There have often been statements in discussions here about what an assessment of adult autism has to be like, in order for a diagnosis to be valid. These run along the lines of: "Has to be through the NHS", "Has to be by a team of clinicians", "Has to take 15 hours and involve 40 tests". OK, the last was slightly exaggerated!
In reality, though the NHS does tend to use a 'team approach' to autism assessment, this is not necessary. Private, or NHS, assessments by a single person are valid, as long as the diagnostician is a suitably qualified and trained clinician.
Taken verbatim from the NICE guidelines for the assessment of ASD, "Diagnostic assessment, which in the UK uses ICD-10, is often within a multi-disciplinary team but at a minimum is by a qualified clinician, usually a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or neurologist." From the document: Autism Recognition, referral, diagnosis and management of adults on the autism spectrum, National Clinical Guideline Number 142, p. 25.
