Adult Autism Assessment

The Eton Approach

We see autism assessment as a conversation, not an interrogation, and as the start of better self-understanding, not the issuing of a label. Many of our patients arrive having spent years masking and being told they "don't look autistic". At Eton, your internal experience matters more than your external presentation.

Removing barriers. You will not be penalised if pre-assessment forms are incomplete; executive dysfunction is part of why you are here. Bring notes, timelines and your own research; they are welcomed, not dismissed.

Honesty about tools. We use the AQ-10, CAT-Q and RAADS-R because they reveal masking. We use ADOS-2 / BOSA in our MDT pathway because external systems require it, while being open with you about its known limitations for high-masking adults.

Strength, need, difference. We do not see autism as a deficit. We see it as a different operating system. Our reports are written that way: built around your strengths and needs, with a personalised formulation that helps you adapt your environment to your brain rather than the other way round.

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What to Expect

Before your appointment

Once your booking is confirmed and the deposit paid, our team sends you the pre-assessment questionnaires (registration, AQ-10, CAT-Q, RAADS-R where appropriate, neurodevelopmental history, informant form) along with guidance on completing them at your own pace. If you find them overwhelming, tell us; we can shorten them and gather the rest in conversation.

During the assessment (Tier 1)

Your Consultant Psychiatrist will spend 90–120 minutes (in person or via secure video) understanding your social communication, sensory profile, routines and special interests, executive function, emotional regulation and developmental history. The conversation is open and unhurried. If you have prepared notes, bring them; we welcome that, not dismiss it. The Consultant will explain the diagnostic framework openly so you understand what is being looked for and why.

During the assessment (Tier 2)

Tier 2 adds a separate observational assessment with a clinician trained in the ADOS-2 (in person at Harley Street) or the BOSA (via secure video for remote assessments). The MDT (psychiatrist, clinical psychologist and speech and language therapist) then meet to review the developmental history, the clinical interview, the observational assessment and the questionnaires before reaching consensus.

After your assessment

Within two weeks you will receive a detailed written report. The report includes the assessment process used and the tools applied, your developmental and clinical history, the diagnostic conclusion, a personalised formulation built around strengths and needs (not deficits), recommended reasonable adjustments for work or study, and an aftercare plan.

Aftercare is offered through our specialist psychology team and is tailored to your situation: post-diagnostic adjustment work, unmasking and burnout recovery, sensory and environmental design, identity and relationship work, ADHD coaching where AuDHD is identified, and onward psychiatric review if medication or further assessment is indicated.

If you are diagnosed with autism

You will receive a personalised information pack with curated UK resources, evidence-based guidance for reasonable adjustments at work or study, and our support in onward referrals where appropriate. Reasonable adjustment letters for employers or universities are included at no extra cost.