Have you ever thought you have traits of autism or ADHD? And whether those traits would meet the criteria for a diagnosis? You may have even completed a screening assessment and ‘passed the test’ but you’re thinking, what’s the point in getting an assessment?
Perhaps you’re thinking, what benefit will it bring? The waiting lists are humongous (in some areas the wait now stretches beyond five years), with GP appointments increasingly difficult to get hold of, (the headlines in the news just this week were citing that people who are wanting the weight loss jab or autism/adhd assessments are taking a large proportion of GP appointments) and even when people manage to be seen, they’re often told the system is overwhelmed.
For neurodivergent people, it can feel like a perfect storm. Awareness of autism and ADHD has risen sharply, but access to diagnosis and support has not kept up with the pace. Many adults and parents now find themselves in a strange limbo: aware of their likely neurodivergence, but whilst knowing it’s tricky to get an appointment and the wait will be endless, people generally feel they unable to access formal recognition.
Rising numbers, rising frustration
Recent research has shown that the co-existence of autism and ADHD is far higher than once believed. Around 30-50% of people with autism also have ADHD, and 10-30% of those with ADHD also meet criteria for autism. In the general population, around 0.5-1% may have both diagnoses and that figure is climbing as understanding improves.
This raises a further question: if so many people are discovering they might have both conditions, and the waiting lists are impossibly long, what’s the point of getting a diagnosis at all?
The value of knowing
For most, I would say the answer lies in self-understanding. A formal diagnosis can provide validation after years of confusion or self-blame. It helps people reframe their experiences realising that struggles with focus, sensory overload, or social exhaustion aren’t moral failings, but neurological differences.
It can also be a key to practical support. In education, a diagnosis may open doors to reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act. At work, it can justify flexible hours, quiet spaces, or written communication instead of verbal. In healthcare, it can influence medication options or therapy pathways.
But equally, for many adults on years-long waiting lists, diagnosis has become less a route to help and more a bureaucratic checkpoint; something they need to access even basic understanding or care.
But what changes after a diagnosis:
In terms of actual tangible changes, not a lot. So, It’s no wonder many clients are asking, “If there’s no help after diagnosis, what’s the point?”
Reclaiming the meaning of diagnosis
Perhaps diagnosis needs a reframing. Rather than being seen purely as a medical label, it can be understood as a tool for self-advocacy and connection. Knowing you’re autistic, ADHD, or both can guide how you live, how you rest, and who you connect with. It can bring community, and a sense of belonging after years of feeling “different.”
The diagnosis may not ‘matter’ to the masses, but it can still offer something the system can’t: clarity, community, and self-compassion. And that, for many, is the real point.
