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Adult autism assessments

Autistic brains work differently, affecting how people communicate and interact with the world around them. For many, a diagnosis is a long-overdue validation for feeling different. It can provide clarity, belonging, peace of mind and support.

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Signs of autism in adults

Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently from those around them. But while there are common areas of difficulty, every autistic person is unique and their challenges are different.

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  • Struggling to express emotion and describe feelings
  • Having a keen interest in very specific subjects
  • Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
  • Sticking to a regular daily routine and getting anxious if it gets disrupted
  • Preferring to be alone and finding it hard to make friends
  • Feeling anxious about social situations
  • Coming across as rude, blunt or not interested in others without intention
  • Not understanding sarcasm and taking things very literally

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Autism clinician

For many people, a diagnosis as an adult is a sign of recognition, helping them understand their feelings, moods, and behaviours. Once diagnosed, we can introduce various techniques to manage challenges, which is why an assessment is so important.


Start your journey and speak to a qualified professional today.

What happens in an autism assessment?

An experienced clinician will work with you to fully understand your thoughts, presentations, and experiences. Your psychiatrist will gather information from multiple sources, including symptom checklists, behaviour rating scales, family members, or other people who know you well.

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what happens autism assessment

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Subtypes of autism

The UK still recognises several subtypes of autism, highlighted across a 'spectrum'. Signs and characteristics of these subtypes vary in severity and how much they impact each person.

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autism treatments

Support for autistic people

There is currently no one standard treatment for autism, but various approaches, such as CBT, can help autistic people understand their behaviours and emotions, support their mental health, and live more comfortably.

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You don't need a referral to have an assessment


A free, confidential call could quickly lead to life-changing outcomes. A trained assistant psychologist will answer your call and ask questions before explaining how we can help you.

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FAQs

Yes, as long as your GP provides us with a referral. More information can be found on our Right to Choose page.

Our autism assessment process combines a series of pre-assessment questionnaires with the most trusted, accurate, and widely used diagnostic procedures. Using these tools together helps us provide the most accurate diagnostic decisions and make detailed recommendations.

Where possible, we collect information about your childhood experiences and adulthood from someone who has known you from an early age. This person is referred to as your "informant". Their role is to support your assessment by completing a detailed and attending a diagnostic interview called the ADI-R.

You will also be asked to complete pre-assessment questionnaires and attend your assessment with a specialist clinician matched to your specific requirements. You will then have a feedback appointment to review your results and discuss your next steps.

For more information, please read our adult autism assessment guide.

There are six questionnaires to complete before your appointment. Please ensure you use these to provide as much detail as possible, with specific examples where possible.

  • Your informant's appointment can take up to three hours
  • Your ADOS-2 appointment will last up to 90 minutes
  • Your feedback appointment will be 30 minutes long

Our assessments are all conducted by senior neurodevelopmental specialists with many years of experience assessing and diagnosing autism. We will send you details of your clinician before your assessment.

Our adult autism assessments cost £2250.

In most cases, a GP referral isn't necessary. However, we will let you know if we do need to see one, or any other information, before determining if we are an appropriate service for you.

Yes, we provide both options, subject to availability. We have various clinics for face-to-face appointments around the UK. For more information, please see our locations page.

How we have helped others

Every year we help thousands of people, just like you, to find expert, Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Psychotherapists who have many years’ experience in diagnosing and treating anxiety.