Thank you for your interest in our Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessment services for adults. We understand that you may have some questions, so we have prepared a set of FAQs to provide you with more information:
1. What is included in the ASD assessment for adults?
Our ASD assessment for adults includes a thorough evaluation of your symptoms, medical history, personal history, and family history. The assessment typically lasts 1.5 to 2 hours with a consultant psychiatrist. The goal is to provide a diagnosis, develop a personalized treatment plan, and discuss any necessary prescriptions. If an assessment is booked in, ASD forms need to be completed at least 5 days prior to the assessment otherwise it will not be able to go ahead.
2. If I already have a diagnosis of ASD do I need the full 1.5 - 2-hour assessment?
If you already have a diagnosis of ASD and are looking to book in to see a psychiatrist to discuss treatment of your ASD, then you can book in for a 1-hour assessment appointment provided that you have a comprehensive assessment report diagnosing ASD carried out by a psychiatrist, and that this is made available to the clinic prior to your appointment. In this instance the focus of the assessment will be to confirm ASD, review any other potential issues and to discuss treatment.
3. What happens during the ASD appointment?
The assessment is conducted through a 1.5-2-hour video call appointment. Prior to the appointment, we will request certain forms to be completed and submitted. These forms provide valuable information to assist the consultant in making an accurate diagnosis. Once the assessment is complete, you will receive a clinical letter outlining the assessment findings and recommended treatment plan.
Registration forms are triaged to ensure suitability for the service. Where we feel we are not the most appropriate service for you we will let you know and will provide signposting to a more suitable service.
Once the appointment has taken place, the consultant will, having discussed the outcome of the assessment in the appointment, write a report providing a diagnosis, and details and recommendations regarding the treatment plan. On some occasions, the Consultant may only be able to provide a differential diagnosis and may need to spend additional time with you to complete a comprehensive assessment, where there are several areas that require further exploration.
Occasionally further possible specific diagnosis might need to be considered, for example Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is suspected. An ADHD assessment will require a separate appointment, although this would be of a shorter duration and would cost less due to some of the same areas already having been explored in the ASD assessment.
The treatment plan will cover recommendations around behavioural tools that may assist in an educational, home or work setting, advice regarding talking therapies that may be helpful such as family therapy, individual therapy, CBT or EMDR or any number of other therapies available. Referrals can be made within Psymplicity, or we can liaise with a 3rd party of your choice in collaboration with you.
Medication is not normally provided for an ASD diagnosis unless there are associated symptoms such as anxiety for example, the psychiatrist may be able to provide you with a prescription if appropriate.
Medication options will be discussed and can often be initiated following the assessment appointment where ASD is diagnosed. Some medications prescribed will require a blood pressure and heart rate reading and weight reading to be supplied to the clinic prior to a prescription being issued. Where there is a personal or family history of early cardiovascular disease, or there are cardiovascular symptoms such as feints or palpitations or chest pain a referral to a cardiologist may be necessary prior to issuing a prescription.
Medication will typically need close monitoring and adjustment over a few review appointments during the first few weeks/months of treatment until a stable dose is reached. There can often be an initial treatment trialled on one type of medication which may not work or have side effects, before a second or third similar but different medication is trialled successfully and continued.
4. What is the fee for the ASD assessment and clinic letter?
The fee for the ASD assessment, prescription (if applicable), and clinic letter can be found on the latest pricing page. In most instances, the initial assessment provides sufficient time to arrive at a diagnosis, discuss and initiate treatment with a clinical report confirming the assessment outcome typically being sent to you within a week, often faster than this, after the initial appointment, dependent on report complexity.
5. What happens if I have complex symptoms?
If you present with more complex or a wider range of difficulties, the psychiatrist may need more time to fully diagnose and develop a treatment plan. In such cases, you may be asked to book a further appointment, to complete the assessment process. Follow up appointment pricing is also available on our website.
6. Can I get a prescription for medication?
Medication is not normally provided for an ASD diagnosis unless there are associated symptoms such as anxiety for example, the psychiatrist may be able to provide you with a prescription if appropriate. Please note that as the prescription is private, the pharmacy will charge for the medication.
7. Can my GP prescribe the medication?
In most cases, GPs are willing to take over prescribing after around 3 months when a patient is considered stable on the medication. We recommend discussing the possibility of your GP taking over prescribing at the earliest possible opportunity. However, this decision is ultimately up to your GP, and it would be best to consult with them directly.
If you GP accepts prescribing your medication, they can provide a monthly prescription for you on the proviso that you have an annual review appointment with your specialist and may require an earlier review appointment if your treatment is not working so well or requires adjustment.
8. Can I request repeat prescriptions and follow-up appointments?
If your GP is not providing you with your prescriptions, and you are on a stable dose of medication, you can request repeat prescriptions via our website. Prescriptions are subject to an administrative fee as per our website. See our latest pricing page for more details. As Psymplicity will be issuing a private prescription, the cost of the medication issued by and invoiced by the pharmacy will require payment by the patient to the pharmacy.
Indicative pricing for the costs of the medication itself can be found by looking at the BNF website, selecting a medication, going to the medicinal form section where the baseline price of each branded and generic medication is available. Pharmacies will typically charge more than this and charge for direct home delivery where this service is requested.
You can also have regular follow-up appointments with the psychiatrist if you choose to continue your ASD treatment under private care. If you choose to continue your treatment with us, you can request repeat prescriptions and have regular follow-up appointments with the psychiatrist. Please go to the latest pricing page on our website for information on the latest pricing for follow-up appointments.
Where prescriptions are issued within appointments, there is no prescription charge. However, when issued outside of appointments, which will typically occur on a monthly basis when you are on stable dose of medication being prescribed by your doctor at Psymplicity, prescriptions are subject to an administrative fee as per our website.
9. What if I have insurance coverage?
If you have insurance coverage, we recommend contacting your insurer before booking an appointment to confirm if the appointment will be covered. You will need to obtain an authorization code from your insurer. Psymplicity will invoice you for the appointment with payment required prior to your appointment taking place. We will provide all necessary documentation for you to submit a claim for reimbursement to your insurance company. Please note that we do not reclaim the clinic fee on your behalf.
We hope these FAQs have provided you with the information you were seeking. If you would like to book an appointment, please click here to book.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions. We look forward to assisting you on your ASD assessment journey.