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.
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, expert autism (ASD) assessment to ascertain if you are, or you are not autistic.
Screening
If you’re worried 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. An adult autism assessment is the first step to understanding your unique mind.
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.
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.
Testimonials
Some words from our patients
To give you an idea of how we work and how we might help 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
How long is the waiting list?
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.
Will a private autism diagnosis for adults be accepted by the NHS?
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.
What happens if I'm not diagnosed?
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.
Is autism different in women?
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.
I don’t have anyone to help with the pre-assessment questionnaires, will this affect my assessment?
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.
Get in Touch
We're with you at every step
Neurodiversity enriches our society. While different ways of processing, socialising and experiencing life can bring daily challenges, with expert understanding and supportive guidance, adults can discover their authentic path. That's why we offer specialised private autism assessment services tailored to adults.