Autism North East provides careful, face-to-face Autism and ADHD assessments for children and adults across the North East of England and Cumbria. Our experienced Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) takes the time needed to understand the whole person, offering clear diagnosis, practical recommendations and ongoing support.
Assessment pathways Our assessment approach Additional assessment options Complex needs Practical informationContact
Our Autism assessments explore communication, social understanding, sensory processing and developmental history. These assessments involve our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) and may include structured observation tools such as the ADOS-2.
Our ADHD assessments explore attention, impulsivity, activity levels and executive functioning across different areas of life. We gather information from multiple sources to build a detailed understanding of how ADHD may affect daily functioning.
We know that many people are now offered rapid online assessments. While these can be helpful in some situations, our approach is different. We provide careful, face-to-face Multi-Disciplinary assessments that take the time needed to build a clear and accurate picture of the whole person.
Our team includes Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, an Occupational Therapist and a Special Educational Consultant, allowing us to understand the full range of developmental, communication and sensory needs.
Many individuals experience overlapping needs. Our approach allows us to consider developmental, sensory, emotional and mental health factors together.
Following assessment, we provide a detailed written report and clear feedback discussion.
Sensory Assessment with our Occupational Therapist
Sensory processing differences are a common and important aspect of autism. These differences can influence how a person experiences sound, movement, touch, light, balance and other sensory information in everyday life.
For this reason, Occupational Therapists (OTs) are an important part of autism assessments, including here at Autism North East. Our multidisciplinary team includes an experienced Occupational Therapist who helps us understand how sensory processing may affect a person’s daily experiences and wellbeing.
Our Occupational Therapist may help to:
By including Occupational Therapy within our multidisciplinary assessment team, we are able to build a fuller understanding of the whole person. This helps ensure that children, young people and adults receive recommendations that genuinely support them in everyday life.
Cognitive Assessment
In some situations, it can be helpful to carry out a cognitive assessment to build a fuller understanding of how a person thinks, learns and processes information.
At Autism North East, our Clinical Psychologists use cognitive assessments to develop a detailed profile of an individual’s thinking and reasoning skills. These assessments go beyond providing a single IQ score and instead help us understand strengths and differences across several areas of cognitive functioning.
These areas may include:
Understanding this cognitive profile can help our team to:
By including cognitive assessment where appropriate, we are able to build a clearer understanding of each person’s unique profile — going beyond diagnostic labels to meaningful insights into strengths and areas of support.
As with all aspects of our assessment process, additional assessment elements are only included when they are helpful and are always discussed with individuals and families beforehand.
Our Multi-Disciplinary Team has extensive experience working with these complex situations, allowing us to provide careful and meaningful assessment even when a person’s profile is not straightforward.
This includes people who may be in inpatient settings, children and young people in the looked-after system (including foster care, residential care and adoption), and young people who are out of school due to very high levels of anxiety.
We are also increasingly supporting children and young people with complex medical backgrounds
These may include:
Many of these difficulties overlap. Our Multi-Disciplinary approach helps people understand how Neurodevelopmental differences and Mental Health experiences interact.
How are children assessed?
Children: ADHD from £1840, ASD from £2535, ASD/ADHD from £2715.
A typical assessment for a child may include:
The assessment pathway is tailored to each child so that only the necessary elements are included.
How are adults assessed?
We provide assessments for adults as well as children and young people. Many people seek assessment later in life as a way of understanding themselves more clearly.
Adults: ADHD from £1695, ASD from £2345, ASD/ADHD from £2525.
A typical adult assessment may include:
Many adults seek assessment later in life as a way of understanding their experiences more clearly. Our team works carefully and respectfully to support this process.
Timescales and referrals
We usually complete assessments within 4 to 6 weeks of the initial appointment.
When individuals or families travel from a distance we try to complete as much of the assessment as possible within a single visit.
Unfortunately, we are not currently able to offer assessments through Right to Choose.
What happens at the end of the assessment?
Once the assessment is complete, we meet with clients to explain the outcome, diagnosis and our understanding of the individual’s strengths and needs.
A comprehensive written report is provided. With permission, this can be shared with GPs, schools, colleges, employers or other professionals who may be involved in supporting the individual. We can also provide feedback meetings with schools, colleges and workplaces to help implement helpful changes.
Following assessment, we offer post-diagnostic therapy and support tailored to each person’s strengths and needs.
What happens if a diagnosis is not given?
We generally find that by the time people have found our service, they are doing the right thing seeking a Neurodevelopmental assessment. Sometimes our assessments identify a different issue that may be central to the difficulties a person is experiencing. If this happens, we provide a thorough and detailed explanation of our findings and discuss appropriate options for intervention and support. Our aim is always to help people understand themselves more fully and access the support that will help them move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an Autism or ADHD assessment take?
Our assessments take place over several stages so that we can build a careful and accurate understanding of each person’s needs.
Do you assess adults as well as children?
Yes. We provide Autism and ADHD assessments for both children and adults.
Do you provide support after diagnosis?
Yes. We offer ongoing therapy and support following assessment.
Do you work with complex situations?
Yes. Our team has extensive experience working with people whose Neurodiversity overlaps with Mental Health needs, trauma, attachment difficulties or complex medical backgrounds.
If you are considering an Autism or ADHD assessment, contact us by email, text, WhatsApp or fill in our Contact Form and we will explain the process and guide you through the next steps.
Autism North East is an ethical, not-for-profit organisation providing specialist face-to-face Autism and ADHD assessments for children, young people and adults across the North East of England and Cumbria. Our experienced Multi -Disciplinary Team (MDT) provides careful assessment, clear understanding and ongoing therapy and support for individuals and families.