Autism and ATOS medical assessments

Post Reply New Topic

Agreed. I don't understand why it's ok to be interviewed by someone who knows nothing about your disabilities. If you were ill and had to be assessed with a view to a diagnosis by a specialist, you'd be seen by someone with an interest in that. So, why is this any different?

Wandering Stranger - it's because the DWP and Atos are trying to get as many disabled and ill people as possible kicked off sickness and disability benefits and they don't care, they just want the numbers reduced for a tiny financial impact because we're an easy target and they hope that as many of us as possible will die/commit suicide, whilst turning the public against us by labelling us workshy faking cheating scroungers and a burden to society.

I guessed that. But it's just costing them more money and time for appeals and reconsiderations.

As far I've been able to find out ATOS have very few, if any, 'healthcare professionals' with autism training so I wouldn't hold out any hope of being assessed by anyone with any relevant experience. Since they have some sort of internal training courses on mental health problem (which is how physiotherapists end up assessing people with anxiety and depression) they may have something similar for autism. Shame they don't make it available to the whole world so that everyone can become an autism expert in just a few days...

If you cancel and rearrange your assessment, bear in mind that you can only do this once, so make sure you're completely happy with the new time and date before you agree it.

As for your rights, I'm afraid they're utterly irrelevant to ATOS and the DWP. I totally agree with what Catmint said above.

I understand this but with the first step being cancelling the interview, I will ask the DWP why I need an assessment in the first place as my conditions will mean I already pass the 15 points needed.

Also the NAS may be able to help, particularly in insisting that someone with experience in autism is used, there is no point even if someone is trained up on mental illness because autism is not a mental illness.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to offer help with this, it means a lot and I will report back as it progresses.

Please don't dissolve into a pool of golden tears though.

The squonk is of a very retiring disposition and due to it's ugliness, weeps constantly. It is easy prey for hunters who simply follow a tear-stained trail. When cornered it will dissolve itself into a pool of tears.

I filled in my ESA form with the help of my autism advocate, and a letter from my psychiatrist. I got moved up into the Support Group with no need for a face-to-face interview.

I was in the Work Related Activity Group beforehand and they put me on a job interview / CV writing course! I have severe disabilities (OCD, schizophrenia and Asperger's, all of which are in the severe range) and that's why I would find work extremely hard. The course was absolutely inappropriate for my autism and mental health; my support worker came with me, but I still had a panic attack due to having to sit in a circle with strangers. I started hallucinating as well as being very paranoid, and I started stimming big time and I had tears in my eyes. Then I walked out and my support worker had to calm me down. Everyone was staring at me, which amplified my paranoia.

I want to work, but this careers course was totally designed for NTs and did not even mention any disabilities! I would need a support worker to help me attend work.

a horrible experience to go through steel maiden,but think of it this way,at least they got to see a taste of what the disabilities are like and how they woud be affected in that environment,hopefuly its also helped them to take note of how their disabled unfriendly aimed course affects people with disabilities; more so complex 'mental' disabilities such as ASDs,LDs,severe mental illness etc.
was there any feedback given to them about the course from people on it or do they not ask?


wandering stranger,
sorry hope do not think am being judgemental as woud hate to make someone genuinely long term sick or disabled feel worser about their situation when we get enough of it from david cameron and his fellow hooray henrys already.
am writing just how have heard it in disability communities over the years and on programmes like saints and sinners [? think thats what its called],its also a line that citizens advice burough used to tell claimants to follow as well, and also other things that coud have gotten people into serious trouble such as writing things as their worst day.
what is officialy recommended by CAB,DIAL etc for people who have varied days [think ME/chronic fatigue syndrome for a clear example here] is to write a seven day-or longer diary which shows exactly how it is.

No offence taken.

I went on one of those CV / interview courses and they were useless. And someone conveniently forgot to inform the man delivering the programme that I'm disabled and need some adjustments. I then got told off for not saying anything. When I challenged my adviser over this, she said she didn't say anything "because I didn't think it was necessary".

I was on JSA then and they were well aware that I was disabled. This was just after I received my Autism and Hyperacusis diagnoses. It was decided that because I'd just received those diagnoses, "they weren't that bad". I don't know of anyone who gets a diagnosis for the sake of it. My GP wasn't impressed. I then went on to ESA and was still harassed by them. They phoned me after I received my ESA assessment results (I had no face to face interview) and claimed that I'd been put into the work group. I told them this wasn't the case and my letter says support group. They then asked me if I wanted help getting back to work. I declined their offer.

A friend who knows me quite well has said that this is actually the wrong way round. She says I need to write to the DWP, having cancelled the ATOS for now, to find out why I need an assessment in the first place. This decision can be withdrawn in fact, if there can be a way around giving more information, as if they did not have enough already, rather than put me in a position where I probably would not interact and avoid a horrible situation like Steel Maiden went through on that course. You need to speak to the organ grinder and not the monkey, she said.

"START YOUR OWN REVOLUTION AND CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN"
(Billy Bragg - "Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards")