offer an online advice form. Maybe they can answer such questions with some degree of clarity.

Advice Line form

National Diagnosis & Assessment Service

Thank you. I do live not far from a large city, there are a few options there for me to look at, bit this is most helpful in the meantime.

 

[Judge]

I live up the very north of Scotland. Not sure if that makes things worse? I've been looking at various private options but not sure.

Aberdeen? Inverness? Sounds like a good question to pose using that online form.

I'd love to visit the Highlands...beautiful country up there.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

Aberdeen? Inverness? Sounds like a good question to pose using that online form.

I'd love to visit the Highlands...

North of Aberdeen, yeah. A bit remote at times! Lol.

 

[Judge]

North of Aberdeen, yeah. A bit remote at times! Lol.

Not all that far from Balmoral Castle. Weren't some portions of the film "The Queen" filmed at or near Balmoral?

Great topography....love the look of the Highlands. So green!

Quite different from where I live, in the High Desert of Nevada.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

Not all that far from Balmoral Castle. Weren't some portions of the film "The Queen" filmed at or near Balmoral?

Great topography....love the look of the Highlands. So green!

Quite different from where I live, in the High Desert of Nevada.

Possibly, I am not sure to be honest.

Have you ever visited Scotland? Glencoe is a magical place. I visit down there a lot. Some very tricky climbs.

 

[Thinx]

I visited Caithness recently. Loved it. Stayed in Thurso. So beautiful. I also love the West coast of Scotland.

When it comes to diagnosis, not sure. I think your quickest route would be to go private. There are therapists who offer this in packages of assessment sessions, depends on your funds, otherwise, not sure. Aberdeen would surely have a route for this, but with covid etc not easy to say how long that may take. Do you need a diagnosis? It doesn't usually bring funding.

Some adults self diagnose, if you tick some of the key areas, well, you can do some research and work it out perhaps? Have you done online tests? Plenty available. Try googling Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge for tests and information /research. Remember it's a varied spectrum too.

 

[Streetwise]

I think officially its supposed to be 3 months england but it was 5 months for me in n.e.england who have an autism diagnosis team(not including county Durham ,Teeside why not those when its every other place in n.e.england?) some wait up to 2 years,I was quick relatively but I'd waited 43 years before that and that is the average if born before 1990 even there are myriad women diagnosed incorrectly with borderline personality disorder you have more options as psychiatrists!think autism is male only if there are severe comorbid conditions manifesting.

 

[Alexej]

North of Aberdeen, yeah. A bit remote at times! Lol.

Sounds like you might be in Aberdeenshire. They have recently upped their game regarding assessment and you can now self refer for an assessment. The form is on the Aberdeenshire council website

One route to get info is to contact Autism Understanding Scotland - reframing the narrative around autism and these folk are Aberdeen based.
It is worth your while to get in touch with them - they are helpful and knowledgeable. They are doing a lot of things remotely but hope to do things more in person once COVID allows.

This guy does diagnoses privately Autism Consultancy Scotland - Autism Consultants Scotland, but he does have a waiting list, but would be quicker than the NHS, whom I tried and got nowhere with (but that was before they upped their game).

Hope this helps

 

[Dave Nicholson]

I visited Caithness recently. Loved it. Stayed in Thurso. So beautiful. I also love the West coast of Scotland.

When it comes to diagnosis, not sure. I think your quickest route would be to go private. There are therapists who offer this in packages of assessment sessions, depends on your funds, otherwise, not sure. Aberdeen would surely have a route for this, but with covid etc not easy to say how long that may take. Do you need a diagnosis? It doesn't usually bring funding.

Some adults self diagnose, if you tick some of the key areas, well, you can do some research and work it out perhaps? Have you done online tests? Plenty available. Try googling Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge for tests and information /research. Remember it's a varied spectrum too.

Yeah, did a test on the internet a few weeks ago which confirmed.

 

[Dave Nicholson]

Sounds like you might be in Aberdeenshire. They have recently upped their game regarding assessment and you can now self refer for an assessment. The form is on the Aberdeenshire council website

One route to get info is to contact Autism Understanding Scotland - reframing the narrative around autism and these folk are Aberdeen based.
It is worth your while to get in touch with them - they are helpful and knowledgeable. They are doing a lot of things remotely but hope to do things more in person once COVID allows.

This guy does diagnoses privately Autism Consultancy Scotland - Autism Consultants Scotland, but he does have a waiting list, but would be quicker than the NHS, whom I tried and got nowhere with (but that was before they upped their game).

Hope this helps

Thanks. I live up quite close to there, yeah.

 

[Judge]

Possibly, I am not sure to be honest.

Have you ever visited Scotland? Glencoe is a magical place. I visit down there a lot. Some very tricky climbs.

No, though my mother certainly has. She's been all over Ireland and Britain. A seasoned traveler in Europe.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Me and my brother are in East Anglia in UK. He's been waiting over 2 years. I've been waiting a year.

I know that COVID shut down the place that does assessments which we'd been referred to. That location was shut down for over a year.

I may end up just going private, but that is upwards of £1000. Of course the prices can vary wildly.

Ed

 

[Gift2humanity]

It would be useful for some recently diagnosed British people to come onto this thread to say how long it takes.

I was diagnosed in late 2020 as I doubted the last assessment in 2015, and my psychiatrist very kindly contacted the autism centre to reassess me.