What Happens in an Autism Assessment: What to Expect and Typical Questions

Gearing yourself up to take the steps of reaching out for an assessment can seem nerve-wracking, with many unanswered questions of how the assessment takes place and how long. At Unlock Psychology, we take a no nonsense approach and aim to make the process as clear and straight forward as possible. In this blog, we will talk through what happens in an autism assessment, how long it takes and how much it costs.

How long does an autism assessment take?

In short, an autism assessment should take up to 4 hours in total. It involves establishing whether a wide range of traits have been present throughout your entire life, your entire development, and your entire mental health and physical health history. Some cases - such as people with additional needs, more complex histories, and adults seeking a diagnosis later in life - may take longer. We also recognise that autistic people benefit from structure and predictability in order to feel comfortable to talk, or that questions may be re-phrasing or adapting, so this can make anything less than 4 hours challenging.

At Unlock Psychology, we understand how working around you and your needs is a priority. Therefore, the initial 4 hour assessment can be extended over a period of sessions allowing you to express your concerns at your pace.

What happens in an autism assessment?

What happens in an autism assessment?

What exactly happens in an autism assessment? In short, the assessment is an extended interview with you and a trained, highly qualified clinician in the field of autism. It will be very much like a conversation. There are no tests or tasks involved in our assessment processes. A validated interview schedule will be used which has a range of set questions, though the clinician can ask as many extra questions, re-phrase or adapt as helpful. You will be asked to think of examples throughout your life, such as times when people might have commented on the way that you speak or behave and why this happened.

The autism assessment process involves the following stages:

• Validated questionnaires, some filled in by you to explore signs of autism, masking and mental health, and some filled in by an informant (ideally who knew you as a child) about your early development and signs of autism in childhood

• A full diagnostic interview with the clinician, exploring signs of autism in detail throughout your life, through your early development into adulthood

• Discussing your mental health and physical health history throughout your life

A preferred informant can be present, ideally who knew you as a child to talk about your early development and signs of autism, and/or someone who knows you now as an adult. A separate interview with an informant can also be arranged with your consent

At the end of the final assessment session, if they feel able to, your clinician will tell you whether they think you have autism or not. In some cases, they may need to gather additional information, but they would let you know what needs to happen. Regardless, you will then arrange a 30-minute feedback appointment a few weeks later, where you can ask any questions, discuss what your diagnosis means, and discuss ways to manage.

If you are diagnosed with autism, there are a few steps you can take to adjust to your needs

• Giving yourself time to accept the news is essential, as well as remembering autism is not an illness or something that requires a cure

• Finding out more about autism, through other people stories as well as information online, can help make the process less nerve-wracking

  
  

How much is a private adult autism assessment?

If you are an adult seeking an Autism assessment, you can learn more about our autism assessments here. We offer a free 20-minute initial consultation with a clinical psychologist to discuss your suitability for an assessment. If this is something you are interested in, you can book that here.

If you are still unsure about getting a full assessment, we also offer an optional 1-hour screening consultation where you can talk with a clinical psychologist about your symptoms and signs and fill out all of the questionnaires to gain their professional advice regarding whether or not you should proceed with the full assessment. This will cost £150; however, it will be deducted from the total if you go ahead with the full assessment.

The full assessment costs £1250 and can be requested by filling out this form or emailing us at info@unlockpsychology.co.uk today. Our waiting list is around 2-4 weeks for this.

Assessment session