Hello. This thread is mostly for bongs since I live in the UK, but basically what I'm asking about today is how to get diagnosed as someone with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) and ADHD (Specifically the first part). I'm aware that it's virtually possible to get it through the NHS, unless I want to wait five years so I want to go private. Thing is though these things can cost 1-2k each, so I'm looking for somewhere I can get diagnosed quick and not break the bank (I live in London BTW)

Any help is appreciated.

Forgot to mention why I think I have these conditions.

Autism: For one, I'm a social retard, I'm unable to communicate how I feel properly to other individuals, and I struggle to say what's on my mind, as it just comes out badly. Growing up, I also had a problem following orders; people would say "do this," and I wouldn't understand what they were saying, like my brain was unable to translate it. Because of this, I got shouted at a lot and treated like an idiot, it was quite hurtful, you see. I also don't like talking to people in general, I find the whole ordeal very strenuous on my energy and brain function, like I don't know how to keep a conversation going, so it always ends up getting a little awkward. I'm a bit of a recluse my nature as I also don't have any friends.

ADHD: This I'm less sure of, but I often struggle to focus on something for more then 10-20 minutes, I'm unable to finish basically any movie in one sitting, sometimes I even struggle to finish twenty-minute episodes, if I do then I would also be doing something else, like being on my phone.

>>33391136 (OP)
if you made it to adulthood without a single teacher, doctor, or parent noticing, you're not autistic.

>>33391859
I've spoken with people, and a lot of them said, "Yeah, you're probably autistic." so I don't know. Worth a shot at least.

>>33391136 (OP)
>I'm aware that it's virtually possible
If it's possible, take that route

>>33391859
Couldn't be more wrong. Masking is very much a thing and you can't really rkly on others to recognize such things

>>33391136 (OP)
>Any help is appreciated

You're eon the right track. Go private. 1-2k feels like a lot of money, but it just means saving up for a season. 3-4 months and you got the cash. Pay for it. That cash will come back to you since you live in the UK. You get free benefits if you apply for it. Autism and ADHD qualify for disability payment. That's 300 a month given to you for free, indefinitely. That 2k comes back to you within half a year. Within a year you doubled your money. And it keeps going for years.

>>33391162
>Autism
Your symptoms there are more ADHD than autist. Adhds are a bit daydreamy, inattentive, lack of attention regulation. So someone tells you something or instructs you, you blank out and zone out. That's ADHD related.

Autism is a sensory issue at its core. So you wanna think more along the lines of things like brain buzzing, social exhaustion, socializing making you tired or even aching in your head or muscles. Loud sounds being too much, bright lights being too much, certain textures or smells being too much. Autism is also about routine. Doing shit the same way in a specific way. Scheduling your day to be a particular way. And if sudden changes happen, ruining your entire mood for the whole day. That's autism.

>ADHD
Yeah you sound more like that. ADHD is diagnosed from how you performed in school and childhood. Were you constantly late? Constantly forgetting homework? Struggling to focus in class? Fidgeting in your seat constantly getting up in the middle of class? Constantly lagging behind in school? Always getting in trouble from teachers due to not being able to keep up?

>>33392488
But don't rule out autism either. You said you try to express yourself and it comes out badly. That's a common autism thing too. Autists are often unsocialized or struggle socially. Due to their natural proclivity to avoid social situations, being reclusive, self isolating, choosing loneliness because life is a sensory nightmare, especially trying to process the sounds coming out of people's mouth and the facial expressions contorting on their face. Autists are slower at interpreting social data. And very often, the autist accidentally says something blunt or insensitive or saying something or expressing a gesture at the wrong social time or wrong social context.

>>33392428
if you can "mask" enough that nobody can tell you're autistic, then you're not autistic.

>>33392522
Nta but autism is a spectrum. Fancy way of saying autists range from being complete shit-smearing, wall punching, baby-speaking retards to middling awkward and freakishly strange yet verbal to higher functioning, seemingly normal, yet privately struggling internally with the sensory and social world around them. There's three levels of ASD. 1 = requiring little support. 2 = requiring a lot of support. 3 = adult daycare time, institutionalised in some special vegetable farm. Special-ed tier. Tard wrangler tier.

>>33391136 (OP)
Why do you want to be diagnosed? Honestly there really is no benefit especially if you're 20+, they won't hand out any payments or support, the way they look at it is "he's done fine on his own this far". Trust me it's a waste of time.

I was diagnosed with aspergers just before they changed it to "ASD", I was a school at the time and had hoped I'd be able to claim DLA but long story short my teacher who had to autherise it wouldn't yet she did for my friend who is practically a normie (he's married and has kids now).
Truthfully dude I can't see what you stand to gain.

>>33392601
They do hand out payments for it.

>My teacher who has to authorize it wouldn't
The fuck? Why did your teacher get involved? Your appointed guardian could have been parents instead. You don't even need an appointee to claim, you could have filed it yourself. You can still file it even now.

>>33392612
>They do hand out payments for it.
They don't, and certainly not as much as they used to. My friend no longer gets DLA.

>The fuck? Why did your teacher get involved?
She was head of the special ed unit at my school and for some reason she had to sign off my approval (which she wouldn't).

>You can still file it even now.
Impossible, I've held a professional job for 6+ years now. They wouldn't just hand out payments to me.

>>33391136 (OP)
It's worth checking what the situation is for NHS assessments. I was on the waiting list for about 18 months but have just had my assessment - they are currently outsourcing them to a private healthcare firm in order to clear the backlog. (Paid for by the taxpayer, not by me). So you might not have to wait quite as long as you think. I'm in North East London.

>>33392729
>They don't, and certainly not as much as they used to. My friend no longer gets DLA.

Yeah that's because the UK government switched from DLA to PIP. Same shit, different name different branch dealing with it. Still paying autists at least 74 weekly at minimum. 110 if you argue a special case. So either 296 a month or 440. Autism is listed under PIPs recognized eligible disorders for payment.

>Impossible, I've held a job
Nope. PIP still hand it out jobless or not, career or not. You get to keep it on top of earnings.

>>33393018
>Nope. PIP still hand it out jobless or not, career or not. You get to keep it on top of earnings.
I know that, but you're retarded if you think they're suddenly going to award it to me after getting by fine without it for nearly 2 decades

Also a good friend of mine gets PIP, he has to jump through hoops to maintain it, it's reviewed routinely

>>33393045
>I know that, but you're retarded if you think they're suddenly going to award it to me after getting by fine without it for nearly 2 decades.

Depends if that's the truth or not. And employment isn't a marker for getting by fine. Especially as far as autism is concerned. All you need to do is advocate for yourself or have someone do it for you, spelling out to them all the social struggles and shit you find difficult. Sensory, social, you name it. Because that's a disorder you got for the rest of your life. There's no curing it and no magically outgrowing it. Parietal lobes of the autist's brain are malformed from birth till death. That's a whole ass disability and why you get paid for it, job or no job.

Your friend gets reviewed routinely cuz I'm guessing it's for a diff disability or issue in guessing? Indefinite awards only have a review every 10 years. Autism is indefinite.

>>33393067
>There's no curing it and no magically outgrowing it
True but you do learn to cope with it and get much better at masking as you get older. Anyone I meet now would think I'm a normie (even confident and charismatic), that was certainly not the case back when I was in secondary school.

>Your friend gets reviewed routinely cuz I'm guessing it's for a diff disability or issue
it's a mobility issue, lifelong, still has to jump through quite a few hoops every now and then.

I wouldn't get your hopes up too much, you might get something but it's unlikely to be the enhanced PIP rate and if you get diagnosed to an excessive extent it may affect your driving licence.

>>33391136 (OP)
say that you took the autism spectrum quotient test on the internet and got N points there to your gp and get referred to an autism specialist or something o algo

>>33392488
>That cash will come back to you since you live in the UK. You get free benefits if you apply for it. Autism and ADHD qualify for disability payment. That's 300 a month given to you for free, indefinitely.
Wow, how would I claim that?

>Autism
I tend to lean towards the latter symptoms you listed. Every day before I do anything, I like to calculate what the best course of action is for me to come out on top, a master plan if you will where I try to factor in every variable and try to plan for it, but it doesn't always work and I get quite annoyed when things don't go my way, y'know?

As for the stuff about socializing... Kinda? I don't think I'm very far on the spectrum. If I am on the spectrum, to be perfectly honest, my co-worker said I probably got mild autism. I do get exhausted from socializing, and I find it difficult to do. Certain smells and textures? Not really.

>ADHD
I literally have everything you listed here lol, I guess that's settled.