In order to access the Adult Autism Assessment Service the person being referred needs to meet the following criteria:
- Is aged 18 years old or above
- Does not have a diagnosed global learning disability
- Does not already have a diagnosis of autism
- Has an AQ 50 score of 26 or above (referrals will not be accepted without a completed AQ 50 questionnaire, this can be found attached to the referral form and also in a separate link below)
- Has an identified clinical need for assessment (details must be provided by the referrer. Referrals will not be accepted without this information)
A note on clinical need:
The Autism Assessment Service is an NHS provision that assesses adults for autism where there is an identified clinical need to do so. A clinical need could be where it is suspected that autism may be interacting with or influencing mental or physical health problems. A clinical need could also be where the person is struggling with day-to-day functioning in aspects of their life (e.g. employment, relationships, education, addiction, law breaking etc) where it is suspected that autism is influencing these difficulties. Many autistic people manage very well in life and rarely struggle with these things. While such people may be interested in finding out if they have autism because they would like to understand themselves better, we are unable to offer assessments for this purpose.
If you/the person you are supporting is seeking a diagnosis but there is no identified clinical need you/they may wish to consider other sources for a private assessment. If you/they are unsure where to look, the following organisations list some of the providers available: National Autistic Society Autism Services Directory, The Autism Directory, or the British Psychological Society Directory of Chartered Psychologists.
If you/the person you are supporting self-identifies as autistic and are seeking support rather than diagnosis there are a number of services you/they can access, for example:
- Autism Information and Advice Service
- NDSA peer support
- National Autistic Society
- Autistica
- Embrace Autism
All NHS therapy and generic counselling services have an obligation to provide reasonable adjustments and individuals should not need a diagnosis to ask for them.
If you would like to make a referral to the Adult Autism Assessment Service please click on the links below to complete a referral form and AQ50 questionnaire.
