What To Expect as an Adult Referred for an Autism Assessment?

So, you’ve visited your GP and been referred to be assessed for autism. Perhaps like me, you found this whole process confusing and anxiety inducing. Forced to wade through conflicting information and deal with constant uncertainty about what to expect moving forward. However, despite all this; you’ve got the letter, you know when you’ll be going and where? Great! Kind of. Except, also like me; a big question might be pressing on your mind. A fixation developing with no clear and obvious answer. What do I expect as an adult after being referred for an autism assessment?

The Community Mental Health Team

As with any diagnosis or assessment for a condition there is a preliminary appointment before things can move forward. In this case, the appointment will probably be with your local community mental health team. For some reading, this might be a trigger in itself. Truthfully, it put me on edge. Although local mental health teams are populated with nice people who do their best; the system is strained and it is bowing to the pressure. This means that sometimes things are not always handled the best they could. As a patient it is possible to feel misunderstood or rushed through the system because of this. I don’t envy the people working in these conditions but it isn’t fun as a patient or carer either.

Arrival

On the day of the appointment you will sign in, if you are a new patient then they’ll ask you to fill in your details. With that in mind, it is best to be 10-15 minutes early. If the questionnaire or talking about yourself are likely to be things you struggle with; definitely bring someone along. A partner or a parent would be a great choice.
For me, the wait was short. This is good. Whilst the waiting room was not overly stimulating; the white lights, talking and almost clinical atmosphere made me a little uncomfortable. Based on the nature of their work and the amount of patients that come and go though, expect the possibility of delays.

The Introduction

The appointment started with me being greeted at the reception area. What put me on the back foot is that there and then, I was told that a social worker would be sitting in on our appointment. I was not told whether it was for training purposes or something else entirely. Obviously, this wouldn’t be the case for everyone but it is worth noting as it could happen to you. This kind of unexpected addition without context or an opportunity to process is actually one of my triggers.

The Appointment

Once we sat down, the person I was there to see introduced himself as part of the tertiary mental health team. I was informed that I would not be walking away with a diagnosis during this appointment (which I had already assumed) and that this can only be done by a psychiatrist. He then stated that everything discussed in this meeting would be confidential unless I am perceived as a harm to myself or others. Making sure that I understood this before moving on.

What followed was an hour or questions about my sensitivities, triggers, fixations, emotions, thought processes, family/personal history, support and mental health. Mostly, this made sense. Some questions felt a little more targeted to trying to catch the person answering under the mental health umbrella than assessing whether or not they are autistic. One that immediately springs to mind is “do you think you can read people’s minds”. All in all, the meeting moved along briskly.

If you can have someone with you who can talk about your childhood behaviours and has seen how you react to fixations and triggers externally then this will help this process. If this is not possible, speak to people before hand and either take a note to give to the worker or relay the information given. It will help them and it will take a lot of the pressure off of you.

What Happens Next?

After the questions were over, having relayed my personal struggles with incomplete information and unclear procedure; the worker I was with explained that there is no need to fixate on this appointment. Based on the information given he believes that I am on the spectrum but to what degree, he is unsure. He emphasised that this wasn’t a diagnosis just his professional opinion based on what he had observed. I was then told that their team will now look at my answers and write to my GP to suggest whether I should he referred to a psychiatrist for formal diagnosis of autism. Where I live in Hertfordshire, I was told this usually takes 3 – 6 weeks and that I’ll get a letter in the post once this happens.

In Summary

The process has its problems and I have reservations about where it is handled and why. However, the appointment itself was handled quite well for the most part and I felt like at the very least, my triggers were listened to. I have mixed feelings about the overall experience but am happy we are moving forward.