Re: The Autism, Asperger's and ASD Thread
I'm not from Hampshire, but I did receive my diagnosis somewhat late in life (in 2016, at the age of 54); with regard to being referred for diagnosis, the Autism Act of 2004 states that everyone is entitled to "a clear path to diagnosis..." so you have a legal right to be assessed. What can be an issue, however, is whether your area has an adult autism unit or whether you may have to travel - I live in Derbyshire, but had to travel to South Yorkshire as there is no adult autism unit in Derbyshire.
My waiting time was quite short, about three months if I recollect correctly; the only difficulty I had (once I became aware of the existence of the Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service - or SAANS) was convincing them to accept a referral from a social worker - as I don't have a GP - and setting up a mechanism by which SAANS could receive remuneration (I got the local CCG to accept responsibility for payment in the absence of a GP). Once I managed to negotiate those hurdles, things moved quite quickly. It is true that the psychiatrist wanted to know about my childhood, but my own recollections were sufficient for this - in any case, I had no living relatives by the time of my assessment, so there was no possibility of any third party corroboration. The actual assessment took half a day and I was given my diagnosis there and then.
I hope this helps?
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