Service : Autism Assessment Service

We can assess you to see if you’re autistic. 

Not everybody who is autistic needs a formal assessment for autism. However, you might find that a formal assessment may help you understand why you have a pattern of difficulties in relationships, employment or education or with your mental health. 

We suggest first talking with your GP or mental health professional to see if a referral can be made if autistic features are having a negative impact in these  areas of your life

We do not accept self-referrals.

We use the DSM V classification of autism for our assessments. This focuses on difficulties that may come with autism, but we recognise that autism comes with many strengths. We know that autistic people present with processing and communication differences and that sometimes these can cause difficulties.

You must be aged 18 or over and registered with a GP in Berkshire.

Please speak to your GP or mental health professional first, who may offer a referral to our service.  We do not accept self-referrals. 
Once we receive your referral, we will send you some questionnaires to complete. These questionnaires collect information to help decide whether a full assessment might be helpful to you. 

Questionnaires need to be completed within 4 weeks. We won’t proceed with your referral until you complete these questionnaires and send them back to us 

You can complete the questionnaires online, or we can send paper copies to you. 

We’ll review your answers, and email you and your referrer to confirm whether we can offer you a full assessment or not.  

Your GP can let us know if you need help completing the questionnaires by ticking a box and we will get in touch by calling or emailing you.

Priority assessment

We do offer some priority assessments based on evidence criteria. Your GP or mental health professional can request these. 

Once you receive your appointment time, please confirm your attendance. Due to our extended waiting list, if you do not confirm your attendance within two weeks, then your appointment will be given to someone else.

A full assessment can take up to three hours, and will be carried out by one or two of our specialists. 

We’ll ask you about your childhood, education, personal history, mental health, family circumstances, and your interests.

We’ll also ask you about your strengths and the sort of difficulties you’re having and assess your social communication skills.

It can be helpful if you can bring a partner, friend, or family member to the assessment. They can help with questions about you as a child and as an adult, and help you feel calm if you’re nervous about the appointment.

After your assessment

We aim to provide you with an answer at your appointment whether you’re autistic.

In some circumstances we may need to ask further questions, or take advice from other care professionals before we confirm a diagnosis.

We'll create a report which explains why we have, or have not, confirmed an autism diagnosis for you. We’ll also include adjustment recommendations to help you with your daily life.

We may offer you a place in our post diagnostic group, called Being Me. This group explores what it means to be autistic, adjusting to a late diagnosis and strategies that some autistic people may find helpful. Each session lasts up to two hours, and the group runs for 6 weeks. 

If you’re not autistic, we may be able to guide you to other appropriate services so you can find the help you need.

We’ve put together some easy‑to‑read leaflets with helpful information about Autism and the support our service provides.

For healthcare professionals