Could autism help explain how you experience the world?
You may have spent years feeling different from other people without quite understanding why. Social situations may feel tiring or confusing, unexpected changes may be difficult, or you may find yourself relying heavily on routines and familiar ways of doing things.
You may have developed strategies to manage situations that others seem to navigate naturally. You might consciously think about eye contact, conversation, friendships or social expectations, or find that keeping up with everyday demands leaves you exhausted.
For some adults, autism is only considered after an assessment for ADHD, anxiety, depression or another mental health difficulty. For others, the possibility of autism has been present for many years.
An autism assessment can help you understand whether autism may be contributing to your experiences and, importantly, provide a clearer understanding of your individual strengths, needs and ways of functioning.
What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that can affect social communication and interaction, patterns of behaviour and interests, and the way a person experiences their environment.
Autism is a spectrum. This means that people can experience autism in very different ways. Some difficulties may be obvious, while others may be less visible because a person has developed effective coping strategies or learned to consciously adapt to social situations.
Common experiences can include:
- Finding unspoken social rules or social cues difficult to interpret
- Difficulties with conversation, relationships or maintaining friendships
- Feeling overwhelmed or exhausted by social interaction
- A strong preference for routines, predictability and familiar environments
- Distress when plans change unexpectedly
- Highly focused or intense interests
- Repetitive behaviours, movements or patterns of thinking
- Sensory sensitivities, such as being particularly sensitive to noise, light, touch, smells or textures
- Feeling the need to carefully observe and copy how other people behave
- Needing significant time alone to recover after social or sensory demands
- Difficulty managing multiple demands or changes at the same time
These experiences can occur for many different reasons. A comprehensive assessment considers the overall pattern of your development and current functioning rather than assuming that individual traits automatically indicate autism.
Why childhood history matters
Autism is a lifelong developmental condition, so understanding how you were as a child is an important part of an adult assessment.
Where possible, we ask that a parent or older sibling who knew you during childhood is available to provide developmental information. This may include information about early communication, social interaction, friendships, play, routines, behaviours, sensory experiences and your development at school.
Important information before booking
If you do not have a parent or older sibling who can provide information about your childhood, please contact us before booking your assessment.
We recommend arranging a brief discovery call first so that we can discuss what developmental information is available and consider whether the assessment can proceed and whether alternative sources of childhood information may be appropriate.
This helps ensure that you are booked for the most suitable assessment pathway and that the clinician has sufficient developmental information to conduct a meaningful assessment.
We understand that a parent or older sibling may not be available because of distance, health, family circumstances or bereavement. This does not automatically mean that an assessment cannot take place. Each situation can be considered individually.
If a suitable childhood informant is available, you can proceed with booking your Adult Autism Assessment.
A comprehensive clinical assessment
An autism assessment is more than completing a questionnaire or identifying a list of traits.
Your assessment will explore your developmental history and current presentation, including social communication, relationships, routines, interests, sensory experiences, behaviour and everyday functioning.
We will also consider your education, employment, relationships, coping strategies and strengths. Where relevant, we consider whether experiences may be better explained by, or occur alongside, other conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, depression or OCD.
The aim is to develop a detailed clinical understanding of you as an individual.
ADI-R and direct clinical interview
As part of the assessment, we use the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) alongside direct clinical assessment.
The ADI-R is a structured clinical interview that explores developmental history and behaviours associated with autism, including social interaction, communication, and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests.
Information from a parent or older sibling can be particularly valuable when completing the developmental history. A partner or another person who knows you well may also provide useful information about your current functioning.
The ADI-R is not used as a standalone test. It is considered alongside the direct patient interview, developmental history, current presentation, available evidence and the clinician’s overall formulation.
Is an ADOS assessment required?
Not necessarily.
There is no single test that is required for every adult autism assessment. A diagnosis should be based on a comprehensive clinical assessment, with appropriate structured tools used to support the diagnostic process where clinically indicated.
For some people, additional assessment methods may be useful depending on their presentation, developmental history or level of diagnostic complexity. The focus is on obtaining sufficient, relevant evidence to reach a careful and clinically informed conclusion.
Your assessment journey
01
Prepare
Complete your pre-assessment questionnaires and provide relevant background information.
02
Understand your development
We explore your childhood history and current functioning, using information from family members or other appropriate sources where available.
03
Direct clinical interview
We discuss your experiences, relationships, communication, routines, sensory profile, interests, coping strategies and everyday life.
04
ADI-R and clinical formulation
Your developmental history and assessment findings are considered together to determine whether the overall pattern is consistent with autism.
05
Feedback and report
You will receive clear feedback about the assessment findings and a written report explaining the clinical conclusion and relevant recommendations.
A clearer understanding of yourself
An autism assessment should not simply be about whether you meet diagnostic criteria. It should help you understand the experiences that have shaped your life, recognise your strengths, and identify areas where additional support or adjustments may be helpful.
If you are unsure whether an autism assessment is appropriate for you, or you do not have someone who can provide childhood developmental information, please contact us before booking.
Or BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you would like to discuss your circumstances first.