Free autism screening test

We’ve broken down our autism assessment process into steps to make it easier to understand. Here's what you can expect from your journey.

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1. Enrolment

First, you need to be referred to our service by your GP. Once this has happened, you will be sent some digital forms to complete before the assessment can take place.

Ahead of your autism assessment, a form will also be sent to you to give to your nominated 'informant'. An informant is a person appointed by you who knows you very well. Your informant should be able to describe any potential signs of autism that you displayed in your early years, or that you display currently, and how this impacts your functioning.  

These digital forms are designed to provide your clinician with contextual information about any challenges you may be facing, enabling them to spend more time discussing what is important to you during your actual assessment.  

Once you have submitted these completed forms to us, you will be added to our waitlist for an assessment. Please note that we cannot add you to our waitlist until all pre-assessment forms have been received.

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2. Assessment

Autism Assessment (60-120 mins) & Informant Interview (180 mins) - These are two separate interviews, or in the case of a child or young person being assessed, there will be the assessment with the child or young person, and then the Informant Interview without the child or young person. The diagnostic outcome follows in a separate meeting.

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3. Report

Within 4-6 weeks of your assessment, you will receive a detailed written report complete with recommendations, resources and information about the next steps.

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4. Post-diagnostic care

After completing your online assessment, you will receive your diagnosis and will be invited to consider your post-diagnostic support options.

ProblemShared can deliver post-diagnostic care to our clients who are diagnosed as autistic if these services are supported by their NHS service, university, or insurance provider.

To be eligible for our service you must have access to an internet connection in a private place.

You must also have access to a laptop or computer with a working webcam, and be willing to have your camera on for the duration of your assessment sessions.

Please note that a tablet which is at least 10” in size and can be propped up and used hands-free can also be used to access the service, but handheld devices such as mobile phones cannot. This is because our clinicians need to see enough of your face and torso throughout the assessment in order to make an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, a mobile phone screen does not facilitate this effectively. Furthermore, notifications pinging through on a mobile phone can be distracting and interrupt the assessment.

If you require accessibility support, please reach out to a member of our team explaining the nature of your requirements. We endeavour to make our service as inclusive as possible, and will do everything in our power to ensure you feel confident and comfortable throughout your journey.

The whole assessment process can vary in duration from client to client. It depends on your engagement with the pre-assessment process, including the completion of your forms.

The forms should be filled out by the individual seeking a diagnosis, as well as other people relevant to the assessment process. These people include an appointed individual known as an 'informant', who can provide further information to clinicians that will contribute to an assessment outcome, and in the case of children, their teacher or school representative.

Once you have completed these forms, you will be deemed assessment-ready and added to our waitlist for an assessment.

There are many helpful resources to guide you through the process, including support articles and videos that explain how to complete your digital forms, who to choose as your informant, and how to navigate your assessment sessions with confidence.

Your clinician may be able to tell you the result of your assessment within the same day. In some more complex cases, this is not possible. If this applies to you, your clinician will explain the reasoning to you, and a further follow-up call will be made to give you the outcome at another time. Occasionally we may require further information in order to provide the outcome of the assessment.

Within 4-6 weeks of your having your assessment, you will receive your full diagnostic report, which will clearly show the reasons for our decision about a diagnosis or non-diagnosis. You will also be given some recommendations for support.

If 6 weeks have passed and you have not received your report, please contact help@problemshared.net.

After completing your online assessment, you will receive your diagnosis and will be invited to consider your post-diagnostic support options.

For clients who receive an autism diagnosis, we offer psychoeducation group sessions as our post-diagnostic support. Our psychoeducation group sessions are a safe space where you can learn about your diagnosis and what it means for you, in the company of experienced practitioners and other newly diagnosed individuals embarking on a similar journey. Please note that your eligibility to access our post-diagnostic support options is dependent on your referrer's approval.