Before applying for assessment
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Consent: If you are referring someone over the age of 16 and are not the person seeking the assessment, you must confirm you have their written consent. This can be:- a signed letter
- an email from the person’s own email address.
If the person is unable to consent, you must provide evidence such as:- a health and welfare power of attorney
- a formal capacity assessment.
We will request copies of these upon receipt of the form.Funding: If the assessment will be funded by someone else, we will require proof of funding. This may include:
- a letter from your GP
- written confirmation from an external organisation.
We will not progress the referral until this has been received.Developmental History Contact (Adults): For adult assessments, we aim to gather a developmental history from someone who knew the individual during childhood. This could be:
- a parent
- a family member
- a friend or relative.
This person does not have to attend the assessment but you may choose to bring them with you. If there are difficulties in identifying someone and/or providing their contact details then please advise us when you complete the form.
Parent/Carer Details (Children & Young People): We ask for contact details of a parent or carer.
Educational Setting Contact (Children & Young People): Please provide details of a professional at the child or young person’s educational setting. This helps us gather useful supporting information.
Reports: If you have relevant documents (e.g. speech and language therapy reports, psychological assessments, or hearing and vision tests), please indicate this at the relevant section of the form and we will contact you to request these.
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Cost: £1,800 to £3,800 depending on your needs and the services required.How to make a referral: Through your GP – you need to speak directly with your GP about a referral to our service and your GP may agree to commission a referral through the NHS by making a case to your local Integrated Care Board (ICB). This is a specific pathway and not part of Patient Choice or Right to Choose.
- Through your Local Authority who may commission and fund an assessment in specific circumstances.
- Through a self-referral which can be self-funded or paid for by a private healthcare provider with their agreement.
Funding: We are an independent service and we offer self-funded autism assessments but we can also offer assessments for people who have funding from other sources. If the assessment is to be funded by another source, such as a charity, private healthcare provider, or local authority you will need to provide evidence confirming this funding. If your funding is via the NHS, you will need to either provide confirmation of this funding, or a letter from your GP confirming that they intend to apply for NHS funding for the assessment. We will not be able to progress the referral until we receive evidence of funding. Please also note that if your GP applies for funding, this does not guarantee that your assessment will be completed by our service as most NHS funded assessments are completed within the NHS Trust that funds them.
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We work with a small number of trusted partners who meet our high clinical and ethical standards. These partners have been rigorously vetted to ensure they meet the same high-quality standards as the National Autistic Society Diagnostic and Assessment Service, and they align with our commitment to providing expert, person-centred care. If you consent and, and we feel it is appropriate we may pass your details to one of our partners to ask they progress the assessment request. These partnerships help us:- increase assessment availability
- reduce waiting times
- operate more sustainably.
We currently partner with:Acorn Autism Specialists (Essex)
Acorn are respected autism and emotional wellbeing specialists offering thorough autism assessments delivered by experienced clinicians, many of which have lived experience of neurodivergence. They focus on person-centred care and use best-practice diagnostic tools.
Key strengths:
- personalised neuro-affirming approach throughout the process
- flexible assessment delivery
- clinically robust and compassionate.
Normally have appointments available within six weeks.AYC Psychology and Assessment Services (Cheshire)
AYC offers adult and child autism assessments with a strong emphasis on clear communication and accessible support. They adhere to NICE guidelines and use a fully multidisciplinary team in each assessment. The service is fully neuro affirmative and undertaken by skilled and experienced clinicians.
Key strengths:
- timely appointments, clear communication and on-going access to an appointment coordinator who is on hand to answer all clients’ questions and/or queries
- thorough and robust assessment process
- remote and in-person assessment options
- supportive and experienced clinical team
- detailed diagnostic reports
- payment options
- access to additional diagnostic services that consider other forms of neurodivergence.
Normally have appointments available within six weeks.CATS LTD (Community Assessment Therapy Services LTD) (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire)
CATS specialise in the assessment of neurodevelopmental differences, including Autism and ADHD. They recognise that every person is unique and provide a responsive and holistic service to build a picture of their client's strengths and challenges.
CATS recognise that Neurodivergence can present in subtle ways and may not always be apparent when individuals are assessed in a formal setting. Years of camouflaging may mean that the results of some observation-based assessments do not reflect the person’s internal experiences. CATS works with you using a variety of tools to explore whether these experiences are representative of a diagnosable neurodevelopmental difference.
Key strengths:
- strong expertise in neurodevelopmental assessment for children and adults (from age two years)
- accessible services with a warm, inclusive approach, with our multidisciplinary team
- post-assessment therapeutic support available.
Normally have appointments available within six weeks.Visit CATS' website
If you would prefer not to be offered an assessment with one of our partners, you can indicate this on the request form.
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What information do we keep about you and how do we use it?
Under the Health & Social Care Act 2008 and the Records Management Code of Practice (2021) we are required to keep an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record in respect of each service user and to maintain this securely. Our GDPR guide in PDF format provides answers to some of the questions you might have about your own or your family member’s record.Safeguarding guide
The Diagnostic and Assessment Service prioritises safeguarding, requiring Enhanced DBS checks for staff and escorting visitors to ensure safety. Parents and carers advise on managing their child's safety needs during assessments.
View/download the guide
Request an autism assessment
The form typically takes 30–40 minutes to complete. You are unable to save your progress so please make sure you have plenty of time and the information detailed above to hand before starting.
Request an autism assessmentIf your enquiry is not about an autism assessment, you may find helpful information on a wide range of topics in our Advice and Guidance section.