Going private for autism in Scotland

Why people choose private assessment

NHS waits for autism assessment in Scotland vary by health board. Using health board figures from March 2025, the Scottish Parliament research briefing SB 25-25 reported children's median waits from 22 to 141 weeks and longest waits up to 342 weeks, and says "adult neurodevelopmental pathways are not available in many NHS boards across Scotland". It also says "Long waiting times have resulted in more people using the private sector to obtain a neurodevelopmental assessment".

This page explains what to check before you book.

Regulation in Scotland

Scotland's regulator of independent healthcare is Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). Whether a provider must register depends on the professionals involved: HIS's list includes medical practitioners and registered nurses, but not psychologists (HIS, independent clinics). Our regulation page explains the distinction in full.

Our Compare providers tool shows current HIS status for each listed provider.

What a good autism assessment includes

Scotland's autism guideline SIGN 145 says:

• "Specialist assessment should involve a history-taking element, a clinical observation/assessment element, and the obtaining of wider contextual and functional information."
• "Healthcare professionals involved in specialist assessment should take an ASD-specific developmental history and should directly observe and assess the individual's social and communication skills and behaviour."
• Autism-specific instruments such as the ADI-R "may be used to supplement the process of clinical history taking". It notes NICE's recommendation "that diagnosis is not based on any autism-specific diagnostic instrument alone", and that a combination of ADOS and ADI-R "was similar in accuracy to the 'gold standard' multidisciplinary assessment, although the quality of the studies was poor".
• "Healthcare professionals should consider that females with ASD may present with a different symptom profile and level of impairment than males with ASD."
• "A diagnostic assessment, alongside a profile of the individual's strengths and weaknesses, carried out by a multidisciplinary team which has the skills and experience to undertake the assessments, should be considered as the optimum approach for individuals suspected of having ASD."

NAIT's 2025 guide lists the same kind of "key elements of a valid and reliable diagnostic assessment", including "An interview with an informant and/or the individual to understand early developmental history" and "Contextual information about the person in their daily environments".

For a plain-English guide to the tools you may meet, such as the ADOS-2, see Assessment tools and what to expect.

Who can diagnose autism

NAIT's 2025 guide says diagnosis of autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions "should be made by competent professionals" who have "the right training, knowledge, skills and experience", work "under the governance of a multi-disciplinary team" and have "access to specific clinical supervision". Ask about the assessing clinician's training and experience.

You can check a clinician's registration:

• Doctors: GMC Medical Register
• Psychologists: HCPC Register. The HCPC's protected titles include "Clinical psychologist" and "Counselling psychologist"; "psychologist" on its own is not one of them

Costs

Costs vary between providers. Our Compare providers tool lists prices for the providers we include. Always ask for a written breakdown of what the fee covers: report, follow-up discussion, and any further appointments.

The diagnostic report

You may use your report when asking for support or adjustments, although school support in Scotland does not require a diagnosis (see our school support guide). Ask the provider before booking what the report includes and how long after the assessment you will receive it.

Questions to ask before you book

• Is this provider registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland?
• Who carries out the assessment, and what are their qualifications, registration, and specific experience in autism?
• Which assessment tools are used, and how?
• How is collateral history gathered? What if I do not have access to a parent?
• Is the assessment single-clinician or multi-disciplinary?
• What does the written report include and how long is it?
• How long after assessment will I receive the report?
• What is included in the price?

Signs of a poor-quality assessment

• No named clinician or unclear who carries out the assessment
• Diagnosis by questionnaire alone: SIGN 145 notes NICE's recommendation that diagnosis is not based on any autism-specific diagnostic instrument alone
• No collateral history process
• Very short assessment times: ask what is included in the appointment time
• No written diagnostic report included as standard
• Reluctance to share credentials or registration details
• No HIS registration for a Scotland-based service with premises that involves doctors or nurses. Psychology-led services are not required to register.

After a private autism diagnosis

See our after an autism diagnosis guide for what comes next.

Autism assessment near you

Local guides to NHS and private autism assessment, with each area's latest FOI waiting figures: Aberdeen · Ayr and Ayrshire · Dumfries · Dundee · Edinburgh · Glasgow · Inverness · Kirkcaldy and Fife · Perth · Stirling