I waited for a referral for almost two years. I decided to do it privately

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Filmmaker and educator Pablo explains why he chose to get a private assessment to confirm that he is autistic – which he already felt sure of – after waiting a long time for an NHS referral. Pablo describes what he had to do as part of the assessment and how having a diagnosis has created positive change in his work and personal life.

Video transcript

What made you want to seek a diagnosis?

To understand myself and to help people around me to understand me. I have received psychological help since I was a child, so over time, it became clear what was going on. Before the assessment, I did a master’s degree in neurodivergence and a film about autism. I managed to find jobs that brought me closer to autistic people. So, when I started assessment, yeah, I knew I was autistic.

How did you get a referral?

A private psychologist sent a letter to my GP. I also spoke to my GP, and I was waiting for a referral for almost two years. So, at that time, I decided that the fastest way was to do it privately, so it’s what I did.

How long did you wait for your assessment? And did you do any preparation in that time?

Private assessments are really quick. I think I had to wait three weeks before I started my assessment. So yeah, it’s quick.

I didn't do any preparation. I think working around autism for quite a long time helped me to understand – like, I knew what to expect about the assessment, about the questions, about the questionnaires.

"My mum and my wife participated in the assessment in questions about my childhood and adulthood."

My mum participated, my wife participated in the assessment in questions about my childhood and adulthood.

What do you remember doing as part of the assessment?

I filled many questionnaires. I think there were like 15, I can't remember. Some of them were really long, some of them were quite short.

I had four face-to-face meetings with a specialist. They were about like six hours in total. Yeah, the questions were focused on my childhood and my responses to social situations like my role as husband, friends, work environment and social skills. Yeah.

What was your experience of the assessment like?

It was quite easy to answer the questions because I visited some specialists before the assessment.

But I remember the first time I did some questionnaires, they were quite difficult to understand. I just didn't know how to answer. I wasn't really sure if I was answering the questions correctly, but visiting some specialists before the assessment helped me a lot.

It was quite easy, but I remember some questions about especially my childhood were quite, I guess, painful to answer because it was quite difficult for me in retrospect. They made me feel a little bit sad about the child I was and the struggles I have faced, etcetera.

"Some questions about my childhood were painful to answer because it was quite difficult for me in retrospect."

How did you feel when you were told the result, and given an autism diagnosis?

I knew I was autistic before getting the result, so the diagnosis was just like a routine step to officially confirm something that I was already aware of.

What impact has having a diagnosis had on your life?

The diagnosis helped me to understand myself better and helped people around me, especially my wife, to understand me. And it changed some aspects of my life definitely.

For example, yeah, I did a master’s degree around neurodiversity, especially autism.

"The diagnosis helped me to understand myself better and helped people around me, especially my wife, to understand me."

I started working closer to autistic people, and I started enjoying my work environment. Also, I did a film about autism. I'm working on a documentary and another film about autism. I set up my company to provide free workshops to autistic children. And creating my production company to contribute through the creation of audio-visual materials. So, yeah, the impact was definitely very positive.

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