What happens if I am autistic?
You will receive a post assessment session free of charge with us to discuss the outcome of your assessment, any questions you might have, plus any recommendations of things that may be helpful. This can include lived experience resources and further signposting. We provide a copy of your assessment report to you, and with your consent, to your G.P. We can also offer an additional service of a post-diagnostic support package if this would be helpful.
What happens if I am not autistic?
You will receive your assessment outcome report and will still be able to access one free of charge post assessment outcome session with us to discuss how this outcome was reached. We understand the importance of finding out that you are not autistic and will provide recommendations for further support elsewhere if this is appropriate.
Do I need to go through my G.P. to access your service?
No, because we are a private practice, you can contact us directly without going through your G.P. We can provide our assessment outcome report to your G.P. with your consent. Our autism diagnostic assessments follow the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and are therefore evidence-based and trusted, having been accepted by the NHS. These are the same guidelines that the NHS uses. We don’t provide direct services to the NHS so we are not available via Right to Choose at this time.
How long is your wait list for autism assessment?
Currently, we don’t have a wait list. We don’t feel it is ethical to keep people on lengthy wait lists – we’ve seen what life can be like while people wait for autism diagnostic assessments and it is not something we encourage. So we work with a range of trusted, highly specialist and clinically- experienced colleagues to ensure we can meet your needs. our assessment process therefore takes 4 weeks from the start of the assessment period (not including the time it takes for you to get your forms back in to us). Please see the autism diagnostic assessment section of our website or request an electronic service brochure to find out more information.
What makes your autism assessments high quality?
We have worked in autism services for a number of years and are familiar with a range of autism diagnostic assessment tools. At Neurodivergent Partners, we use a developmental history and a standardised observational assessment (the ADOS-2). We also adhere to NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) guidelines in the UK which is crucial because it means that we come to a diagnostic outcome in partnership with a multi-disciplinary team. These are the same guidelines the NHS follows. Our diagnostic outcomes are high quality and have been accepted by the NHS.
What makes you different from other autism assessment providers?
1. We complete clinical triage with you at a reduced cost so we can discuss with you whether progressing to a full autism assessment is clinically-indicated without you having to pay for the full assessment cost. It is then your choice about whether you want to go ahead with assessment and can save you a lot of money if you decide not to go ahead based on our triage.
2. We are not a huge practice. This work means something important to us and we work in partnership with you.
3. We have our own experience of neurodivergence and our practice is neuroaffirmative and respectful.
4. We are well-experienced and specially-trained, having worked in private and statutory services, both in mental health and autism. However, we work to understand you holistically.
What does neuroaffirmative mean?
The neurodiversity-affirming philosophy means recognising the value in divergent or (or different) ways. We know that we need difference to be able to thrive as a society and to ensure this, we need to advocate with the neurodivergent community for autistic ways of being because neurodivergence is in the minority voice. With this approach, we can still acknowledge the environmental challenges that occur for autistic people and identify ways to meet these challenges.
How much does a private autism assessment cost?
1. You can book in a free 30 minute chat with one of our clinicians if you have any questions about the assessment process.
2. After sending a referral form in, clinical triage is £250 to determine whether autism diagnostic assessment is clinically-indicated You can decide after this whether to progress with assessment.
3. Both child and adult autism diagnostic assessment is £1700 and this includes triage, report & one assessment outcome session with a clinician.
4. Or you can opt for the full package of triage and autism diagnostic assessment as above plus two post-assessment support sessions inclusive, which totals £2000
Payment is made in advance via our online platform. You can split up the payments into triage and assessment if you would prefer.
Where is Neurodivergent Partners located?
We’re based in Preston, Lancashire and we can complete face to face assessments within a 100 mile radius of this location included in the assessment price. We can come to your home if this is preferred or needed for accessibility.
We also have a remote service where we can complete all aspects of the autism diagnostic assessment online if this is better for you in terms of accessibility or if you live further away in the UK.
There are some significant research studies showing accurate validity of online autism diagnostic assessments and we are experienced in completing these via Microsoft Teams. You would need to have access to Teams to complete a remote assessment.