Helping you navigate ADHD and autism in Scotland
A free, independent, non-clinical information project for people in Scotland living with ADHD or autism, or wondering if they might be. Built by someone who has been through the system.
The NHS is worth trying, but the waits are long.
In Scotland, waiting times for ADHD and autism assessment are measured in years in most areas, not months. We'll tell you what to expect in your health board area, how to get a referral, and what you can do while you wait. Knowing what to realistically expect makes the whole process less frightening.
Waiting times by health board →Private assessment is an option, not an obligation.
Going private can be faster, but it is not the whole answer. Costs and quality vary, and without shared care (your GP taking over prescribing after a private diagnosis) you can end up back at square one. We'll help you understand what to look for, what to ask, and what to realistically expect.
Compare private providers →Not sure if this applies to you? Start with a self-screening questionnaire.
If you are wondering whether ADHD or autism fits what you are experiencing, an evidence-based screener can help you think it through and give you something to bring to a GP. It is a starting point, not a verdict.
New to ADHD?
How ADHD actually presents in adults, why it so often goes undiagnosed, particularly in women, and where to start in Scotland.
Read the guide →New to autism?
What autism looks like across different people, why late diagnosis is so common, and your first steps towards assessment in Scotland.
Read the guide →Getting assessed
There are two routes, NHS or private, each with different tradeoffs on cost, waiting time, and what happens after. We lay them out side by side.
Compare the routes →Compare private providers
Independent, filterable directory of private ADHD and autism providers in Scotland: costs, waiting times, HIS registration, shared care support.
View all providers →NHS waiting times
Current waiting time data for all 14 Scottish health boards, gathered through Freedom of Information requests. Know what to expect where you live.
Check your health board →Self-screeners
Evidence-based ADHD and autism screeners: not a diagnosis, but a structured starting point for the conversation with your GP.
Take a screener →Compare private providers in Scotland
An independent, filterable directory of private ADHD and autism assessment providers, with costs, wait times, clinician details, and what each service actually offers. No paid listings and no provider pays to rank higher.
- Filter by assessment type, delivery method, and location
- Compare costs across different assessment types
- Check for prescribing, titration, and shared care support
- See HIS registration and clinician credentials
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The current picture
We track what has been promised for ADHD and autism care in Scotland against what our own data shows, and follow the developments that shape it.
The state of ADHD & autism care in Scotland
Every Government and Parliament promise tracked against our own Freedom of Information data, board by board, and where the official record falls silent.
Read the tracker → In the news · 30 Jul 2026Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland: “mental health at the fault line”
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland (RCPsychiS) warned that a decade of fragmentation is harming services, and demanded an urgent independent inquiry into patient safety.
Read the report on rcpsych.ac.uk ↗ Our data · liveWhat our FOI requests found
We asked all 14 Scottish health boards for their real ADHD and autism assessment waits. Twelve have responded, including NHS Lothian's 177-week adult median, the longest board-wide wait reported anywhere in Scotland. We publish every response as it comes back.
See the FOI tracker →What people told us
When we asked all 14 Scottish health boards for their waiting times, hundreds of people replied with their own stories. The same experiences came up again and again.
I was referred in 2022. When I called this year it was still a five year wait, the same answer they've been giving for four years.
I went for help and was told I'd have to pay to go private. There's no help for adult ADHD through NHS Fife.
My seven year old has been on the Lanarkshire list since he was five.
Built by someone who has been through it
ADHD Scot is an independent, Scotland-specific resource founded by someone with ADHD and autism, diagnosed in adulthood. Having navigated both NHS and private pathways, with all the confusion, cost, GP refusals and waiting that involves, this site exists to make that process clearer for everyone who comes after. No commercial interest, no English-only framing, no paid listings.
