Private Aspergers Diagnosis UK

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Hiya

I know this has probably been asked lots of times before, but I was planning to go to Digby Tantum's Dilemma Consultancy for an adult diagnosis of aspergers/autism. I have found that although it is a private practice, they still want an GP referral. I have tried this route but they told me not to be so silly, that as I had a couple of friends, of course I didnt have aspergers! Doh!

Does anyone know anywhere in the UK that does private diagnosis without the need for GP or NHS refferal?

Thanks,

Bonafan

use a different GP? tell your GP to stop being a tool and learn something about autism?
it is frustrating but if you tell them what you want you should get it

I've lost a lot of faith in 'health professionals' since joining this site..

Bonafan, I went to the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge privately, so you might want to contact them. Last year, the cost was £800 but I don't know what it is this year.

Please do keep in mind that while I self-referred, I was given a top sekrit telephone number that signalled that I had been put in touch with them by Someone Who Knew. (If you see what I mean.)

Edit: Having just checked the ARC web site, it seems that you do need a GP's referral and it suggests that people seeking a diagnosis contact the National Autistic Society to see what they can suggest.

I too had years of no one refering me for assessment. It was very frustrating.

In the end, I went to the Hoffmann Foundation for Autism. The cost was £1000 or £500 if on benefits. The assessment centre is in London. I went there about 18 months ago. You would need to check the costs with them. It may have changed. However, I highly recommend them if you can find the funds and are as certain as possible that it's not going to be money wasted. Although I understand it's diifficult to be completely certain.

Because this was my final shot at getting assessed, using a whole savings account (It cost me £500) I made sure I planned ahead, gathering school reports etc, highlighting them, sending a few things ahead of time etc.

I found the assessment very thorough and they took me seriously, which was the first time any professional had! There was no 'everyone does that sometimes' or 'You just have to try harder'.

Search 'Hoffmann Foundation' on WP and you'll probably find one of my other posts going into (even) more detail on them.

Hi Bonafan-

I got diagnosed in the UK in the summer, and as I'm actually a paramedic, I do know a fair bit about how the NHS both works and is SUPPOSED to work. So, some advice:-

1- You can always request a different GP. You are in no way obligated to remain with a GP if you are unhappy with them. You have every right to request a second opinion. Why not ask friends and family in the same area who their GP is and if they are approachable?

2- Most clinics utilise the GP referral system to avoid being inundated with people who have self diagnosed after reading an article and thinking to themselves "Oh, I'm a bit like that". I'm not suggesting that you are one of those people at all, simply saying why most clinics require that GP referral.

My GP has known me all of my life, and was very surprised when I went to talk to him about Aspergers.

I don't believe he would have taken me seriously if I hadn't taken along the entire 14 page printout from my completing an online test.

Do a Google search, and head for the link that has “rdos” and “aspie-quiz” in the address. I would have simply posted the link but the forum wouldn’t let me for some reason.

I know how difficult it can be trying to find out if an online test is reputable, but in the case of this one I can actually say with reasonable certainty that it is. The clinical psychologist my GP then referred me to told me that this particular test is used by NHS Lothian and NHS Borders as part of their assessment criteria. Not one like it, but that actual one.

I hope some of that helps! As for “having a few friends” feel free to tell that pillock of a doctor that not only can Aspies have a fair few friends, they can also be Scottish paramedics *sigh*.....

Welcome to WP, Kelspook!

Why thank you! Lurked for quite a while, and decided it was about time I got involved

That's great.

I did wonder about one aspect of your advice though, namely changing GP. In my experience this is not actually possible. I mean, I can choose between the 3 or 4 that work in the practice I'm registered with but it is not possible to change GP practice unless you are moving in from another area. Goodness knows I've tried (not for ASDs).

I think the poster meant try another GP within the same practice.

I have experience of one of Digby Tantum's clinics, you can PM if you want.

The NAS would send you a list of places, or you might be able to find it from their website. Another suggestion is to take someone with you - friend/relative, or an advocate from a charity organisation. They would write to the GP or attend an appointment with you. I find GPs difficult to talk to and it is ironic that someone with AS someone would struggle to tell their GP this and not get referred.

You could keep going back and annoying them until they actually do something just as it is easier. You may need a medical reason to get a diagnosis e.g. I have suffered from depression/anxiety for years and was getting nowhere with treatment. If you stress it is private then surely it is up to you whether you spend the money or not - it is an assessment. They could equally say no or that it was something else. However, my GP said that usually if you pay for an assessment you are likely to be diagnosed as the clinician has an interest in finding more patients in their field. They may be trying to save you money.

I did manage to get it done on the NHS but it was a struggle. I found that the waiting list for one of Digby's clinics was several months so I thought why not try to exhaust the NHS system first as I would have to wait either way and it would cost me a lot of money to go private.

I did mean try another Gp within the practice, yep. But if an area is covered by two practices, it can sometimes be possible to switch from one to the other.

I would be personally be wary of a clinic that was saying "yeah, we'll test you without a referral, that'll be £1000".

Seems to me that they will simply take your money and tell you what you want to hear. In the UK the NHS while not perfect by any means should be able to help you find out exactly what is going on and give you the help and support that you need.

It may also be helpful to find out if there are any autism/aspergers groups that you can go along to in your area. Those people will know far more about resources in your locale that any of us will.

Not sure why anyone would have to pay. Mine was quite a while back but via GP > clinical psychologist route.

I was told that I could have one, but that there would be a very long waiting time for an NHS referral, and that "...and this is for children..." or words to that effect. If you're lucky enough to live in the right place and have a GP who has at least a basic understanding of the condition and actively wants to help you, you're doing well.

I find it frustrating and annoying that I can't simply go out armed with a wodge of cash and say "hey, please provide me with such-and-such medical service" (no prizes for guessing: "get me a karyotype test" and "hormones, please, and damn the torpedoes") without a massive fight. My money, if I want to fritter it away on the off-chance it makes me happier then bloody well let me. Grrr.

Try Missing Link Support Services, in Lancashire.

This is a very valid point and I'm glad you're cautious about where to spend large sums of money. It would be ideal to find a free NHS route where possible.

I felt like it's fair to add though, that when I enquired into the Hoffmann Foundation, I did scrutinise their validity as a diagnostic centre. I was told which processes and criteria they would use to assess AS, what the qualifications of the staff were etc and they offered a free follow-up session to discuss the results, regardless of what these were. They produced a 20-something page report of their findings, going over all the assessment procedure and the DSM-IV criteria that they used, describing how I met these criteria or not and what was typical of AS.

Before I agreed to any assessment, I expected the organisation to have the decency to communicate with me on all of my enquires in a professional way, knowing that there was no guarantee of them making money from me.