Autism Assessments for Children
Don’t let long waiting lists hold your child back. As an NHS partner, we provide fully funded, neuro-affirming autism assessments with significantly shorter wait times. Our child-friendly approach is designed to help your family find the answers and support you deserve.
Find out more:
Who Is This For?
Children between the ages of 5 to 18
Living in England and registered with an NHS GP practice
Wishing to exercise
their Right to Choose
NHS Right to Choose Assessment
14-16 week wait time
Note: This is a minimum wait time and may vary depending on your local Integrated Care Board (ICB). Timelines begin from receipt of completed questionnaires and all required information.
What to expect from your NHS Right to Choose autism assessment
This is our standard assessment pathway. Please note this is subject to change.
Step 1
Referral
Please talk to your GP to ask for a referral to KT Healthcare for a Right to Choose autism assessment.
Once we receive a completed referral from your GP, we will contact you via email with background questionnaires to complete. Once these have been received, you will join our waitlist and our clinical team will review them for clinical suitability.
Step 2
Assessments
Once you reach the top of the waitlist, our appointments team will contact you by phone to book in 2 separate assessment appointments.
Appointment 1 - ADOS: You will attend a 1–hour session involving activities and conversation as part of an observation assessment.
Appointment 2 - ADI-r: A clinician will speak with your informant for up to 2.5 hours to discuss your child's developmental history as well as your current observational behaviour within different social settings.
Step 3
Diagnosis
Both clinicians will review all the information to make a clinical decision.
Once a clinical diagnosis has been made, one of the clinicians will phone you to discuss the outcome, answer your questions, and explain any recommendations. You will then receive a full written report detailing your diagnosis and personalised support plan.
How Our Assessments Are Delivered
At KT Healthcare, the majority of our assessments are delivered online, allowing for flexibility and accessibility whilst maintaining high clinical standards. We also offer face-to-face appointments on request, which take place at our clinic locations in Chichester or Oxfordshire.
Online appointments require a suitable device. You must use a laptop or tablet with camera – mobile phones are not suitable.
For younger children aged 5-7, in-person appointments are required. This ensures assessments are accurate, appropriate, and fully aligned with clinical best practice. Our team will advise you if a face-to-face appointment is necessary based on age and individual needs.
Tips for a smoother assessment journey
You do not need to manage this alone.
Simply ask your GP to refer you to "KT Healthcare" for an autism assessment.
Your referral
- Clearly state you want to use Right to Choose.
- Ask to be referred to KT Healthcare for an autism assessment.
- Make sure your GP includes Right to Choose wording in the referral.
- Check your name, email address, DOB, address, and contact details are correct.
- Ensure your GP sends the referral to the correct provider.
- If you change GP, you may need a new referral.
- Contact your GP surgery to confirm the referral was sent.
Your assessments
- Check your email (including junk folder) for questionnaires.
- Complete all questionnaires in full before submitting. Please allow plenty of time to complete the questionnaires. As the questionnaires are online, please ensure you don't leave the site until you've finished.
- Return forms within 2 weeks if at all possible to avoid delays.
- Ask your informant/parent early so they’re ready to help.
- For a child assessment, make sure parents fills out the school details in the school questionnaire and submit this as soon as possible and Inform your school they will receive a questionnaire from us.
- Ensure contact details for you and your informant are correct.
- Let us know if you need adjustments to complete the forms.
- Contact us if you're unsure about any questions rather than leaving blanks.
- Please feel free to contact us to check that your completed questionnaire has been received.
Your appointment
- Ask your informant to check their availability before booking.
- Make sure both you and your informant can attend your appointments.
- Join appointments from a quiet, private space.
- Test your internet, camera, and microphone in advance. Let us know as early as possible if you need to reschedule.
- Avoid last-minute cancellations where possible.
- The more availability you can offer, the quicker we can schedule your appointment.
- We offer face‑to‑face appointments at selected locations, but please note they may take a little longer to arrange.
- Please let us know when we call if you have any additional requirements.
Our Locations
Our services are delivered UK-wide, with flexible online appointments and face-to-face clinics available in the selected locations below.
Manchester
Address
Gainsborough House, 109 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 6DN
Contact
+44 333 004 7700Chichester
Address
Office 67, Enterprise Centre, Terminus Rd, Chichester PO19 8FY, United Kingdom
Contact
+44 333 004 7700Oxfordshire
Address
Innovation Centre, 99 Park Drive, Milton Park, Oxfordshire, OX14 4RY
Contact
+44 333 004 7700Patient Reviews
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a child communicates, interacts with others, and experiences the world around them. It is a spectrum, which means every child presents differently, with their own strengths, differences, and support needs.
Gaining a diagnosis can help parents, carers, and schools better understand a child’s needs and provide the right support at home, in education, and in everyday life.
Social relationships
Exploring how your child interacts with peers and adults, their communication style, friendship patterns, and how they navigate social situations at school and in other settings.
Task organisation and time planning
Understanding your child's ability to organise tasks, follow routines, manage time, and transition between activities—skills important for school and home life.
Emotional regulation
Assessing how your child experiences and manages emotions, copes with change or disappointment, and responds to situations that might cause frustration or anxiety.
Sensory overload
Looking at how your child responds to sensory experiences like sounds, lights, textures, and smells, and understanding how these might affect their behaviour and wellbeing.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to provide clarity and support. Explore our most frequently asked questions to learn more about our approach.
No, we require a referral from your GP for the Right to Choose assessment.
Yes, we are fully commissioned by the NHS to carry out autism assessment for adults and children in England. Our reports will be recognised for school/colleges and the EHCP process.
We are only commissioned by the NHS for Autism Assessments on Right to Choose. We are however developing our ADHD Right to Choose service, and our intention is to launch it during 2026.
Yes, our services are predominantly online. For children aged 5-7 are however required to be seen in-person.
Our clinicians are specially trained and will take this in to account during the assessment.
In this circumstance, we will seek information another setting your child/young person spends time in, this could be at a group, club or with another relative or friend.
No. Once we have a referral from your GP and you've supplied us with school details, we will contact the education setting and ask them to complete our questionnaire.
Get in Touch
Speak to our team!
Whether you are ready to book an assessment or simply exploring your options, we are here to provide the answers you need. Reach out today for a confidential chat.