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Newbie

R

Richard Freeman

New Member
Hi all.

I'm Richard, a 35yr old male from UK. Whilst I have not been officially diagnosed with Aspergers, my wife and I believe that I have mild to moderate Aspergers based on my behaviours. We're unsure on testing given my age, sadly Aspergers was not a condition while I was growing up. But it certainly explains most of my teenage years!

Given the late diagnosis, I have managed to complete an undergraduate degree to a good level. Find a wife and have a daughter. However my behaviours have previously been diagnosed as depression, especially my constant exhaustion!
 
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Welcome to the forum! Yay for there being another self-diagnosed member in their 30s! If it's any reassurance to you, the average wait in the UK is 2 years. I was told 18 months at the start of my wait and it's been 11 months so far. Hopefully you'll be seen sooner than I have been if you decided to ask for referral. I think, like with most NHS care across the UK, it's a postcode lottery.
 
Otenba said:
Welcome to the forum! Yay for there being another self-diagnosed member in their 30s! If it's any reassurance to you, the average wait in the UK is 2 years. I was told 18 months at the start of my wait and it's been 11 months so far. Hopefully you'll be seen sooner than I have been if you decided to ask for referral. I think, like with most NHS care across the UK, it's a postcode lottery.
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You must be right about your location in the country having a bearing on waiting time.

Once I submitted the necessary paperwork they sent me, I was told I would have to wait for an assessment about 6 months. True to their word, I got my assessment appointment date and time 6 months to the week of sending the forms back.
 
Starfire said:
You must be right about your location in the country having a bearing on waiting time.

Once I submitted the necessary paperwork they sent me, I was told I would have to wait for an assessment about 6 months. True to their word, I got my assessment appointment date and time 6 months to the week of sending the forms back.
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Was that in the last year or two? If so, blimey that is fast!! I'd love if it took that long here. I think the fact my local area is very bad for mental health care really doesn't help things. Trouble is though, people discourage private diagnosis, so I'm just gonna wait it out. I'm already on high priority too though do wonder if that really means anything is services are so lacking.
 
Otenba said:
Was that in the last year or two? If so, blimey that is fast!! I'd love if it took that long here. I think the fact my local area is very bad for mental health care really doesn't help things. Trouble is though, people discourage private diagnosis, so I'm just gonna wait it out. I'm already on high priority too though do wonder if that really means anything is services are so lacking.
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why do you want a diagnosis ?is it to access NHS services then yes wait !if not type in autism diagnosis !if you pay privately it will be much faster! but the NHS are snooty about private diagnosis .
 
It was within the last two years yes. It was with Northumberland Health Trust (NHS). They were brilliant, they’ve even been in touch since the diagnosis to see how I’m getting on and if I need help with anything.

It took around a year for CAMHS to diagnose my daughter but there were lots of meetings and she had lots of talking appointments with psychologists and had to be observed at school and interacting with the family so it was more lengthy. They also had to organise her assessment with three psychologists I think, one was observing her behind one way glass as she did lots of tests and puzzles etc with the other two in the room with her. However again they said it would take around a year as they didn’t want to jump to conclusions or make a misdiagnosis, and it took a year.

I would wait it out too, plus if someone changes their mind or their situation changes they could cancel and you might get it sooner than you expect.
 
Streetwise said:
why do you want a diagnosis ?is it to access NHS services then yes wait !if not type in autism diagnosis !if you pay privately it will be much faster! but the NHS are snooty about private diagnosis .
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It's for employment reasons. I understand employers aren't great about private diagnosis either. My employer has not suggested I seek a private diagnosis too which suggests they might be funny if I turned around and went private now.

Starfire said:
It was within the last two years yes. It was with Northumberland Health Trust (NHS). They were brilliant, they’ve even been in touch since the diagnosis to see how I’m getting on and if I need help with anything.

It took around a year for CAMHS to diagnose my daughter but there were lots of meetings and she had lots of talking appointments with psychologists and had to be observed at school and interacting with the family so it was more lengthy. They also had to organise her assessment with three psychologists I think, one was observing her behind one way glass as she did lots of tests and puzzles etc with the other two in the room with her. However again they said it would take around a year as they didn’t want to jump to conclusions or make a misdiagnosis, and it took a year.

I would wait it out too, plus if someone changes their mind or their situation changes they could cancel and you might get it sooner than you expect.
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Oh that is marvellous for you, though rather unfortunate about your daughter but glad it's done now! :) Yes, hopefully I'll get a surprise appointment offer sooner than I think! Shall see!
 
Hi Richard welcome. I hope you enjoy it here, there's plenty of useful information and threads to read and respond to, and people here are helpful and friendly. Yes I think many undiagnosed older people on the spectrum have formed coping strategies as best they can and sometimes unfortunately got unwell as they try to cope, but as you note, often achieving plenty as they struggle on. This is a good place to extend your knowledge and get ideas from others.


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Thanks for all the support guys, it means a lot. Gardening helps me get away from my anxiety and stress (most of the year). But as mentioned it's about finding coping strategies for the longer term
 
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