£1000 for autism assessment?

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is this amount of money for an private assessment reasonable?


do you think its good idea to go private and forego the NHS battle to get recognised as needing a diagnosis, I am nervous about going private and being ripped off

how long will an assessment for an adult take, I know it must vary a bit but in general

Last edited by franknfurter on 13 Jul 2014, 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That is about the price for a professional-panel diagnosis at the University of Utah Autism Research Project.

I believe that the price is waaay to much unless there is some support or benefit that requires it. Why not choose self-diagnosis or screening tests?

well I am personally not content or able to self diagnose, I change my mind too much, as for screening tests, I am not entirely sure what you mean! I thought the price is expensive I am uncertain whether to proceed

The University of Cambridge Autism Research Centre tests are valid for "screening" an individual to show whether the individual is likely to have Asperger's Syndrom or Autism Spectrum Disorder. A screening isn't a diagnosis, but it is as close as it gets to one. The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) test is the most popular, and other tests focus on AS and ASD factors like empathizing and systemizing. The tests are free online.

But, because you stated you aren't confident in your answers, screening tests might not be good tools.

I agree that the price, however commonn it might be is unnecessarily expensive.

That sounds like a figure I've heard around here before, for a private diagnosis. However, I also gather that if you should ever one day need to seek help of any kind based on your being on the spectrum, such as anything from counseling to medication to disability benefits, a private diagnosis may be rejected and only an NHS one accepted. (I'm assuming you're in the UK?)

I could be wrong but I've seen that said somewhere here on WP once in a while. You might be seeking diagnosis purely for your own peace of mind and not wish to avail yourself of services, such as they are, but you you never know, one day.

Would it be worth pursuing an NHS evaluation first, then if there's horrendous wait times, or no specialist in your region, or such, then opt for private as a second resort?

Here in the US, a full report with all the necessary paperwork for a school IEP will run you $1500 - $2000. With the British Pound so strong against the dollar, it's a bargain.

yeah I am in the UK, I am, at the moment only seeking diagnosis for my own peace of mind, you are right that one day I may want to seek extra help where NHS diagnosis may be necessary.

To be honest I just want to avoid the stress of going through NHS diagnosis, as an adult and a female I have heard quite horrendous stories about battling to be taken seriously, I maybe unduly concerned about that prospect but its definitely put me off.

I am also, quite an impatient person, whether these reasons are worth paying £1000 I really don't know, its for about a 1 month assessment, but the length does not seem to be set in concrete but that's the average for the place I am looking into, its also done under DISCO so it all seems legit but I can't know for certain.

When I convert this to Australian dollars it sounds about correct.

For some years I've been pointing out that the excessive fees charged by mental health workers ironically contribute to mental health breakdown for clients or parents having to pay.

I've written to the Australian Psychology Association about my concerns paying somebody $200/hr to tick off a checklist. Their polite and diplomatic response is that "specialist" health services are utilising the services of an "expert" and is money well spent. I simply don't agree.
I strongly believe while mental health services can be useful and helpful they simply don't justify the costs...

I would like to get an official diagnosis, but like you guys said, It's too damn expensive. I did see a psychiatrist but that was at a coffee shop and although I didn't get it "officially" on paper. It didn't cost me anything ether.

I have a similar situation. It's not official but at least it gives me the peace of mind that I did not just diagnose myself. I have no problems at all with people who self diagnose because I understand that people take a lot of time and extensive effort to do so. But for me I like that I had the opinions of others who are extremely knowledgeable about Autism and about mental and neurological disorders along with the research that I did myself. I am toying with the idea of getting a formal diagnosis but I am doing everything I can to see if I can get around paying the astronomical prices.

I also agree that the Cambridge tests and the other online tests are great tools. They were very helpful to me. And I think that as long as you answer the questions honestly than it won't hurt to take them.

My dad says that's sounds reasonable enough based on his experience with all my testing.

If I had never meet that psychiatrist at the coffee shop. I would have never gotten any kind of a diagnosis, let alone an official one. Let's face it I would've never guess in my wildest dreams that being unable to socialize was cause by autism ant not because I didn't learn how to do it. The sad thing is. I am not the only person out there who's lived with this most of their life and not knowing about it. I have to wonder how many other people who are still out there completely unaware that there social problems are caused by autism and may never seek help because they can't make the connection.

Yes, psychology is a big business.

I'm in the same boat you're in; I'm an adult female who wants to seek an NHS evaluation, but I haven't started yet because I have heard such bad stories about how much cynicism this particular type of person may possibly be facing, particularly after having spent half a lifetime using acted-out/learned skills to appear "normal" in an interaction. I too fear that I won't get sent to a specialist who actually has experience of the sub-group of "female adult." It's like people like you and I have not just one but two strikes against us for being diagnosed (or not) correctly.

So I totally relate to your concerns. I too enquired after a private consultation -- really handily close by, too, just a couple of miles from where I live! He specializes in adults. But he e-mailed back saying I should save my money and try the NHS first. Well, I guess at least he wasn't a money-grabbing opportunist, by giving me that advice! I'm now trying to find out if there is a known specialist in both the female and the adult in the UK that I could specifically ask to be referred to. However, that is bound to engendered some kind of horrendously long wait-time for an appointment. I'm already in my 50s. I've spent all my life living the way I've had to live, and coping the way I've had to cope -- one has to wonder if it's all worth it for someone my age, at this point. Except I do want the peace of mind of just knowing for sure.

I don't consider myself self-diagnosed as much as "taken the first step in suspecting..." I pass all the screening tests with a middle-to-high score, I was honest in my answers, and all my results put me firmly in spectrum territory. I don't even know if I should take that next step or not. Just like you, I worry about even getting "past the first hurdle" in being taken seriously by my little old local GP, who is the gatekeeper of further investigation and can laugh me out of the room, sparing the system an expensive specialist appointment....

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I paid $325 bucks (out of pocket) to get a test just to rule out (or in my case to rule in) ASD which consisted of ADOS-2 Module 4 SRS-2 then another 100 dollars I believe to get a basic summery report which tells be based on the tests that yes I do meet the criteria that is typical for an ASD diagnoses and I'm going to get a another report with ratings (I guess that's the term) for another 100 bucks.

I was told to get the full psych exam where they get into your mind to see what your actual straights and/or weaknesses and to see what intellectual issues (if any) one may have would have shot things well into the thousand dollar plus range.

I would have done that but I have yet to win the lottery soo the basic test is good enough for now.

I paid £795 earlier this year, so it wouldn't surprise me. As stated above, it is a nice little earner for them, given the link between official diagnosis and access to support services or reasonable adjustments. I tried to go through my GP, who was very supportive and I met the referral criteria, but the waiting list was so long that they were unable to estimate how long it would take before I was seen. It may have been years!! I don't know what services are like in your area but it is worth speaking with your GP before spending anything?

I have been diagnosed for years as part of personal psychotherapy, but never bothered to pay for the formal report. We worked with and around the diagnosis and I was very happy with that. However, the job I was in insisted I "Prove" my claim of Autism by producing a report before they would allow me to work in a small office and not a massive open plan nightmare. I got the report and 3 months later they made me redundant anyway - no link at all they assured me!! ! When I asked if they had many cases of people faking just to be able to keep the lights turned off or quiet music to mask the noise, they shuffled their feet and moved on.

I have no family, and one friend (who is also my partner) so there were few other people to speak to about my past, so my appointment was quite straight forward. It lasted for about 3 and a half hours although it was very thorough. I have spoken with other people whose assessment included their parents and siblings which obviously took longer. I assume I was a 'textbook' case!?!

I am glad I have the report I guess, it may be useful if I manage to find employment and need reasonable adjustments. That said, unless absolutely necessary, I won't disclose again.