Well

[white_hart]

I got an email today to say that my screening questionnaires had been reviewed, and I am now officially on the waiting list for an autism assessment.

The waiting time is about 18 months, so it's not going to happen any time terribly soon, but maybe by the time I'm 50 I will actually know if I'm autistic or just a bit crap at life.

Comments

[cmcmck]

Having worked in the field of autism for some years, I know just how many people get missed, so I hope this works out for you.

[white_hart]

Thank you! Yes, I think there was massive underdiagnosis of anyone born before at least 1990, especially afab people.

[chiasmata]

Fingers crossed for you. My diagnosis has made a huge difference to me.

[white_hart]

Thank you! I don't know if it will make much material difference but psychologically I think it will.

[glittertigger]

Hope you don’t have to wait too long, and that the process proves helpful.

[white_hart]

Thank you.

[ankaret]

I hope whatever happens is helpful and leaves you with more information. How did you start the process and get the questionnaires? Therapist suggested to me before the pandemic hit that it might be worth looking into an assessment, but my medical phobia got in the way and then Covid happened.

[white_hart]

Our local adult autism diagnosis service has a self-referral route, which meant that I just needed to fill out an initial form and send it to them rather than having to deal with GP gatekeepers (which I don't think I could have done). It might be worth investigating if there's something similar for Cornwall - I found out about ours because I read an article from the local paper about a local councillor who'd done it.

[lnr]

Oh god, when you said locally you can do self-referral I wondered if that might be something to try, but it looks like in Cambridge

- speak to GP, and get referral
- get a letter back from the adult autism service
- fill in lots of forms within 4 weeks
- *if* they think you qualify for an assessment they will put you on a waiting list
- every 6 months they will tell you where you are on the list
- when you are 3 months away from an actual assessment appointment they will write to you again

Good grief. I don't know that I'm neurodivergent *enough* to need any sort of diagnosis, and probably not to go to that much time and effort for it :(

I'm really really really glad you could self refer! Hope the appointment does come in due course and does help.

[white_hart]

Most of the process for ours is the same, apart from being able to self-refer - so once I'd submitted my referral form they sent me the screening forms and said "you must return these within 4 weeks", and having assessed those they've decided that I qualify for a formal assessment. I didn't find the forms too bad - it was basically two multiple-choice questionnaires, very like any online "autism tests" you might have done, plus a third which was supposed to be filled out by someone who knew you as a child - and the thing that really made the difference to me was not having to go via my GP. (I find it hard to convince GPs that I'm depressed even when I'm suffering pretty much constant suicidal ideation, so I don't rate my chances of convincing one that I'm autistic.)

[gwendraith]

I hope the referral is a positive experience and you get some answers that are helpful to you.

[white_hart]

Thank you.

[wellinghall]

The 50 bit has long passed by in my case, but I am determined to do a self referral.

[white_hart]

Good luck!

[wellinghall]

Thank you :-)

[joyeuce]

I got all hopeful when you said self-referral, but it turns out my local team will only accept referrals from "health and social care professionals". Grrr. I will just have to book an appointment with the only nice GP, appointments with whom are like hens' teeth.

However, I'm glad your local system has worked better for you!

[white_hart]

Yes, I'm not sure I'd have got this far if I'd had to go via my GP!

[lokifan]

Congrats! Fingers crossed it's fairly soon.