no parents= no dx, no help= useless stystem. CLASS in cambs.

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i asked my dr to refer me for diagnostic testing, but he said that since i am astranged from my family, and would not allow them to come along, i cannot be diagnosed. he said CLASS, in cambridge, the specialist autism place where i would be referred, do not test people for ASDs without input from someone who has known you for a significant amount of time, preferably since childhood, preferably your parents.
HOW IS THIS ALLOWED???? is this even legal? surely its somehow deliberatly withholding care and support from people in need due to made up rules, nothing related the fault of the patient.
i accept that aspergers is a developmental disorder, etc, and that chlidhood symptoms play a key role in defining it, but this seems to be taking things to an stupid extreme. i also have never heard that this applies to any other tests for asperger's, so why should people in cambridgeshire be subjected to over-rigerous testing?? this is a really mad example of post code lottery, isnt it?! i dont have anyone else who would qualify, and personal evidence is not enough.
somewhat stupidly, this means that despite showing all the symptoms, and being told i 'probably have asperger's' by my dr, as well as my long history of stimming, hearing tests, and so on, i cant get any help because i cant be diagnosed. becase of the stupid, anal rules. its like im being DOUBLY punished!! !
so how widespread is this refusal to test and diagnose due to no 'early life', indepndant contribution? anyone been tested at class without it? i only moved here a while ago, i cant face moving again, just to get tested. its mad.

Is it possible for you to reconsider getting your family's help for the assessment?

Really. It's more important, right?

hi- no, it's impossible for numerous reasons. however, i dont think thats really the point. what if they were dead? i cant believe they are allowed to refuse to diagnose someone for this reason- surely other places dont do this??
it seems bizarre, and unhelpful to say the least. the NHS is here to diagnose, treat and help people- im not getting any of that. i cant believe all testers are this stringent, therefore there is a difference in the testing procedure, therefore the system is unduly unfair, since it excludes some people, through no fault of their own.

Have you contacted NAS to ask them what your rights might be, and what advice they might have for someone in your circumstances?

parents getting involved is not needed by many specialists-some will not even require info off anyone else who knows self for anything developmental/learning based-it does depend on the specialist.
am think it does make sense that they require info of history from those who know self to officially backup everything,but they should look at things like school reports,specialist/NHS reports and so on as an alternative to having the actual people there as it sounds very unfair on those who are unable to get the right people to go.

try and get referred to somewhere other than CLASS instead.

hi- no, i hvae not called the NAS, and cant get referred anywhere else, as this is the nearest place. i also cant really cope with trying to sort anything out- im really bad at 'living' skills, and this is anyway causing me more stress. ironically- if i had a dx, i'd be allowed someone to help me. without it- i get no help.
i know ideally parents would come along to dx's, but since im an adult, a lifetime of my annoying asperger's personality has resulted in having no friends or family to drag along to this. there is no option about this- i really cant swallow my pride and ask someone- its jsut not going to happen. thay would anyway refuse to help someone who had no parents, so i think they are madly strict. other places manage.
thank you kingdom of rats- i cant see how one place can be so adamant that 'this is the ONLY way to diagnose' but other places can be more liberal.
they are being ridiculous- HOW is this helping me?? its making my life worse, if anything.

thanks- right now i am so full of anger i cant do anything, and im just spiralling into a confusion; took keys out of my pocket to enter a shop earlier- getting unlocking my door with going through ANY door. making calls, return visits to my dr and everything is too much.
i dont think there is a way around it- you either get diagnosed at the nearest place or not at all. my anger comes from the inequality of CLASS- if i lived elsewhere, the rules would not be so strict, and id get help. thats why i think its so stupid- i hate this type of thinking. its not helping the people they are there to help, its just excluding people. surely if someone actually is so VERY isolated, they are more in need anyway of help tahn all the other people who have a million relations to drag along?
its really stupid.

Maybe should you pull out of the frustrated place you are in, for a little while. Then maybe start thinking about how to solve things after calming down. Find a happy place and then first start gathering more info b/f jumping back into how to solve the problem.

Sorry to hear about your difficulty.

The best advice I can give is to return to the NAS website and fill out this form; paste the following text in the comment box.