Autism assessment in Dundee

885 adults are waiting for autism assessment in the Dundee area, and NHS Tayside cannot say how long the wait is — your NHS and private routes explained

Reviewed by ADHD Scot,

A waiting list with no waiting time

885 adults in the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership area are waiting for an autism-related assessment appointment. That figure comes from NHS Tayside's response to a Freedom of Information request ADHD Scot submitted on 24 June 2026 — a response that arrived after the statutory deadline and formal escalation, and that gave no median waiting time. The board's Trakcare referral system does not record the clinical reason for a referral, so autism assessments cannot be separated from referrals of all kinds, and it cannot say how long the 885 people on Dundee's list are likely to wait.

Dundee is also the only part of NHS Tayside with any autism figures at all. Angus and Perth and Kinross hold no separate data (Section 17 of FOISA), so there is no board-wide count, and autistic people awaiting assessment in those areas cannot even be told their position on a list. The full response is on our FOI tracker page, the board detail is on the NHS Tayside page, and figures for every Scottish board are on the NHS waiting times page.

For children, the position is more restrictive still: in March 2025, NHS Tayside CAMHS stopped accepting new ADHD or autism referrals from children who do not also have a co-existing mental health condition, and the board holds no CAMHS autism figures. Families in Dundee should confirm the current position with their GP, as it may have changed.

Starting the NHS route as an adult

Adult referrals in Dundee run separately from CAMHS and go through your GP to adult psychiatry or a specialist neurodevelopmental service. To make the conversation count:

  • Be specific about your traits — give examples from everyday life rather than general descriptions
  • Mention that traits have been present since childhood, even if they were not recognised at the time
  • Complete a validated screener beforehand — our autism screener gives you something concrete to bring along
  • Ask specifically for a referral to the neurodevelopmental or adult psychiatry service for assessment

If your GP is reluctant, you are entitled to ask why and to seek a second opinion from another GP within the same practice. Given that NHS Tayside cannot tell Dundee patients how long they will wait, it is also reasonable to ask for a written record of when your referral was sent.

Choosing a private autism assessment

Because the NHS wait in Dundee is uncounted, some people go private. A small number of local providers serve the city, alongside online providers covering the whole of Scotland. According to our private autism assessment guide, expect to pay from around £800 upwards for a single-clinician adult assessment, and considerably more for multi-disciplinary or combined ADHD and autism assessments — always ask for a written breakdown of what the fee covers.

Autism assessment sits in a different regulatory position from ADHD assessment, and it is worth understanding before you book.

HIS registration is often legitimately absent. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) regulates private healthcare in Scotland, and registered providers have been inspected against required standards. But a large proportion of private autism assessments are led by clinical psychologists, and HIS has confirmed that services which do not employ, engage, or grant practising privileges to a medical doctor, registered nurse, or other specified professional are not legally required to register. For psychology-led autism services, no HIS registration is common and not automatically a red flag — though any service that does involve a doctor or nurse should be registered.

Check the clinician instead. With psychology-led services exempt from HIS registration, verifying the individual matters more. Clinical psychologists must appear on the HCPC register; psychiatrists and other doctors on the GMC Medical Register. Our autism regulation page explains all of this in full.

Insist on a proper method. A thorough autism assessment uses validated diagnostic instruments such as the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition) alongside a structured developmental interview and collateral history. A questionnaire alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis. Our private autism assessment guide sets out what a good assessment should include and the questions to ask before you book.

Find private providers near Dundee

After an autism diagnosis in Dundee

Unlike ADHD, there is no medication pathway or shared care arrangement following an autism diagnosis. What matters afterwards is understanding the diagnosis, accessing support, and making practical adjustments.

In Dundee, post-diagnostic support is available through Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, and national organisations including Scottish Autism support autistic people and their families across Scotland. Our after an autism diagnosis page covers post-diagnostic support, workplace rights, Adult Disability Payment, and what to expect from NHS follow-up.

Useful links

ADHD Scot is an independent, non-clinical information project. Nothing here is medical advice. If you think you may be autistic, the right first step is a conversation with your GP.