Birmingham, Uk diagnosis

Post Reply New Topic

Hello everyone.

This is aimed at adult women living in Birmingham.
How long did you have to wait for referral and then assessment?
Where did you go?
What sort of questions were you asked?

Thank you!

Sorry I'm not from Birmingham, or a woman, but I can tell you that if you're old enough to post on here, chances are getting diagnosed will not be so cut and dried.
Most diagnosis and treatment for ASD focusses on the very young.
Just google autism, or aspergers self test, and look at Simon Baron Cohen's website, and you should find some tests that will be very similar to the ones you will do to get diagnosed.
I found I did exactly the same test as some online ones, then spent 2 hours with my wife with the psychologist to get diagnosed.
Usually if possible they will also want to speak to family members; siblings, parents etc, to see how they perceived you as a child, and compare this to your perception of yourself.
I hope that helps.
http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/people_baron-cohen
http://www.aspergerstestsite.com/75/aut ... giDSEx-_rc

Thank you. It does help.
I will take a closer look at Baron Cohen's website later on.
I have already taken the AQ test and scored 31. So, one below the usual 32 for people on the spectrum.

I'm adult, but not a woman - last time I checked anyway - but I did live near Brum when I got my diagnosis in Droitwich not far away. I was waiting a year from referral. Some of these units have only recently been started up. I'd expect at least a year's wait unfortunately - that's on the NHS anyways. You might be able to afford private? I certainly couldn't!

I was lucky apparently - it only took me about three months to get a diagnosis.

But from what I've heard it can take a lot longer than that, mostly because of the shortage of specialist Autism centres. I know of someone on this site who had to travel across the pennines from Manchester to Sheffield to get a diagnosis! (Sheffield is just up the road from me so it was much easier to reach)

The underlying problem is that in the UK not just anyone can give a diagnosis of ASD, it has to come from an ASD specialist. This is actually a good thing because it means the diagnosis is more accurate and more informed. But it is also a problem because we don't have enough trained ASD specialists to cope with the workload.

In America, it seems any psychiatrist can give a diagnosis, so you can get seen a lot quicker if you have the money. But it also seems that there is a higher chance of misdiagnosis due to them not being fully versed in the condition.

Edit: By the way I'm a man, but that is largely irrelevant since sex has no bearing on how long you have to wait. You will probably be asked to bring a member of your family along to talk about what you were like as a child, as that has a big part to play. and then it will be mostly questions about how you cope with things in your life, how you perceive the world (ie sensory issues) they can get very in depth, but that is good because it means they are being thorough

_________________
Autistic dad to an autistic boy and loving it - its always fun in our house

I have Autism. My communication difficulties mean that I sometimes get words wrong, that what I mean is not what comes out.

Sorry this reply is a little late. I'm an adult female in Birmingham.
My GP tried really hard to refer me to get a diagnosis, and eventually we had to pay to go to the Woodbourne Priory. I think it cost £200 and would have been more if I'd wanted a full official one (I stuck with her just writing that I had it)