Many people experience traits associated with both autism and ADHD. Difficulties with attention, organisation, communication, sensory processing, emotional regulation or relationships often overlap, making it hard to know what is driving what. For some, this uncertainty has lasted years.
A combined private autism and ADHD assessment offers a clear, integrated understanding of how both neurodevelopmental profiles may be present – and how they interact. At MCTS, our combined assessments are evidence-based, NHS-recognised and neuro-affirming, delivered by experienced clinicians who take time to understand the whole person.
Why choose a combined ADHD and autism assessment?
Autism and ADHD frequently co-occur. Research shows that many autistic people also meet criteria for ADHD, and vice versa. When private assessments are carried out separately or without sufficient expertise in both areas, important nuances can be missed.
A combined ADHD and autism assessment allows us to:
- Explore overlapping and distinct features of autism and ADHD
- Avoid misattribution of traits to the “wrong” diagnosis
- Provide clearer, more meaningful recommendations
- Reduce the need for multiple assessments
Our approach is particularly helpful for:
- Adults who have masked or compensated for years
- Girls and women, whose traits may present differently
- Children and young people with complex or mixed presentations
The assessment focuses on the individual being referred, while recognising the importance of family members, carers, partners, schools and wider networks. Your input — and where appropriate, input from people who know you or your child well — is an essential part of the process.
Our aim is always an outcome that is meaningful, practical and relevant to everyday life.
Talk to one of our team
Why MCTS?
Choosing the right provider matters. While some private assessments are lower-cost, reports that do not follow recognised guidance may not be accepted by the NHS, local authorities, education providers or employers.
At MCTS, quality, integrity and compassion come first.
We are a social enterprise, reinvesting our income into improving services for the people we support, rather than maximising profit.
We are also attachment- and trauma-informed, recognising that early experiences, relationships and adversity can influence how neurodevelopmental differences present and how people cope over time. This allows for a more compassionate and holistic assessment.
Book your free consultation
“MCTS is a great partner - providing high-quality, clearly written, and timely assessments. The team is approachable, helpful and collaborative. Assessments are comprehensive and evidence-based.”
Social Worker
How the ADHD and autism assessment works
The assessment process is designed to be supportive, transparent and respectful.
This is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. We understand that many people may mask or adapt over time. Our clinicians are experienced in recognising these patterns and creating a safe space for open discussion.
You cannot “fail” a combined assessment.
1. Free initial consultation
Book a free telephone consultation. This gives you the opportunity to:
- Talk through your concerns and questions
- Understand the combined assessment pathway
- Decide whether a full assessment feels like the right next step
There is no charge and no obligation to proceed.
2. Full diagnostic assessment
All MCTS assessments follow NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance and recognised best practice, which recommends that an autism assessment includes two key components:
- An observational assessment, where we spend time with the individual to understand how they interact and communicate.
- A developmental history, which involves gathering detailed information about early development, often through a conversation with parents, caregivers or someone who knows you well.
These two parts are carried out by different professionals from different clinical backgrounds (such as psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, or psychiatry). Their findings are then brought together and reviewed by a qualified diagnosing clinician (either a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist), to ensure a thorough and accurate conclusion.
3. Outcome, report and feedback
Once the ADHD and autism assessment is complete, we arrange a feedback session to:
- Explain the findings clearly and sensitively
- Discuss whether criteria for autism, ADHD, both or neither are met
- Answer your questions
- Explore personalised recommendations and next steps
You will receive a draft report to review before the final version is issued.
Options for further support
If helpful, we offer post-diagnostic support tailored to your needs, including:
- Psychological therapy (including trauma-informed approaches)
- Occupational therapy for sensory regulation and daily living
- Speech and language therapy for communication support
- ADHD- and autism-informed coaching
- Parent support and guidance, where relevant
Neuro-affirming practice at MCTS
Neuro-affirming practice recognises that differences in how people’s brains work are natural variations, not deficits to be fixed.
At MCTS, this means:
- Strengths-based assessment and recommendations
- Respect for sensory, communication and behavioural differences
- Avoiding impairment-led or “fixing” approaches
- Supporting wellbeing, identity and autonomy
We use the terms autism and autistic person within our service, while respecting individual language preferences. In formal reports, diagnostic terminology from DSM-5 and NICE guidance may also be used to ensure clarity and recognition across systems.
Pricing
£2,160
Autism assessment
£1,080
ADHD assessment
£2,880
Combined Autism and ADHD Assessment
Bespoke
Complex Needs Autism and/or ADHD Assessment
Our combined assessments follow full NICE guidance to ensure reports are robust, ethical and widely accepted by the NHS, local authorities and education providers.
Autism and ADHD Assessment FAQs
Yes, it is possible to get an assessment for autism and ADHD together. We recognise the significant overlap between autism and ADHD, and our combined assessments bring together experts in both areas.
As well as offering combined assessments, we can also test for autism and ADHD separately.
There isn’t a single test for ADHD or autism, but both conditions are assessed using a combination of tools, observations, and evaluations. A multidisciplinary team carries out our assessments. Having experts in different fields helps us tell the difference between autism, ADHD, and other co-occurring conditions (e.g., anxiety, learning disabilities, or sensory processing issues).
Our assessments look for signs and behaviours linked to both ADHD and autism. We follow national guidelines (called NICE guidelines) and only use methods backed by research.
There are four stages in our assessment process:
1. Referral
First, we’ll ask you to fill out some forms and questionnaires. These help us understand why you think you (or the person you are referring) might have ADHD or autism.
2. Screening
Once we get your forms, our Clinical Leads will review them.
- If there’s enough evidence that ADHD or autism could be present, we’ll move to a full assessment.
- If we don’t have enough information, but we think there could be signs, we may invite you to an online screening appointment to decide if a full assessment is needed.
- Whether we decide to move forward or not, we’ll let you know by letter or whichever way you prefer (phone, email, etc.).
If a full assessment isn’t needed, we may suggest other support or services that could help.
3. Full Assessment
If a full assessment is needed, we’ll use a mix of different tools and conversations to understand your symptoms and how they affect your daily life.
We base our diagnosis on official guidelines (called the DSM-5), which is used worldwide to help diagnose ADHD and autism.
You’ll have a Case Co-ordinator to support you and guide you through the process. Most appointments are online, but we can arrange face-to-face meetings if needed.
We also offer complex needs assessments. This is a bespoke package for children or adults who experience a complex combination of symptoms, and diagnosing autism and/or ADHD requires a differentiated approach.
4. After the Assessment
Once we’ve made our decision, we’ll talk it through with you and send you a full report, including all our recommendations and next steps.
The cost of an ADHD and autism assessment in the UK can vary a lot.
For a good quality assessment, you should expect:
- A team of experts to carry out the assessment.
- You (or the person being assessed) and the people who support you to be fully involved.
- Personalised advice and support based on your strengths and what’s important to you.
- A clear and detailed report that is accepted by the NHS and local authorities.
Our ADHD and autism assessments cover all the above for the following fees:
Autism Assessment £2,160
ADHD Assessment £1,195
Combined Autism and ADHD Assessment £2,850
Complex Needs Autism and/or ADHD Assessment – bespoke pricing on request.
We offer autism and ADHD assessments for children, young people, and adults. The assessment focuses on the person being referred, but we know how important family and other people around them are. That’s why we want you and your support network to be involved. Your input helps us make sure the assessment and the results are useful and make sense for you.
Once we finish all parts of the autism and ADHD assessment, we will talk to you about the results. If we don’t think you have autism or ADHD, we will explain why. We will also talk about other possible reasons for your difficulties and what support might help you. This could include referring you to other services or speaking with your GP. We also offer support packages at MCTS, which we will explain in case they could be helpful.
Get in touch by emailing expert.referrals@mcts.org.uk. We’ll send you some forms and questionnaires to fill out. It’s important to complete these because our clinicians will review them. If they think a full assessment might be helpful, we’ll invite you to an online Clinical Screening appointment.
At this appointment, we’ll talk about your current and past experiences to see if a full assessment is the right next step for you.
We accept referrals from individuals, parents, school professionals, health professionals, social care professionals, law professionals and more.
We aim to see you within 8 weeks of the referral.
Our team of experts will guide you through a full autism and ADHD assessment. We aim to give you the results within 6 to 8 weeks, and no later than 13 weeks after your referral.
Our autism and ADHD Assessment Service operates across the South of England and we are expanding across England with a wide range of affiliates in different locations. Our assessments are comprehensive and evidence-based, ensuring the highest safe and effective care standards.
Who are proud to be working with a wide range of clinicians who are experts in carrying out autism assessments. This includes Psychiatrists, Psychotherapists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, MH Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists and more.
Some children, young people or adults may have additional needs that require a different way of carrying out an autism assessment. We offer a bespoke assessment package in cases where it is unclear what is causing the difficulties. This might be because the child or adult has co-occurring complex mental health difficulties, a high number of adverse childhood experiences, and/or safeguarding and child protection concerns. Get in touch with us for an initial consultation to discuss: expert.referrals@mcts.org.uk.
Neuro-affirming practice means we understand that everyone’s brain works differently, and we see these differences as natural. With that in mind, we consider physical, sensory, communication and behaviour unique features and do our best to reflect those in a strengths-based assessment and care plan. We do not take an impairment-led approach and are not trying to ‘fix the problem’. Instead, we are underpinned by a neuro-affirming approach. We aim to inspire the same way of thinking in all environments of our service users.
It is important to note that there are lots of other terms that autistic people and their families choose to use, and this is often a very personal preference. As a service, we use the terms ‘autism’ and ‘autistic individual’. If you would like us to use a different term, please let us know, and we will use those terms when working with you.
In some parts of our service, like reports, we use terms from the DSM-5 and NICE guidelines to clearly explain the assessment results to you and any organisations you may need to share the results with (local authorities, NHS).
When ADHD and autism co-occur, it can be challenging to differentiate between the two conditions due to their overlapping symptoms. Some shared characteristics include social challenges, repetitive behaviours, sensory processing difficulties, executive dysfunction, atypical movement and differences in learning styles.
The age at which ADHD and autism can be diagnosed varies, but both conditions are often observable in early childhood. The age at which we can diagnose tends to depend on the impact of the symptoms on people’s lives.
At MCTS we know that early detection and intervention for autism can significantly improve outcomes. Therefore, we are committed to delivering timely and comprehensive assessments.
The MCTS assessment team provides private autism and ADHD assessments for adults, children, young people and families – CYPF (service users). These comprehensive assessments are:
- Person-centred
- High-quality
- Evidence-based
- Multidisciplinary
We consider coexisting conditions related to physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, cognition, and psychosocial situations in the service user’s life context.
We create an environment of trust and compassion where our service users feel comfortable sharing information about their lives and the challenges they are facing every day. We focus on the relationships we build with the people we work with. Throughout the assessment, we take every opportunity to understand what is important to our service users to tailor a care plan that reflects their strengths and needs, supports their aspirations and empowers them to reach their full potential.
Who we work with
MCTS works with many organisations throughout England
