Autism Assessment for 18 yr old - recommended private providers?

[Workisntworking]

I'm looking for a private provider to assess DC for autism. I would really welcome a recommendation.

Previously had DC assessed for ADHD which came out as no diagnosis. I was not confident in the way the assessment was conducted and they weren't able to signpost elsewhere. Turned out assessor was a nurse and it seemed she was just reading out a check list we could have done ourselves.

DC has seen a couple of counsellors who have both raised the possibility of autism.

GP agrees it's a possibility but the wait is 2-3 years. We could use Right to Choose or go totally private.

Can anyone recommend a good provider - who if there is no diagnosis can still signpost?

We're not desperate for a diagnosis of autism but DC is so unhappy/finding it hard to cope and I guess it's a case of elimination.

Have a look to see if there are any in person providers in your local area. It's much easier for them to see in person if your dc is masking compared to online. Or if you're happy to say the rough area you're in, someone might know of one 😄

We're in London/South East.
I think you're right about it being important to see what the body is doing too.

Oh, in that case try What we do | Autism & ADHD assessments, therapy and mentoring. They look at ADHD at the same time, and give a thorough report that can be passed on to sixth forms/colleges/universities.

The advice we got from our local autism hub was to consider providers that the NHS use under 'right to choose' as they will be doing the assessment following NICE and NHS guidelines.

If you google autism assessments local to you the providers websites will usually say whether they take right to choose patients. Most of the ones local to me also do assessments privately as well with less of a wait time.

Thwnk you both.

Make sure they're NICE compliant.
We used the Autism Service. Initial 'meeting' was online. Assessment for DD was in person. Final feedback was online and in a very lengthy report. All very efficient and the lead psychologist was really lovely and very thorough.

Before you spend money, think about what you want from a diagnosis, many private providers will give you pretty much the diagnosis you are seeking but why do you need one? Is it to clarify your suspicion or to seek help? Because if you want ongoing support you need to go through the nhs really.

What support does the NHS offer to adults?

What do we want from the diagnosis - once we know what the issue is we can move forward, and if it's nil diagnosis we've eliminated autism from the list of possibilities. DC does not want to be autistic so we're not seeking it out as an end to itself.

I'd also say, having received nil diagnosis for ADHD, that I don't think you can just buy a diagnosis, and we don't want to do that.

I'm still interested in any good providers after our poor previous experience.

Stepping Stones clinic - Dr Rossouw

My DD has found 'just knowing' enormously helpful. It helps make sense of so much in her life. She's not wanting a diagnosis for fun and would rather on balance, not have social communication issues, sensory issues and challenges with emotional regulation but now she knows why and can be better prepared to take care of herself.

McKeown Psychology Associates Ltd in Brighton. Highly recommend. They will assess your daughter for both ADHD and autism. Extremely thorough, good at spotting masking in females, and can offer support sessions post diagnosis.

Oxford based: https://www.oxfordadhdcentre.co.uk/ www.oxfordadhdcentre.co.uk/]]]]
They assessed my son for autism at 19 and were very lovely and thorough. Initial screening to see whether it's worth going for the full assessment and then detailed work with the individual and those who know them best.

I think that's our thinking too.

My DD had her assessment through CAMHS with Psicon

https://www.psicon.co.uk

It was still a couple of years from referral to diagnosis.

My daughter found that it answered so many questions that she’d always had about herself. It gave her an understanding of herself that has helped her enormously