🌟 Student Experience: Pursuing an Autism Assessment

Thursday 18 September 2025

In August 2021, I went to my GP to ask for a referral for an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) assessment. Here’s what the process looked like for me, how I prepared, and what I learned along the way.

📝 Preparing Before the Appointment

To begin, I called my GP practice and asked for an in-person appointment. They first offered me a telephone appointment, but I insisted on being seen face-to-face, as I struggle more over the phone.

Before the appointment, I did some research and preparation:

NHS Website: I read the NHS page about signs of autism in adults (link here). I printed the page and took notes. For each sign, I thought of an example that showed how I related to it. For instance, for the sign “having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes,” I wrote down that I have been eating the same breakfast for 24 years, and I always use the same shampoo. Since I am a foreigner, I need to stock up on that shampoo or ask my mum to send it to me by post.
Autism.org.uk: I read the Pre-diagnosis support section on autism.org.uk. I printed the section called “How to ask for a diagnostic assessment” and followed the advice. They recommend giving your GP examples of difficulties in adulthood and childhood across different categories — communication, social interaction, sensory difficulties, friendships, employment, and need for routine. I wrote down each category and listed as many examples as I could.
Why a diagnosis would help: Following the same advice, I also wrote down reasons why I felt a diagnosis would benefit me. I came up with four key reasons.
Screening scores: I noted my screening scores that my Disability Adviser suggested I complete.
Reading about women and autism: As a woman, I also read resources about how autism presents differently in women, including this article from See Her Thrive and this checklist from The Art of Autism. These helped me find more examples. Some things I had thought were just “normal” or related to anxiety turned out to be useful examples of autistic traits.

👩‍⚕️ The Appointment with My GP

I brought my printed notes and papers with me — this was really important, as I was stressed and it gave both me and the GP something concrete to refer to.

Here’s how the appointment went:

She started by asking me what had brought me in. I explained that I had spoken with the disability office at the university and they had advised me to seek further assessment.
She asked some personal details — my age, where I was from, what I studied, etc.
Then she asked for more specific reasons why I thought I was autistic. I showed her my screening scores (having a printed copy was a lifesaver).
She asked how I struggled socially and in other areas. I used my list of categories and examples, which helped me go through everything clearly. She took notes as I spoke.
She asked if I had any previous mental health diagnoses or therapy experience.
She asked how I thought a diagnosis would benefit me. Since I wasn’t in crisis at that moment, I explained that it would massively help my anxiety, improve my relationships, and reduce feelings of guilt. I emphasised that even though I might appear “functional,” I still experience a lot of incapacitating situations that cause significant stress.
She asked if I was currently taking any medication.

At the end, she reviewed my notes and examples with me to check she hadn’t missed anything, and then confirmed she would make the referral. I asked for a copy of the referral so I could be sure it had gone through.

📨 What My GP Included in the Referral

My GP’s referral included:

A request for an autism assessment.
My personal details (age, studies, origin) and previous mental health diagnoses.
How I came to seek a referral.
My screening scores.
Examples of how I am affected by things linked to autism, such as being emotional, not always understanding jokes, and having very recent friendships.
My sensory issues.
Details about my routines and eating habits (including how I get my shampoo sent from home).
My difficulties with changes to plans.
My explanation of how a diagnosis would benefit me.

💡 My Take on the Process

If you are thinking about asking for an autism assessment, here are the things that really helped me:

✍️ Write down examples for each main category of autistic traits (social interaction, communication, sensory issues, routines, etc.).
📑 Bring your notes and screening scores with you.
🌱 Explain how a diagnosis would help you personally, and write this down in advance.

🔗Other resources🔗

🔗Ambitious About Autism https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/

🔗Scottish Autism https://www.scottishautism.org/about-autism

🔗Asiam https://asiam.ie/

🔗Autism & Uni https://www.autism-uni.org/

Scottish Autism Women and Girls Online Right Click Programme (Free)

This programme is a source of information and is for autistic females of all ages, as well as parents, carers and professionals.

The programme provides valuable information addressing key health and wellbeing challenges, as well as providing practical advice on a range of issues.

Scottish Autism have engaged with women and girls from the autism community and have drawn on the expertise of a network of professionals to develop a range of videos and other support materials. The topics covered include: diagnosis, education, employment, positive living and parenting.

🔗https://www.scottishautism.org/services-support/family-support/women- and-girls-online-support

SWAN (Scottish Women’s Autistic Network) https://swanscotland.org/

Spoon Theory (Energy Accounting)

🔗https://autloud.ie/spoon-theory-a-beginners-guide-to-energy-accounting

🔗Euan’s Guide Disabled access information

This toolkit is an adaptation of the Autism&Uni toolkit, used under CC BY 4.0 license. The Autism&Uni project was funded with support from the European Commission and is hosted by Leeds Beckett University. For more information please visit the Autism&Uni website.