Private Autism Services for Adults

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can affect everyone differently. For many people, getting a formal autism diagnosis as an adult means you can move forward with confidence, knowing you can access the expert support you need to thrive.

Our diagnostic autism assessments for adults are available online UK-wide where clinically appropriate, as well as in-person at our clinics in Hampshire and Kent.

Start Your Assessment Journey
How An Assessment Works
Understanding Autism
Autism Signs
Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
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We’re with you every step of the way

How an adult autism assessment works

To be able to help you in the most positive way, we first need to fully understand your neurodevelopmental makeup and needs. Our specialist team will conduct a thorough, private autism (ASD) assessment to ascertain if you are, or you are not autistic.

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1

Screening

If you feel that you may be autistic, our free screening process will give clarity and insight. It will be carried out by our psychology team, led by a consultant clinical psychologist. If the results are indicative of autism, we’ll recommend a diagnostic assessment to give a definitive answer.

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2

Information Gathering

Before we arrange your assessment, we ask someone who knows you well (ideally since you were young) to fill in a report form and an online screening questionnaire so we can understand more about you and how you were as a child. This is because neurodevelopmental conditions like autism are always with us, right from birth.  A better understanding of your strengths and needs helps our clinical team with their assessment.

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3

Assessment

The assessment is carried out by either a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist, who are experts in diagnosing autism in adults. During the appointment, we'll carry out a thorough clinical interview, which will cover a range of issues relating to your experience, making sure you feel heard and understood. As autism can present in a similar way to other conditions, our job is to differentiate between those and autism itself, to give you an accurate opinion on your presentation. Once the assessment is complete, you’ll have time to ask questions about the outcome.

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4

Diagnostic Report

Following the assessment, we'll provide you with a comprehensive report giving a full breakdown of the assessment and our findings. The outcome will be clear and easy to understand and will include our recommendations, plus helpful signposting for ongoing diagnostic support.

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5

Ongoing Support

Following your autism assessment, whether an autism diagnosis is reached or not, our expert team will guide you on what support options are available to you at Psicon. These can include therapeutic support packages, provided by clinical and counselling psychologists within our wellbeing service.

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Understanding Adult Autism

Cherishing unique minds

Neurodiversity is part of being human; a fact of life for millions of adults across the UK. And having a neurodevelopmental (ND) condition doesn’t mean you have a disease that needs to be cured, but that your neurological functions are organised differently to people who are neurotypical. A private autism assessment for adults is the first step to understanding your unique mind.
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However, neurodevelopmental differences can cause great distress when not recognised or understood. Once fully assessed and diagnosed, we can offer tools, support and therapies to help individuals move forward with positivity, peace and purpose.

Our autism diagnostic assessments for adults are conducted online where clinically suitable, or at our clinics in Kent and Hampshire.

Autism Signs

You may be experiencing…

Although there are many things that autistic people share, every person’s brain is unique, so autism can be experienced in different ways.

Sensory sensitivities

Sensory sensitivities

Autistic people tend to have either a higher or lower (hyper or hypo) threshold for their senses. Noises that neurotypical people wouldn’t even notice can be intensely annoying and aggravating. Being around lots of noise, like in a restaurant or on a busy street, can cause a level of stress that might feel unbearable. And once back home, that person may need time to calm down.

In the same way, some autistic people find physical touch very unpleasant, even if it’s affectionate. Also, many struggle to find food with a taste or texture they like.

These sensitivities can be very distressing for the individual and very difficult to understand for others but are often a fundamental part of being neurodiverse. Once understood, they can be adjusted for.

Problems with your mood

Problems with your mood

Compared to the general or neurotypical population, a significantly higher proportion of autistic people suffer with their mental health.  Autism itself doesn’t cause mental health problems, but living in a world that isn’t designed for you can make life really difficult and exhausting. Over time, many suffer and might need support. Once a person can identify as autistic, it enables those offering support to better understand who they are working with and adapt their approach accordingly.

Being misunderstood at work

Being misunderstood at work

Not all workplaces understand neurodivergence well enough to make sure their environment supports autistic people. This may simply be because they don’t have the right information, but it can leave autistic people feeling de-skilled, disempowered and undervalued. Being able to formally identify as autistic can be very helpful at work. It means employers can start to think about what reasonable adjustments might be needed to help that person, so they can reach their potential and contribute fully.

Difficulties in relationships

Difficulties in relationships

Autistic people often find relationships difficult, as it’s not always possible to ‘tune-in’ to other people’s needs or have their own needs fully understood. Partners or friends can become frustrated and have expectations that are hard to meet when a person is neurodivergent. Autistic individuals can experience stress and low mood, and as you might expect, relationship difficulties can be a significant contributing factor.

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Testimonials

Here's what our patients have to say

We've helped thousands of patients over the years, and here are some of their thoughts.

Psicon exceeded our expectations.

From the referral from our local GP, we were kept informed every step of the way. The timescales we were given were shorter on every occasion. The staff were lovely, professional and friendly.

We have been delighted with the service.

We had a wonderful experience from beginning to the end, great waiting times for an ADHD assessment, great communication, professional, we have been delighted with the service.

We felt listened to and respected at every step of the assessment process.

Everyone whom we had contact with from Psicon where amazing and friendly. We felt listened to and respected at every step of the assessment process. We were well informed of each step and always asked if we had any questions.

We couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.

Great communication and service from Psicon. My daughter was seen by lovely doctors under the right to choose pathway and we couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.

The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.

I couldn’t be more grateful for Pscion. After waiting years on the NHS for my sons ADHD assessment and him constantly being failed by everyone, we decided to go privately instead. The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.

Highly recommended.

Highly recommended, Psicon has made what is an important but stressful journey to diagnosis a little bit more easier

Compassionate and caring service.

Compassionate and caring service. I felt heard and listened to during my appointment, where I was able to learn about my new autism diagnosis.

Amazing service with a short wait time.

Amazing service with a short wait time. Everyone I had contact with were friendly, understanding and helpful.

A very smooth and stress free service.

An amazing service from both the clinicians and specialists that saw myself and child, were very helpful, informative, went above and beyond with advise and support. A very smooth and stress free service, thank you

Finally able to enjoy life to full.

Life changing! Been able to learn a lot of methods to help with my mental health issues, and finally able to enjoy life to full. Can’t thank you enough!

I was made to feel at ease straight away

The doctor was very patient and understanding and I was treated with the utmost respect. I came away feeling well informed and I have a plan moving forward for my condition.

Speech & Language Therapist

It is a privilege to work in partnership with the expert staff team at Psicon and the child/family-centred approach to clinical practice is reflected at every level of the organisation.

Thank you once again for all of your help Psicon!

An outstanding company. Are always willing to help on the phone with any questions, concerns or problems. I would recommend them to anyone.

Fantastic clinic. I would highly recommend.

I chose to go here to get diagnosed privately. Sadly I have been let down by the NHS since my childhood in the 1980’s and I decided I had to go private, but I would say it was worth every penny and the long drive from my home. Lovely professional staff. Thank you.

Quick efficient service.

I could not have been happier with timescales, responses and communication.

The centre is a lovely welcoming place and the professionals put my highly anxious son at ease.

We went to the children's centre to get my son aged 17, a private assessment. From the start the staff were informative and helpful. The centre is a lovely welcoming place and the professionals put my highly anxious son at ease. In fact he even asked when we were going back! After negative experiences with the NHS and school, my son felt that he could finally access support that was right for him. Thank you 😊

Would highly recommend Psicon for any assessments

Absolutely amazing with my son, very easy to talk to and my son loved interacting with the staff.

I would recommend this service to anyone that I know.

I attended the practice in June of 2022. The practice had such welcoming and kind staff members. This really eased any anxieties I had about going to the practice, and set a very calming atmosphere.

Excellent communication and explanation throughout the assessments.

All staff seemed very knowledge, were prompt and courteous and we were given a conclusion by the end of the assessment

All practitioners were friendly, understanding and really knowledgeable

All practitioners were friendly, understanding and really knowledgeable and informative. They managed to put my anxious daughter at ease. They listened carefully, and were responsive to what we were saying. They also gave helpful suggestions to think about with the school and within the family.

Exceptional service.

The sessions were well organised. The psychologist was outstanding and it was like they knew me after just a couple of sessions. I would 100% recommend this service. I feel so much better and am going forward with several tools to keep me mentally healthy. I cannot recommend this service enough.

As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works

My daughter came out of her ADHD assessment feeling very positive about herself and empowered. As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works and what she needs to put in place to help herself along the way. We are very grateful to have been given such high quality care.

Occupational Therapist

It’s great to work in such a supportive environment. I really appreciate the CPD on offer and the chance to work with so many highly experienced clinicians.

Working with Psicon has meant that I have been able to meet colleagues from a range of clinical backgrounds. This has enriched and broadened my own clinical knowledge.

Speech & Language Therapist

I really value the opportunity to work with a whole host of highly skilled and passionate clinicians as a multi-disciplinary team. I always come away from a day in clinic having learned something new - either from the clinician I'm working with or from the young people we've met! I appreciate Psicon's forward-thinking and positive approach to the diagnosis of Autism and feel confident that our assessments and reports are neurodiversity-affirming.

Occupational Therapist

I have worked as an associate for Psicon for 5 years and have enjoyed it tremendously. Everything is made so easy for you to do your job as an ADOS assessor, and you are supported every step of the way. I have made some lifelong friends and have travelled to beautiful places in the UK.

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

I like to work with Psicon as it is a well organised firm with some very good appointments to management that makes a big difference. I can take my difficulties there and it can be solved. It uses an IT system that works well. In effect it can then render a quality service to the patients.

What I enjoy and value about working in the Psicon associate team: Excellent pre-assessment information collection. The flexibility of a mixture of face to face and remote appointments.

I really enjoy working as part of such a well organised service with wonderful colleagues. I am always learning from families and the team.

Since joining Psicon, what's impressed me is the sense of professional community and collective support that appears to be carefully and purposefully nurtured in the team. The clarity provided in terms of work processes, areas of responsibility, and support helped me as an associate to feel confident and valued in delivering as a part of the clinical team. I appreciate the flexibility offered to associates and the transparency of Psicon's work allocation approach.

I am a relatively new Associate with Psicon but from the start have felt part of a very supportive team. Despite working remotely, the training and support that I have had from Psicon has been comprehensive. In my clinical work I have enjoyed working alongside talented and supportive colleagues. Being an Associate has also given me an opportunity to pursue a better work life balance.

All staff are trained immaculately!

All staff are trained immaculately! Very kind, very helpful. Just wonderful. I could not have asked for a better service!

They treated me like I was a person

They treated me like I was a person and demonstrated they treat each individual on a case to case base using treatments tailored to the individuals needs. They listened without judgement offering to treat individuals with complex needs.

From the minute we arrived staff were welcoming and professional.

From the minute we arrived staff were welcoming and professional. Thank you for listening and helping my son to be as comfortable as possible. You were so attentive to his ways and the consultant, speech and language therapist had extensive knowledge and were able to pick up on things I wasn’t even aware of. The support throughout was amazing, everything was explained in detail and I would definitely recommend Psicon to others. Thank you again.

I've found the team at Psicon warm, professional, and supportive. Working for Psicon has been great for my own professional development, learning from others in the MDT both through working side by side in assessments and through others sharing their knowledge and experience in the reflective practice meetings held by Psicon for their associates. I find the work with Psicon very contained, each day is like a separate project, which means it works well alongside the other work I do. The pay is also great!

Working as an associate with Psicon has meant access to a range of high quality CPD opportunities, and working within such a skilled MDT also allows for many more professional development opportunities day to day.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Anything you’d like to ask us?

Taking the first steps to understanding why you feel different, unhappy, or struggling takes courage. We’re here to help you find the support that’s right for you.

See all our FAQs

Our assessments fully comply with NICE guidelines, and we use the highest quality and well-regarded clinical model within our service. We are also a trusted NHS provider and often support different NHS Trusts and ICBs with waiting lists. This means a diagnosis made by our service will be accepted by the NHS.

Our assessment process includes a free screening stage, carried out by our psychology team and led by a consultant clinical psychologist. They will look at information contained within your referral, as well as scores from a well-researched and clinically validated screening questionnaire. ‍This information will show whether autism is indicated, or not. And even though it’s not diagnostic, it will enable you to make an informed decision as to whether to proceed with a full assessment before making any financial commitment. However, it is important to understand that despite the screening process being positive for autism, sometimes the outcome of the assessment will be a non-diagnosis. ‍This means you don't meet the threshold to be diagnosed with autism. If this is the case for you, our clinical team will still be able to provide recommendations for further support and we may even be able to ask your GP to make an onward referral for another type of assessment, should this be clinically appropriate.

While the assessment process and diagnostic criteria are the same across the gender spectrum , it is true that autistic women can present very differently. The criteria on which a diagnosis is made is largely known to be associated with symptoms in men and this can mean that women who are autistic may go undiagnosed. Men often present their symptoms in a more obvious or ‘stereotypical’ way, whereas women may have more subtle traits. This is because women often learn how to hide their symptoms (mask) in order to fit in with their peers. Having assessed thousands of people for autism, we are used to seeing it present in many different ways. Our assessments are designed to take masking and camouflaging into account – especially in women. Our team are very well trained in understanding the female presentation of autism and know that traits and symptoms can be trickier to see in women.

We know that often clients attend their assessment with the feeling that the process will confirm something they already know. So, coming away from an assessment having been told that autism isn't diagnosed can be quite distressing and difficult to understand. Autism can be tricky to diagnose later in life, and often symptoms or traits of autism can overlap with other psychological or psychiatric conditions e. g. PTSD or Bipolar. Choosing an appropriately experienced and skilled clinician will mean that they can carefully unpick your symptoms and work with you to identify whether the way you feel is due to a neurodevelopmental condition like autism, or because of some other difficulties you may have faced in your life. If you do not receive a diagnosis, our clinical team will still be able to provide recommendations for further support and we may even be able to ask your GP to make an onward referral for another type of assessment should this be clinically appropriate.

We ask someone who knows you well to support the assessment process by giving extra information. This is because the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-5) states that to meet the threshold for a diagnosis of autism, symptoms/traits/behaviours must have been present from childhood. Put simply, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition caused by physiological differences in the brain, so will have been with you all your life. However, we understand that some people won't have anyone to support the process, and while this can make it trickier to conclude the assessment, it won't prevent the assessment from going ahead. If you aren't able to find someone to support you, we would advise you to bring as much information as you can that shows your strengths and needs as a child, for example old school reports.

This often depends upon how quickly we receive the pre-assessment information, but once we've received all questionnaires, we aim to provide an assessment appointment within four to six weeks.

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We're with you at every step

Every teenager’s mind works differently. If you have concerns about your teen’s social communication, sensory processing, or daily functioning, our private autism assessments provide families with clarity, understanding, and practical strategies to support your teen’s wellbeing and success.

Start Your Assessment Journey

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