Autism Diagnosis for Children under 18
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s CAMHS service manages the Autism Assessment Pathway, which assesses whether a child or young person has an autism spectrum condition.
Click here for full details of the Pathway process and the Trust’s Autism Assessment Team.
If you have concerns that a child may be autistic, speak to your GP, health visitor or, if the child is attending school, a SENCO or a teacher. All these professionals will be able to refer you for further advice.
The average wait for an assessment is 24 months.
Berkshire CAMHS has produced this short video outlining the assessment process, to help parents and children
Parents and carers in the Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire areas are welcome to attend the Berkshire West Autism & ADHD Support service’s workshops once their child has been accepted on the CAMHS waiting list. The workshops provide practical advice and strategies and are free of charge to participants, thanks to funding from Berkshire West NHS.
Click here for more details of these workshops and other pre-assessment support we offer to parents and carers.
Autism Diagnosis for Adults
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust also provides an assessment service for adults who think that they may have an autism spectrum condition and have been referred by their GP. For details, click here
Private Diagnosis
We do not recommend private diagnosis but if you decide to follow this course, there are a number of local private providers. Please make sure that you consult someone who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Every Mind Child Psychology provides diagnostic assessments, ongoing support and therapy for autistic children and teenagers under 18 years of age. Dr Liz Dawes and her team have extensive experience in autism diagnosis of children and supporting children to understand their diagnosis from a strengths perspective, as well as providing one to one therapy for children and therapy for families. Every Mind’s clinic is in Spencers Wood, just south of Reading.
Every Mind diagnostic autism assessments are comprehensive and follow best practice. An initial screening consultation costs £130. Fees for full assessments range from £1,870 to £2,800 (January 2024). The fee for an ADHD assessment is £2,150. A combined autism & ADHD assessment is £3,500.
Click here for more details or email admin@every-mind.co.uk or call 0118 988 7074.
Clinical psychologists Anne Jeavons and Dr Katie Bebb, who both have many years’ experience assessing adults for autism spectrum conditions and/or ADHD in the NHS and privately, offer assessment services in Reading. Please note that they only assess adult clients, aged 18 and above.
Fees for autism assessments in January 2024 were from £1,250 and a combined autism and ADHD assessment from £1,850. An assessment for ADHD was from £800.
- For more details and to arrange appointments with Anne Jeavons, email anne.jeavons@gmail.com
- For more details, see https://www.drkatiebebb.com/ and to arrange appointments with Dr Katie Bebb, email drkatiebebb@protonmail.com
ChATS (Child Assessment and Treatment Service) provides autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people aged 5 to 18 in Berkshire and Hampshire. Clinical psychologists Dr Terri Brown and Dr Sarah Cunningham and specialist neurodevelopmental nurse Stephen Chandler have extensive experience carrying out assessments for autism and/or ADHD in the NHS and privately.
Fees vary, depending on the number of hours each assessment takes.
See www.chats-uk.com and to enquire about an appointment, email info@chats-uk.com or call 07512 331860.
Dr Jo Coombs, of Join Psychology, is an experienced consultant clinical psychologist offering comprehensive autism diagnostic assessments for people aged 16+. She has particular expertise in the assessment of autism in women and in differentiating autism from complex trauma and also provides post-diagnostic support and adapted psychological therapies for autistic adults and their families.
The fee for a full autism assessment in January 2024 was £1,850, for an ADHD assessment £1,100, and £2,400 for a combined autism and ADHD assessment.
See www.joinpsychology.co.uk for full details of the services available and email jo@joinpsychology.co.uk to enquire about assessments. The practice is based in Swallowfield, south of Reading.
Clinical psychologist Dr Sophie Hughes, of Discover Difference Psychology Clinic, and her colleagues offer comprehensive autism and ADHD diagnostic assessments for children, young people and adults fully online or a combination of online and in person at clinics in Wokingham, Wallingford in Oxfordshire, London and Southampton. They have extensive experience of carrying out assessments in NHS and non-NHS settings and also offer post-diagnostic support sessions.
Fees in August 2024 were £1,900 for an autism assessment, £1,500 for an ADHD assessment and £2,500 for a combined assessment for autism & ADHD.
See www.discoverdifference.co.uk/ for details of the services available or email hello@discoverdifference.co.uk
Oxford ADHD & Autism Centre in Headington provides autism and ADHD diagnostic services for children and adults, as well as neurodevelopmental assessments for children who may have more complex difficulties. Autism assessment fees in January 2024 were £2,000 per person for both children and adults and £1,500 for an ADHD assessment. A combined autism and ADHD assessment for children was £2,650.
See www.oxfordadhdcentre.co.uk or call 01865 744144.
Among the team at the Oxford centre is clinical psychologist Dr Mandy Smiton, who also has her own clinic in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, and sees clients from Berkshire. She specialises in working with children and adolescents.
See www.drmandy.co.uk or call 07591 684918 for details of her services and fees.
Berkshire Psychology
Based in Winnersh. Assessments of children and adults carried out by clinical psychologist Dr Jenny Murray or colleagues. Autism assessment fees in January 2024 were £1,550, with a combined autism and ADHD assessment costing £1,850.
See www.berkshirepsychology.co.uk for details or call 0800 001 6897.
Dr Dawn Thomas-Bawa
Based in Basingstoke, Dr Thomas-Bawa is a chartered clinical psychologist. Fees depend on the type and length of an assessment.
See http://assessyou.com/ or call 01256 405460.
Clinical Partners provides autism and ADHD assessments for adults and children at a number of locations across the UK, including Oxford, Farnham and London. Assessments are carried out by psychiatrists and psychologists who have undergone specialist training. The fee for an autism assessment for a child or an adult in January 2024 was £2,250.
See https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk or call 0203 326 9160 for more details of its services.
