'Trust us bro, you have autism'
Unlike the other examples, this 'diagnosis' is based on a real-life experience with an ASD assessment in 2025, which spanned over five sessions: four information-gathering sessions (the last one in lieu of an informant), and a fifth session when the ADOS-2 was administered, lasting a total of 8.5 hours - yet produced a 'diagnosis' that would make SIGN 145 weep.
Note: The document presented below is a transcript of the actual 'diagnosis'; all potentially identifying information has been stripped for privacy reasons.
If, as a result of your ASD assessment, you received a document reminiscent of this one, you should not accept it - there are actions you can take.
What this letter lacks (according to SIGN 145):
Comprehensive assessment requirements
❌ No ADI-R (gold standard developmental history tool)
❌ No cognitive assessment
❌ No adaptive functioning
❌ No speech/language assessment
❌ No comprehensive developmental history
❌ No current presentation details
❌ No sensory assessment
Clinical standards
❌ No differential diagnosis consideration
❌ No comorbidity assessment
❌ No detailed diagnostic formulation
❌ No evidence mapping to ICD-11 criteria
❌ No assessment methodology explained
❌ No evidence of multidisciplinary team
Care planning
❌ No support needs identified
❌ No recommendations
❌ No care planning
❌ No onward referrals
❌ No post-diagnostic pathway
❌ No NHS service integration
Professional standards
❌ No quality assurance mentioned
❌ No SIGN 145 compliance statement
❌ Signed by office manager (not a clinician!)
Questionable clinical authority
❌ No HCPC registration numbers (required for clinical psychologists)
❌ No GMC registration numbers (required for psychiatrists)
❌ No evidence of specialist autism training
❌ No indication of who is clinically responsible for the diagnosis
❌ You can't verify if these people are qualified to diagnose autism
❌ No accountability trail if you need to challenge the assessment
