Autism assessment
Autism
A thorough, affirming assessment led by a consultant psychiatrist formally trained in ADOS-2 and ADI-R — the internationally recognised gold-standard tools — and conducted in line with NICE CG142.
Many autistic adults reach middle age without a diagnosis. Not because the signs were absent, but because they were compensated for — a lifetime of learning the rules consciously that other people appear to absorb without effort.
That compensation works, up to a point, and it is expensive. It shows up as exhaustion after ordinary social contact, as burnout that outlasts its trigger, and often as years of treatment for anxiety or depression that never quite explained the whole picture.
An assessment will not change who you are. What it can do is give you an accurate account of yourself, access to adjustments you are entitled to, and permission to stop treating a neurological difference as a personal failing.
We assess to explain and to open doors — not to label.
At a glance
- Consultant psychiatrist trained in ADOS-2 and ADI-R
- Conducted in line with NICE CG142 and DSM-5
- Neurodiversity-affirmative throughout
- Detailed written diagnostic report included
- Late diagnosis and high-masking presentations welcome
- Combined ADHD assessment available
Recognising it
What autism often looks like
Rarely the childhood stereotype. In adults who have compensated for decades, it is subtler — and the effort is usually invisible from outside.
Social communication
- Conversation as conscious work — monitoring tone, timing and eye contact rather than doing it automatically
- Being told you are blunt, or too formal, or hard to read, without knowing why
- Finding one-to-one manageable and groups exhausting
Masking and its cost
- A rehearsed version of yourself for work and social settings
- Needing hours or days of recovery after ordinary social contact
- Burnout that arrives without an obvious trigger and takes a long time to lift
Routine and change
- Real distress at unexpected changes of plan, out of proportion to the change itself
- Strong preference for the same routes, foods, systems and ways of doing things
- Deep, sustained interests that are a genuine source of expertise and relief
Sensory experience
- Specific sounds, lighting, textures or smells that are not merely unpleasant but intolerable
- Difficulty filtering background noise in busy places
- Seeking out particular sensory input — pressure, movement, repetition — to regulate
Autism is a spectrum, and no two autistic people present identically. If this reads like a description of your life rather than a checklist you partly meet, an assessment is worth considering.
The assessment
What your assessment includes
NICE sets out what a competent autism assessment involves — CG142 for adults, CG128 for under-19s. This is how we meet it.
Screening measures
Validated self-report instruments — typically the AQ and RAADS-R — sent when you book. They shape the assessment; they never decide it.
ADOS-2, used properly
A structured, semi-standardised observational assessment. NICE is explicit that ADOS-2 must never be used alone, and we do not: it forms part of a broader clinical assessment, never a substitute for one.
Developmental history (ADI-R)
Autism is present from early development, so we take a detailed developmental history — informed by ADI-R where an informant who knew you as a child is available.
Current functioning
How things actually work now, across communication, relationships, work or study, routine, sensory experience and daily living — including what you have built to compensate.
Differential and co-occurring conditions
ADHD, anxiety, OCD, trauma and eating disorders overlap with autism and frequently co-occur. A consultant psychiatrist is well placed to distinguish and to identify both where both are present.
A detailed written report
A full diagnostic report against DSM-5 criteria and NICE CG142, describing strengths as well as difficulties — usable for workplace or university adjustments and onward referrals.
The standard we work to. This assessment follows NICE CG142, autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management, and NICE CG128 for under-19s. Both are public, and worth reading before you choose any provider — including us.
Afterwards
What happens after diagnosis
A report on its own is not much use. What matters is what it lets you do next.
Post-diagnostic discussion
A diagnosis in adulthood reframes decades of experience, and that takes time to absorb. We talk through what it does and does not mean, and answer the questions that surface afterwards.
Workplace and study adjustments
Your report sets out reasonable adjustments in terms an employer, HR team or university disability service can act on under the Equality Act.
Co-occurring conditions
Where ADHD, anxiety, depression or OCD are also present, we can assess and treat them — so you are not sent to start again somewhere else.
Signposting
Practical direction to the peer, advocacy and specialist support that autistic adults consistently say helped most.
How it works
From booking to report
- 1
Book
Choose a time online. No GP referral needed.
- 2
Screening measures
AQ and RAADS-R sent as soon as you book.
- 3
Assessment
An in-depth appointment with your consultant.
- 4
Report
A detailed written diagnostic report and post-diagnostic guidance.
Questions
Autism assessment FAQs
If yours is not answered here, ask — we would rather resolve it before you book.
Autism assessment is more involved than most psychiatric appointments, because it covers your whole developmental history as well as how things are now.
It helps considerably, and where a parent, older sibling or old school report is available we will ask for it. It is not an absolute requirement. Many autistic adults are assessed without a childhood informant, and we will tell you honestly if the absence of one limits the confidence of the conclusion.
It is the single most common reason adults — especially women and anyone diagnosed late — are turned away elsewhere. A skilled assessor is looking for the effort behind the presentation, not just the presentation. Being articulate, employed and socially competent does not rule out autism; often it is evidence of how hard you have been working.
They co-occur frequently and our consultants assess both. Whether that is done in one appointment or two depends on the picture — we will advise before you book rather than selling you two assessments by default.
Request reasonable adjustments at work or university, support an Access to Work application, inform onward NHS referrals, and — for many people most importantly — have a documented explanation to point to when it is needed.
No, and anyone offering one is not being straight with you. Autism is not an illness to be treated. Medication may help co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, anxiety or depression, and that is a separate conversation we are happy to have.
We will explain clearly why, and what we think better accounts for your experiences. That explanation is the point of coming — a clear answer either way is more useful than an uncertain label.
Next step
An explanation is worth having.
Book an assessment with a consultant who will look for the effort behind the presentation.