Where to begin?

There are a number of private providers of autism assessments. The best test for their bona fides is to look if they do assessments for the NHS, under the 'Right to Chose Scheme'. Prices appear to vary from around £600.00 to £2,000.00, but around £1,000.00 seems to be the usual.

This is great advice. Thank you very much 

CedarWood84 said:

how I get can get a diagnosis

My first stop would be to try a free online diagnosis to see if you come close to the requitements otherwise you may well be wasting a lot of money going private. Try "autism online test free" in yout search engine of choice and look for .ORG sites (ie non profits) and try their free tests.

I would suggest doing this in a private  browser window on your computer so the cookies don't get retained.

In the event this does indeed suggest you are autistic then the NHS will take forever. I used Harley Psychiatrists about 3 years ago and it only took a few weeks for my meeting - there were a bunch of questionaires to fill out and tests to take then I had a zoom meeting with the psychiatrist to review the test.

I would suggest reading up on what are autistic traits so you can identify which you have and take time to document how you exhibit these and the impact they have on your life. This is great material to take into the meeting so you are not going in blind and can get the most out of it.

The site for the company is:

https://harleypsychiatrists.co.uk/

I have no connection other than as a patient.

Once you have a diagnosis (or not) then it is worth taking time to find a psychotherapist with experience of autistic patients and take some time to talk over the issues that are most concerning you - these are worth it when you find a therapist that can really understand you and help you process all the trauma that the traits have caused over the years plus how to develop effective coping strategies going forward.

Good luck.

I went private for my diagnosis (also London based). After a ton of research, I used https://www.adultautism.ie  wait time was about 3 months before my first session, and was diagnosed a month or so later. 

They were fantastic and they're a neurodiversity positive practice so I didn't feel stigmatised or "othered" during the process.

If you have any specific questions about it, feel free to message me. 

Hello. I am UK, London based. Given the long wait on the NHS I’m prepared to go private but there are so many options to choose from. How do I decide who to choose and what should I be expected to pay? Thanks very much 

Are you UK based? Different countries might do things differently, I had my diagnosis via an NHS psychologist.

Hi & Welcome,

The simplest guidance that I can offer is to speak to your GP in the first instance and take it from there.

Actually getting to the point of an assessment and diagnosis usually involves a very long wait - typically 2 years or more.
There are possible shortcuts though - private assessment (if you can afford it) and NHS right to chose (not sure how well that works in different areas of the country).