If you can't fly the machine AP out, you shouldn't be flying it at all.
AP out - depending on the helicopter - is an emergency
(not talking Robbies here ;-) )
and should be treated as such - declared and distractions reduced as much as possible.
Don‘t come with the old days...
Different helicopters, different IFR style
i started IFR with the Lynx, mainly to fly safe over water with an Instrument scan when there were no visible Horizon- with the occasional SRA, PAR or ILS on the places, where you knew the numbers and settings by heart.
Switched to civil helicopters with IFR on the Bo105 - no Autopilot- could be flown when in Trim by just shifting the body weight - but quite a ride in turbulance.
still, from NDB to VOR for Approach
Then BK117 - this time with a 3 axis Autopilot.
One Approach on the Check was always AP reduced/off - either due to the checker or just misbehaving on its own, when you didn’t reduce speed bevore the Final decent point and the AP couldn‘t cope with the changes.
But things have changed since then
Autopilots have four axis by now, the number of NDB and VOR decreases and its mostly GPS points by now.
The skill required now is to set up your screens and procedures, checking they are working as intended and less on the flying side. Properly set up the AP can do it better than any pilot ...
Add to that, that normal helicopter operation is VFR (if you’re not flying VIP for a living) with an occasional IFR flight.
With that set you should set up a risk analyses for your flights.
The risk of an AP failure is now close to 0 - and even so, flying a helicopter with AP of is a skill which should be trained from time to time, it is nothing which needs to be incorporated into check rides on a regular basis.
It is an (major) emergency and should be dealt with accordingly.
Bye the way, the manufacturer of the helicopter I fly emphasized lately, that the helicopter should be flown using the Autopilot as Standard procedure- hands on, except for lift off and landing - should be avoided...