Rights & choices · England
Autism and ADHD: assessment and support
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
This guide is for people in England.
Everyone has their own strengths and support needs.
Autism, ADHD and learning disability are different.
You can have more than one.
A diagnosis does not tell people everything about you.
Autism can affect communication and how you experience the world.
Some autistic people also have a learning disability.
Other autistic people do not.
ADHD can make it hard to focus or organise things.
Some people feel restless or act without thinking.
Different people need different support.
A learning disability affects learning and everyday skills.
It is different from dyslexia.
Dyslexia affects particular skills, such as reading.
Ask about an assessment
Talk to your GP about an autism or ADHD assessment.
Tell them what is difficult and what helps.
Ask which service can assess you.
Help for children
A child’s school or health visitor may help with an autism referral.
For ADHD, ask the GP or school about the referral route.
Ask for support while your child waits.
Get ready
Write down your questions.
Bring earlier reports if you have them.
You can ask someone you trust to help.
Different assessments
The team asks about your life now and when you were younger.
One quiz cannot give you a diagnosis.
A learning disability assessment is a different assessment.
You might need a quieter room or a break.
You might need pictures or a communication aid.
Tell people what works for you.
Tell your health team if you feel different or unwell.
Ask them to check what is causing it.
They should not assume it is because of your disability.
While you wait
Ask what help you can get while waiting.
Ask how long you may need to wait.
Tell your GP if your health changes.
Choosing a service
You may be able to choose another NHS assessment service.
This is called Right to Choose.
Ask your GP which choices apply to you.
Your results
Ask for results you can understand.
Ask what support will happen next.
You can ask questions if you disagree.
Your wishes and interests matter.
Help plan the support you need.
Ask people to check whether the support is working.
What you can do next
You can ask someone you trust to help.
You could say: Please listen to me and explain my choices clearly.
Read NHS advice about autism assessments Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- NHS: ADHD in adults Web page
Understanding ADHD and asking about assessment.
- NHS: learning disabilities Web page
Understanding learning disability and routes to support.
- NICE: autism assessment and support for adults Web page
Guidance about communication, sensory needs and accessible assessment.
- NHS: autism assessments Web page
Referral routes, what happens for children and adults, and understanding the outcome.
- NHS: ADHD in children and young people Web page
Asking for assessment and getting support at home and school.
- NHS: your choices in the NHS Web page
Explains patient choice and links to the conditions and exceptions in the NHS Choice Framework.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Autism and ADHD: assessment and support — Easy Read
Asking for autism or ADHD assessments, getting support while waiting, and understanding how learning disability is different.
Children and adults · England
Different experiences can overlap
Autism can affect communication, social understanding, sensory experiences and ways of thinking. ADHD can affect attention, activity levels, organisation and acting on impulses. A learning disability affects intellectual development and everyday adaptive skills, such as understanding information or managing daily activities. A person may be autistic, have ADHD and have a learning disability together, or have only one. One diagnosis does not establish another. Some people use the word neurodivergent to describe their differences; ask which words the person prefers.
Use words carefully
In England, learning disability is different from a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, which affects particular learning skills. International information may use these terms differently. A person can have both. Do not judge understanding from speech, reading ability or a diagnosis alone. People may communicate through words, signs, pictures, movement or communication technology. Find out what works for this individual.
Asking for an autism assessment
Ask your GP about the local assessment route for adults or children. A child’s school or health visitor may need to make the referral. Explain what you have noticed, what is difficult and what helps. Ask for confirmation that the referral arrived and what will happen next. If a referral is declined, ask why and discuss another opinion.
Asking for an ADHD assessment as an adult
Tell the GP how attention, organisation, restlessness or acting on impulses affects your everyday life. The GP may refer you to a professional specialising in ADHD. Explain experiences since childhood and across home, work or education. A diagnosis can be made in adulthood. If you were diagnosed as a child and need help now, tell the GP.
Asking for an ADHD assessment for a child
Speak to the GP or school’s special educational needs coordinator, called the SENCO, about support and the local referral route. The assessment may involve a paediatrician or child and adolescent psychiatrist. They consider development, daily experiences and information from school. Support at home and school should continue while waiting.
What an assessment may involve
The team may use conversations, questionnaires, observations and information about childhood and everyday life. They consider possible explanations and conditions that occur together. Autism assessment and ADHD assessment answer different questions. Learning disability assessment is different again. Ask which assessments are proposed and who will do them. A questionnaire or online quiz alone cannot establish a diagnosis.
Make the assessment accessible
Ask for a clear description of appointments, extra time, breaks, a quieter setting and information in your preferred format. You can request communication aids and involvement of someone you choose. Assessors should adapt their approach for learning disability and sensory or communication differences. Ask how they will hear your views and what support is available while waiting. Keep a short record of useful adjustments to share with services.
Getting ready
Make a short list of your questions, strengths, difficulties and useful support. Take earlier reports if you have them. You can ask someone you trust to help explain your experiences. Tell the service if childhood records or someone who knew you then are unavailable, and ask how it can proceed. Explain learning disability and communication needs before the appointment.
Support while you wait
Ask the GP, school, college or workplace what help can start now. Describe practical needs such as written information, quieter spaces or support organising tasks. Ask the service about waiting times and whom to contact if things change. Tell your GP about new health concerns while waiting. A future assessment should not hold up care for a current health problem.
Asking about NHS Right to Choose
In England, ask your GP whether NHS Right to Choose applies to your referral. Where it applies, the provider must offer the relevant service under an NHS contract; conditions and exceptions apply. Ask about accessibility, suitability, waiting times and support after assessment. A privately booked assessment is not automatically paid for by the NHS. Confirm any costs before agreeing.
Understanding the outcome
Ask for an accessible report explaining the findings, your strengths and support needs. Ask what happens next and who will arrange it. If you disagree, explain what was missed and ask about another opinion or the complaints process. For an ADHD diagnosis, discuss the available support and treatment choices; medicine is not the only option. An autism diagnosis should help explain support needs, not override your choices.
Look beyond the existing diagnosis
Diagnostic overshadowing means symptoms are wrongly attributed to an existing disability or diagnosis instead of being properly investigated. New distress, a change in sleep, eating or usual behaviour, or signs of pain deserve attention. Tell clinicians what has changed and how the person usually communicates discomfort. Ask what physical or mental health causes have been considered. A diagnosis should not prevent investigation, treatment or access to ordinary healthcare.
Plan support around your life
Begin with your interests, strengths, relationships and goals. A plan might include communication support, predictable information, help organising tasks, changes to noise or lighting and support with transitions. Needs can differ between places and change over time. Agree who will make each adjustment and when to review it. Education, social care and health support have their own criteria; discuss actual needs with each service. Support should help you participate and make choices, with your involvement throughout.
Words you could use
“Please explain the autism or ADHD assessment route, the adjustments I need, and what support I can get while waiting.”
More useful links
- NHS: ADHD in adults Web page
Understanding ADHD and asking about assessment.
- NHS: learning disabilities Web page
Understanding learning disability and routes to support.
- NICE: autism assessment and support for adults Web page
Guidance about communication, sensory needs and accessible assessment.
- NHS: autism assessments Web page
Referral routes, what happens for children and adults, and understanding the outcome.
- NHS: ADHD in children and young people Web page
Asking for assessment and getting support at home and school.
- NHS: your choices in the NHS Web page
Explains patient choice and links to the conditions and exceptions in the NHS Choice Framework.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 27 October 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: what autism is Web page
Autism, learning disability and other conditions that can occur together.
- NHS: ADHD in adults Web page
Everyday experiences and referral for specialist assessment.
- NHS England: identifying learning disability Web page
Intellectual and adaptive functioning and the distinction from learning difficulties.
- NICE NG87: ADHD Web page
Specialist assessment, co-occurring conditions and accessible individual planning.
- NICE CG142: autism in adults Web page
Communication adjustments, learning disability and comprehensive assessment.
- NHS England: clinical guide for frontline staff Web pageProfessional guidance
Avoiding diagnostic overshadowing and hearing how the person communicates symptoms.
- NHS: autism assessments Web page
Referral routes for children and adults, assessment and support while waiting.
- NHS: ADHD in children and young people Web page
Asking for assessment and getting support at home and school.
- NHS: your choices in the NHS Web page
Explains patient choice and links to the conditions and exceptions in the NHS Choice Framework.
A page for you to fill in
You can type your answers and download a copy.
You can also print a page to write or draw on.
Someone you trust can help you.