So you're seeking an autism diagnosis as an adult in Scotland? You're entering a system where excellent clinical guidelines exist on paper, yet the quality of assessments may vary across services. Some services provide thorough, comprehensive evaluations that follow the national guideline. Others... well.
This website exists because I experienced the latter first-hand.
After receiving a substandard diagnostic report that fell well short of the established standards and had red flags all over it, I found myself in the frustrating position of having to research regulatory frameworks, clinical guidelines, patient rights, relevant regulatory bodies and accountability processes - knowledge that I shouldn't have needed to acquire just to access decent healthcare.
I decided to share what I learned from this process so that anyone else who might find themselves in a similar situation has the information they need to know the difference between a legitimate, comprehensive diagnostic report compliant with SIGN 145 and a brief letter that amounts to 'trust us bro, you have autism', understand their rights, and know who to contact when things go wrong.
What you’ll find here
Standards – an outline of what adult ASD assessments should involve
Information about ASD diagnostic report with examples – a practical look at what a legitimate report should contain, contrasted with potential red flags
Organisations and Resources – sources for further information and support
The scope
The focus of this website is on autism in adults without intellectual disability, with a special interest in the diagnostic process, in Scotland. The information, standards, guidelines, and regulatory frameworks discussed here may not apply outside of this scope.