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Hertfordshire recommendations for private adult autism assessment

jimmy

Hi,

I'm looking at going for a private autism assessment for myself.  I'm based in the Hertfordshire area.  Does anyone have any recommendations?

Ones on my radar from either googling or using the national autistic society directory are as follows

  • The avenue (Harpenden)

  • The autism pathway (St Albans)

  • Autism-Psychology (Hemel Hempstead)

  • Body and Mind (Watford)

  • DATs (St albans)

Any other advice/recommendations welcome :)

Parents

  • Hi jimmy and welcome to the community!

    As you live in England, rather than paying privately, you might like to ask your GP about referring you for assessment using the Right to Choose (RTC) pathway, which you are entitled to use if you wish.

    In England (only), this enables access to certain, approved, private autism assessment providers who typically have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your referral and assessment still fully funded by the NHS. 

    Using RTC would also ensure that a diagnosis (if one is given), will be recognised as being credible and equivalent to one carried out by the NHS itself, including due to it having been carried out in accordance with NICE guidelines.

    I was on an NHS waiting list for two years before I learned about RTC and switched to it (on the recommendation of an NHS psychiatrist). My assessment and diagnosis (I chose to use Psychiatry UK and had a very good experience with them) then followed around just four months later.

    Some examples of RTC providers are listed here, along with some further explanation.

    More information:

    NAS - How to request an autism assessment

  • in reply to Bunny

    Hi Bunny, thanks for the welcome :)

    And thanks for all that information along with the links that's very kind of you. To be honest I've hit a bit of a mental wall where I just need it to be done as quickly as possible without any hassle/ confusing forms or processes to follow.  Its quite hard to even get an appointment with my local GP for example. 

Reply
  • in reply to Bunny

    Hi Bunny, thanks for the welcome :)

    And thanks for all that information along with the links that's very kind of you. To be honest I've hit a bit of a mental wall where I just need it to be done as quickly as possible without any hassle/ confusing forms or processes to follow.  Its quite hard to even get an appointment with my local GP for example. 

Children
  • in reply to jimmy

    I sympathise with your position. I never even considered my GP, I just wanted something quick I could control.

    Besides GP interactions never seen to go well. I think I am always too poker faced or rationalise things, plus 4 years ago when in a complete state I was so incoherent I think they had no idea what to make of it.

    I have issues asking for help, which is what the GP feels like, whereas if I pay for things it feels different as I am paying for a service and am in control. Formal business interactions feel very different. This seems to be a separate problem.

    There will be forms though. Questionnaires. These can be hard to answer depending on your age. Questions about my childhood were hard to answer when I'm 56, for example. But they have to ask. You have to allow some time to think about it.