Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS)

This section is for you if you’ve been accepted for an assessment.

We know that the idea of completing a referral or going for an autism assessment can be daunting. We hope the information below will help you understand what to expect.

To make a self-referral for an autism assessment, please see the Referrals section on the website.  Please check the Home section for the latest waiting time information.

Your assessment and appointments

You can click here to see a diagram of our autism assessment pathway.

The first step of the pathway is reviewing your developmental history. Autism is a developmental condition, which means autistic features are usually present in childhood. It is important for us to gather some information about what you were like as a child. Ideally this is from a parent, but if a parent is not available, we can gather information from other relatives, family friends, or school reports. The information is usually gathered with a developmental questionnaire (for parents) and/or collateral questionnaire (for other people who know you well).  If needed, we can also obtain developmental history by a videocall or phone call with your parent.  If you don’t have anybody to provide a developmental history, we can still proceed with the autism assessment, but it may not be possible to come to a definite diagnostic decision.

In most cases, your developmental history will be reviewed before your appointment.

The second step of the pathway is an autism assessment appointment. The purpose of this appointment is to gather information from you about your life experiences and possible autistic features. It is normally with one clinician (although occasionally other staff members or trainees will be present) and lasts 2-3 hours.  We can do this appointment either face to face or by videocall depending on your preference.  Sometimes the assessment can be completed by the end of this appointment.

In some cases, a third step is required. This is called a clinical decision meeting. Normally, it’s a face-to-face appointment with at least two of our clinicians, lasting about two hours.  During the meeting we may ask you to do some simple activities (such as looking at pictures of social situations) which help us check for autism. These activities are adapted from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessment tool.

Four previous service users of Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service share their experiences of the assessment pathway below:

The outcome of your assessment

Following the completion of the initial assessment and developmental history, there are three possible outcomes:

• Autism diagnosed
• Autism not diagnosed
• Another cause of difficulties identified

We diagnose autism in about 60% of cases. There are various reasons for autism not being diagnosed, the most common being that your difficulties may be better explained by something else – such as mental health issues, another neurodevelopmental condition such as ADHD, or childhood trauma. We will always explain the reasons for not making an autism diagnosis and if necessary will signpost/refer you on to other services for further assessment and treatment of other conditions.

After diagnosis

If you are diagnosed with autism you will be offered one follow-up appointment.  This is normally a one hour videocall, but you can request a telephone or face to face meeting instead.

You will receive a follow-up pack of autism-specific information after your diagnosis, and it is useful to read through this before your follow-up appointment. It gives links to useful local services and resources. We particularly recommend Leeds Autism Aim for post-diagnostic peer support, advice and information.

A diagnosis of autism means different things to different people and many people come to view autism as a positive part of their identity. A good place to start exploring is The National Autistic Society (NAS) website which offers information and advice on different topics, for example, sensory needs, reasonable workplace adjustments, and welfare rights.

At the follow-up appointment you will have opportunity to discuss your diagnosis and what autism means for you. It is up to you what you talk about, and some people like to prepare questions and make a list in advance. You may prefer to have a family member, friend or pet sitting with you which is fine. Common topics to discuss may include: adjustments at work or in education, managing everyday life challenges, friendships and relationships, sleep, sensory issues, mental health, and how to access support.

Please note we are not experts on claiming benefits, and we are unable to advise you about autism services outside the Leeds area.

After your appointment, the clinician may send you some further information and/or point you in the direction of other relevant support services.

Second opinions

We sometimes get requests for second opinions. These are normally from people who have undergone an autism assessment, either at Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service or through another autism service, and do not agree with the diagnosis.

We will only offer a second opinion when new and compelling information is present – normally this means extra developmental or collateral history from a mental health professional or close relative.