Hello

[whes]

Afternoon, I have just joined this forum. I'm in my early 20s and am in my final year of university. I was diagnosed with dyspraxia at the age of 5 and now suspect I have ASD. Through my uni I made an application for an assessment/screening months back but am still in a queue, which is frustrating as I finish my degree in a couple of months. Have any of you been assessed for dyspraxia/ASD through university, and what are your experiences like?

Thanks.

[JRB]

Hi

I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia during my second year of university and the only way that I got mine faster was to go private and pay for it which is a lot of money. It took me a whole year to go from screening to diagnosis though.

all the best and I hope you get your diagnosis soon.

[FrankieSoup]

My dyspraxia diagnosis came via university in December- it was mentioned that I have autistic/adhd traits too. I was told the Ed psych appointment wasn’t long enough to look into it though, so I’m awaiting an nhs diagnosis. It’s really a regional lottery though- my region has a 24+ month wait time because it’s a self referral service, but if you have any notes from your uni, you might be able to make a case to your gp for referral to adult mental health.

[whes]

Hi

I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia during my second year of university and the only way that I got mine faster was to go private and pay for it which is a lot of money. It took me a whole year to go from screening to diagnosis though.

all the best and I hope you get your diagnosis soon.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Might I ask how hard it was to get a diagnosis process of SpLDs as an adult and outside of an educational institution, in terms of finding a place that offers the tests etc? From my reading, a lot of emphasis is placed on diagnoses during childhood and at school etc.

[whes]

My dyspraxia diagnosis came via university in December- it was mentioned that I have autistic/adhd traits too. I was told the Ed psych appointment wasn’t long enough to look into it though, so I’m awaiting an nhs diagnosis. It’s really a regional lottery though- my region has a 24+ month wait time because it’s a self referral service, but if you have any notes from your uni, you might be able to make a case to your gp for referral to adult mental health.

Morning, thanks for your reply!

It's really disappointing that both the university and NHS services have such long waiting times - ideally I would've received an assessment before I finish uni but it doesn't look the case now. I have yet to be seen by my uni in any way so unfortunately I am only self-referral. Might I ask how long you had to wait for the educational psychologist appointment please?

Thanks.

[Tom fod]

Hi Whes

Welcome to the forum.

So is it just ASD screening, or are you having to go through reassessment of your Dyspraxia 'to prove you still have it'/ to qualify for additional support/ DSA assistance?

To answer your other question some employers are positive about Neurodiversity and may fund testing or invite you to apply for funding via the Governments Access to Work Scheme. They don't require a formal medical report.

If you have and are willing/able to fund yourself organisations like PATOSS can connect you to a specialist teacher/educational psychologist who can offer assessment.

[FrankieSoup]

It's really disappointing that both the university and NHS services have such long waiting times - ideally I would've received an assessment before I finish uni but it doesn't look the case now. I have yet to be seen by my uni in any way so unfortunately I am only self-referral. Might I ask how long you had to wait for the educational psychologist appointment please?

Thanks.

So, my whole .... thing.... is actually fairly complex. I approached the GP first at the point I applied to uni (I'm a mature student) because I was pretty convinced that I have ADHD. TBF, I'm still not convinced I *don't* have it. Anyways, they said I had to self-refer so I did, but given that the self-referral route had only just opened after a region-wide hard line 'we don't diagnose adults with neurodivergence', it's massively backlogged.
My GP suggested I try contacting student support anyway, so I did, and they asked what I was struggling with. I gave them all the evidence I'd gathered for the self-referral and they said they'd book ed-psych for me re. dyspraxia. I had my appointment, then a review of adjustments that could be made. This all happened within the first semester, and the first weeks of the second semester.

Can I ask where you're based? I'm aware my experience is possibly quite different because I'm in Scotland - different NHS, different university system etc. The Ed Psych I spoke to did say that I could go back to my GP with the report I got from uni and try to get them to bypass the self-referral, but TBH, for the purposes of education, the dyspraxia label covers everything I need help with. I'd like to know for me, regarding ASD/ADHD, but I'm old and patient, and I can wait still.

Have you read much about self-diagnosis of ASD? Sara Gibbs does a really nice section about it in her book, Drama Queen. And I think Laura-Kate Dale covers it in Uncomfortable Labels. And I know it's a kids book, but I really liked Abigail Balfe's section on it in A Different Sort of Normal. It's not going to help in academia, but for self-knowledge and acceptance, I found those really helpful. <3

[whes]

Hi Whes

Welcome to the forum.

So is it just ASD screening, or are you having to go through reassessment of your Dyspraxia 'to prove you still have it'/ to qualify for additional support/ DSA assistance?

To answer your other question some employers are positive about Neurodiversity and may fund testing or invite you to apply for funding via the Governments Access to Work Scheme. They don't require a formal medical report.

If you have and are willing/able to fund yourself organisations like PATOSS can connect you to a specialist teacher/educational psychologist who can offer assessment.

Hi Tom, thank you and cheers for the reply.

It's just for the possible ASD. I had a dyslexia assessment when I was around 16, which determined I didn't 'have' dyslexia but 're-confirmed' my dyspraxia, so-to-speak. My university accepts that as sufficient evidence.

This is really useful information, thank you. Going private is definitely an option so that may be the best course of action going forward.

[whes]

It's really disappointing that both the university and NHS services have such long waiting times - ideally I would've received an assessment before I finish uni but it doesn't look the case now. I have yet to be seen by my uni in any way so unfortunately I am only self-referral. Might I ask how long you had to wait for the educational psychologist appointment please?

Thanks.

So, my whole .... thing.... is actually fairly complex. I approached the GP first at the point I applied to uni (I'm a mature student) because I was pretty convinced that I have ADHD. TBF, I'm still not convinced I *don't* have it. Anyways, they said I had to self-refer so I did, but given that the self-referral route had only just opened after a region-wide hard line 'we don't diagnose adults with neurodivergence', it's massively backlogged.
My GP suggested I try contacting student support anyway, so I did, and they asked what I was struggling with. I gave them all the evidence I'd gathered for the self-referral and they said they'd book ed-psych for me re. dyspraxia. I had my appointment, then a review of adjustments that could be made. This all happened within the first semester, and the first weeks of the second semester.

Can I ask where you're based? I'm aware my experience is possibly quite different because I'm in Scotland - different NHS, different university system etc. The Ed Psych I spoke to did say that I could go back to my GP with the report I got from uni and try to get them to bypass the self-referral, but TBH, for the purposes of education, the dyspraxia label covers everything I need help with. I'd like to know for me, regarding ASD/ADHD, but I'm old and patient, and I can wait still.

Have you read much about self-diagnosis of ASD? Sara Gibbs does a really nice section about it in her book, Drama Queen. And I think Laura-Kate Dale covers it in Uncomfortable Labels. And I know it's a kids book, but I really liked Abigail Balfe's section on it in A Different Sort of Normal. It's not going to help in academia, but for self-knowledge and acceptance, I found those really helpful. <3

Cheers for your reply, that is really insightful!

I am based in the East of England. I've had a mental health therapist in the past who 'suspects' I have ASD too (they specialise in neurodiversity); I haven't considered 'self-diagnosis' before, but I'll definitely give your book recommendations a read! Until now, I've sought to go through the 'proper' process (i.e., a formal assessment) to judge if I do have ASD and to see what adjustments the specialists recommend to be implemented in education and in the workplace.