NHS diagnosis
An NHS diagnosis is more readily accepted than a private one.….. The NHS website has a page about Signs of autism in adults. It links to their diagnosis page. Also, the Autism research centre has a quick referral guide: Autism spectrum quotient (AQ-10). Click icon to view.
Click icon to view.
Click icon to view. 
Getting a referral
The National Autistic Society (NAS) offers a step by step guide to getting a referral for adult diagnosis. Click icon to see it. Your GP needs a reason to refer you for diagnosis, so you will have to explain why you think you could be autistic, and how a diagnosis would benefit you. They also recommend taking details of local services to your–GP.
Quite a few doctors may not like referring adults for diagnosis as they feel it not necessary and is costly for the NHS. But, under the terms of NICE guidance, a GP has a duty to refer any adult suspected of having autism. We, at GAIN, are not qualified to give advice, but in such a case you could:
- seek another GP who will refer – maybe in the same practice,
- or complain in writing stating the relevant part of the NICE guidelines.
Autism rights
The Autism act 2009 led to the development of guidelines on referral for diagnosis by NICE.
Click icon for more detail.
The assessment
Once you have been referred, it will take quite some time to complete the process, so you will probably want to know about the diagnostic assessment process. See: NAS guide. An NHS diagnosis will be better recognised than a private one, though.
Private diagnosis
For a brief introduction to private diagnosis click icon.
Mobile guide