All kinds of things could have happened- the service could have gained another clinician who can assess ASD, someone has room in their caseload for an assessment but not a therapy client, your catchment area doesn’t get as many adult ASD referrals, people have withdrawn from the waitlist, your GP’s info is out of date, or - as you suggest - something about your case or circumstance has bumped you to the top of the waitlist. If you’re curious, you could ask at your appointment?

There's usually 2 parts of an autism assessment. One is a nuero development history of what you were like as a child etc. That appointment is usually quite quick and then it's a long wait for the appointment where they make the decision

I do autism assessments. It could be for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps a cancellation or a new clinician etc. perhaps there's a big gap between the first part of the assessment and the next part. It won't likely be anything to do with you I'm afraid x

I had two do two forms then two assesmmebts- this took over two years I think and it was a few years ago now. Maybe email and ask for clarity on what to expect but don’t tell them it’s quick incase you won the NHS lottery x

This is definitely it. If you get “oozes autism” on your notes, you’re getting bumped up the list so you can access the plethora of support much quicker. Can’t have all that autism spilling out unchecked. Get that shit locked down quick, for the sake of humanity* *capitalism

So I had a similar experience, at the end I just had to ask why my wait was so short. They told me that (in my area) they have a new way of prioritising people, so 1. Do they have a medical need? (I was misdiagnosed/medicated for bipolar I don’t have) 2. Is there a time critical need? (I was in my second year of uni) 3. From the forms are they likely to be diagnosed? May be different in your area but I found it interesting. Good luck💫

From experience - this is probably a triage from the assessor’s end and once that’s complete the long wait will start then

We got the invite then lots of forms to fill in now on 18m waiting list for the official assessment part

celebrity privilege ? ps Make sure its someone doing Migdas, otherwise waste of your time..

I was told that the waiting list in my area was 2 years when I was first referred. They then sent me some pre-screening paperwork to fill out, and I was triaged as urgent based on that because of how it was impacting my mental health. My assessment happened within 5 months of the initial referral. So they do sometimes fast-track you based on certain criteria.