Why Choose a Private Autism Assessment vs NHS

Why Choose a Private Autism Assessment?

Private or Public...

There are two ways to seek an autism assessment: via the NHS or the private sector. Increasingly, people are considering a private autism diagnosis, primarily due to increasing waiting lists in the NHS.

Private autism assessments are undertaken by professionals who work full-time or part-time outside the NHS. Most healthcare professionals working in the private sector have previously worked in the NHS and should be registered with their respective professional bodies.

What should you consider?

Do the NHS and other public sector services recognise a private autism diagnosis?
What, other than shorter waiting lists, are the benefits of getting a private diagnosis?

Will a private diagnosis be accepted at a later stage

The NHS will want a private diagnosis to meet certain conditions and criteria - this is to maintain a standard and ensure there is no difference in thoroughness or quality between a private and public autism assessment process.

NHS guidelines on private care specify that anyone is entitled to access private care, should they wish to do so, and that those who access private care are still entitled to free NHS care. This means if you are currently on an NHS waiting list, you should not lose your place on the list if you access private care, and you can return to the NHS to access further services after a private assessment.

To meet the NHS conditions, an autism assessment should be conducted in accordance with NICE guidelines. NICE is the organisation that guides standards for assessments and treatments in the NHS. The NICE guidelines specify that the assessment should:

be performed by a multi-disciplinary approach
be coordinated by a single case coordinator
include direct interaction and observation with the child or adult being assessed
gather information about developmental history
use gold-standard autism specific tools (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2nd Edition, ADOS-2, and Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised, ADI-R)

Our autistic approach

We meet all NICE guidelines to provide a recognised medical diagnosis. Our multi-disciplinary team use the ‘Gold Standard’ of assessment tools. Click here to find out more about our Autism Assessment.

Private Autism Assessment vs NHS

There is a wide variety of reasons people choose a private autism assessment:

Waiting lists

An increasing number of people are seeking diagnosis and support from the NHS, and this has led to substantial waiting times, which sadly prevent them from accessing the support they need. Private providers typically have no waiting lists or significantly shorter ones, and complete the assessment process in a shorter timeframe.

The Child Psych has no waiting lists, and we can typically start assessments within the month.

Strict NHS referral criteria

NHS pathways differ between areas; however, a referral is usually required to access the NHS waiting list for an autism assessment. This can be a barrier for some people; for instance, visiting your GP may be an issue, or school staff may not notice enough problems due to masking.

We do not require a GP referral - children under the age of 18 can be referred by their parents or legal guardians and adults over 18 can self-refer.

Age limitations

In the public sector, there may be age limitations for assessment, for example, not assessing children until they reach five or moving from the children's pathway to the adult pathways when they reach 18.

We do not have age restrictions, and the service remains unchanged for those aged 18 and over.

Personal approach

A private service can be tailored to you, for example, with more flexibility in appointments and quicker response time.

In our relaxed and homely space, our experienced practitioners take the time to work with you and tailor our approach to your specific needs. Whether that is moving directly to an autism assessment or working with you to determine the best next step for you. We support you throughout the assessment process, from how to speak to your child about the assessment to what it means to receive a diagnosis or not.

We do not automatically communicate the outcome of your assessment with anyone, so it is your choice who you tell and when, including your GP, school, work, etc. We understand that autism is a lifelong condition, so alongside the full Clinical Report, we are also able to provide a short, "privacy-friendly" report that can be used in the future with new schools or workplace HR departments.

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