Private autism assessments and diagnosis

We can offer autism assessments for children from the age of 4 years.

Depending on the age of the young person, parents/guardians can be involved in all stages of the assessment process. This can be discussed and agreed upon during the initial screening session.

During the ADI-R stage of the autism assessment process, we need to gather information on the person’s developmental history from as many people as possible. Therefore, parents/guardians and other key people in the person’s life will need to be involved. This is the case for both adults and children.

We always ask for any relevant information from your GP, but you don’t need a formal GP referral to be able to access our autism assessment process.

Prices for the autism assessment can vary depending on whether this is conducted by a therapist/psychologist, or a consultant psychiatrist.

For people who go down the therapy/psychology-led route, the cost for the full autism assessment is £1,950. This includes the autism diagnostic tool (ADI-R), ADOS assessment and feedback session. This doesn’t include any initial screening, as this very much depends on the context for the screening, for example, whether this is done as an initial step, or following a recommendation from a mental health treatment team.

For people who go down the consultant-led route, the cost for the full autism assessment will be around £2,250, which includes the autism diagnostic tool (DISCO, 3Di or ADI-R), ADOS assessment and feedback session. Again, this doesn’t include any initial screening or mental health assessment, as this will depend on the route for accessing this, as well as individual consultant fees.

Your assessment can be conducted by either a therapist, psychologist or a psychiatrist. The type of specialist you’ll see can depend on a number of factors. These include:

• Whether you have any additional mental health concerns, that need a more comprehensive initial assessment
• Whether you have been advised to see a psychiatrist
• If you would like to discuss psychiatric medication
• Location and specialist availability

We can guide you through the options and help to determine which would be the most appropriate for you. If you start on the therapist or psychologist route, but it becomes clear that you’d benefit from a psychiatric assessment, then we can refer you to one of our psychiatrists quickly and easily.

How long each stage of the autism assessment takes can vary slightly depending on each person. However, the following is a general guide:

• Screening/assessment session – the length of this can vary, depending on the route taken into treatment
• ADI-R or other diagnostic tool– allow for 2 hours
• ADOS – allow for 2 hours
• Feedback meeting – allow for 1 hour

Following the assessment, we’ll discuss next steps and any further support that you might benefit from. We can offer one-to-one outpatient sessions for autistic people who may need extra help managing their condition. We can also help people who have anxiety and/or depression symptoms, linked to their autism, that they might need some support with.

Psychoeducation is also a really important part of the process. This is when you educate yourself about the psychological impact of autism, typical characteristics and normalising some aspects of it. We can support you with this, and recommend websites/resources to help you to learn more about your diagnosis.

We aim to keep waiting times as low as possible. Depending on the location of your nearest site, you could be offered an appointment within 2 weeks of your initial enquiry.

For all enquiries, please call our customer service centre on 0800 840 3219. Our friendly team will be able to answer any initial queries you have, and start the process for booking your private autism assessment.