Services · Autism Assessments
Autism Assessments for Children, Teenagers and Adults
Are you wondering whether autism might explain what you or your child are experiencing?
Families come to us with all sorts of starting points. A toddler who is not pointing, sharing attention or babbling the way other children their age do. A school-age child who copes all day and falls apart the moment they get home. A teenager who is exhausted by friendships that seem to come easily to everyone else. An adult who has spent decades feeling out of step, and has finally found a word that fits.
An autism assessment is a careful, structured way of answering the question. It looks at social communication, sensory experiences, interests, routines and development over time, and it sets those alongside the person’s strengths and the situations they find hardest. Whether or not the outcome is a diagnosis, the point is the same: a clearer explanation, and a practical picture of what helps.
The Psychology Hub provides autism assessments from North Lakes and online across Australia. Assessments are available from 12 months of age, and there is no upper age limit. Every assessment begins with a 90-minute initial appointment, and the clinician recommends the right pathway from there.
You do not need a referral to get started, and you do not need to know which assessment you need before you book – that is what the initial appointment is for.
New to the clinic? See what happens at your first assessment appointment.
How autism may show up in everyday lifeSigns of autism in adults. Signs of autism in children.
Signs of autism can look different from person to person. Individual examples are not diagnostic on their own; what matters is the broader pattern across development, communication, relationships, behaviour, interests, routines and sensory experiences. Signs of autism in adults can sometimes be less obvious when someone has learned to mask or camouflage their differences.
The examples below describe experiences that may be explored during an autism assessment, in children, teenagers and adults. No single example confirms autism, and individual examples on their own do not establish that someone is autistic. What matters is the broader pattern across development and everyday life.
Starting things, and joining inSocial communication and autism in adults. Social communication in autistic children.
Not whether someone connects — how they go about it
- Approaching with a fact or a favourite topic instead of a greeting
- Wanting to join in, and not being able to find where the opening is
- Waiting to be invited, rather than inviting
- Taking someone by the hand and leading them to what they want them to see
- Guiding an adult’s hand to what they need — communication without words
- Rehearsing conversations in advance, sometimes for days
- Standing nearby and waiting, without the expected opening words
More examples
- Licking, mouthing or sniffing someone to make contact
- Throwing something towards someone as an attempt to get their attention — something that can easily be read only as challenging or aggressive behaviour
- Crashing into someone, leaning heavily on them, climbing on them
- May not turn when their name is called, even when hearing tests are normal — particularly when deeply focused, overwhelmed or absorbed in something else
- Not bringing things over to show, or not checking a parent’s face to see whether they saw it too
- Initiating a great deal with adults and almost none with other children, or the reverse
- Interpreting the words literally and missing the implied request — for example, hearing “can you pass the salt?” as a question about whether you are able to
- Knowing a question should have been asked back, and it not arriving in time
- Opening with what you came to say, and skipping the small talk that usually comes first
Eye contact, gestures and expressionEye contact, body language and gestures in autistic adults.
The area most easily assumed to be fine, because it looks fine
- Looking at the bridge of the nose or between the eyebrows — close enough that nobody notices
- Holding eye contact on purpose and losing the thread of what is being said
- A face that does not show what is actually being felt
- Little pointing, or pointing to request but not to show
- Not waving, nodding or shaking the head — or learning them later and using them stiffly
- Easier on a video call than in a room, or easier in a car where nobody faces anyone
- Gestures that may have been learned deliberately rather than developing intuitively, and can sometimes feel effortful or slightly delayed
More examples
- Too much eye contact rather than too little — learned, held, slightly off
- Gestures that do not run alongside speech — words and hands out of step
- Using one kind of gesture and not another — conventional ones like waving or nodding, instrumental ones like pointing to ask or beckoning, and descriptive ones that show a size or a shape. Someone may use one type freely and rarely use the others
- Smiling when anxious, laughing at a moment others do not expect
- Expressions arriving late, or bigger or smaller than expected
- A voice that stays level, or is louder or quieter than the room
- Emotional expressions that do not always match the social response others expect in that moment
- Looking at the toy rather than the person handing it over
Reading other people — and feeling it intensely
Both directions, sometimes in the same person
- Thinking they are in trouble when they are not
- Reading only the obvious — clearly happy, clearly furious — and missing mild irritation or someone who has had enough
- Noticing that the mood in a room has changed before anyone says anything
- Going on alert when a teacher’s voice changes — including when another child is being spoken to
- Asking again and again whether someone is cross, and not being reassured by the answer
- A short email from a manager costing a whole weekend
- Replaying a conversation for days, certain they have upset someone
More examples
Some autistic people also describe experiences such as:
- Needing the words said out loud, because the face alone does not carry it
- Reading it correctly but too slowly to use in the moment
- Reading a neutral face as angry, and a short reply as being told off
- Feeling it strongly when someone nearby is upset, including strangers
- Not being able to tell whose feeling it is, and carrying someone else’s worry as their own
- Being deeply affected by unfairness or cruelty in a way others find excessive
- A sense of fairness strong enough that other people come to rely on it
- Getting upset when another child is told off, or when adults disagree in the room
- Avoiding the news or certain films, because the feeling stays for days
Friendships and relationshipsAutism, friendships and relationships. Autism and friendships and play.
Wanting connection is not the question
- Friendships that work one-to-one and come apart in a group
- One intense friendship at a time, and real grief when it ends
- Friendships built around a shared interest, which end when the interest does
- Hovering at the edge of a game, wanting in, not knowing the way in
- Playing alongside other children rather than joining their play
- Exhaustion after socialising that is out of proportion to the event
- Friendships that survive because the other person does the maintaining
More examples
- Friendships that go deep rather than wide, and can last for decades
- Always the one who directs and leads, so what the other person wants can go unnoticed
- Always the one who follows, so their own needs and preferences go unsaid
- Described as “mature for their age” — talking like an adult, playing like nobody their own age
- Not adjusting how they speak between the playground, the classroom and the dinner table
- Being vulnerable to being taken advantage of when another person’s intentions or social subtext are difficult to recognise
- Deep loyalty, and directness that others sometimes read as bluntness
Movement, stimming and objectsStimming and repetitive movements. Stimming and repetitive movements in children.
Not habits to be trained out — this can be regulation
- Hand flapping, rocking, or repeating a word or phrase quietly
- Pacing while thinking or talking
- Stimming that plainly works — a reliable way of settling when the day has been too loud
- Toe walking, spinning and bouncing
- Finger flicking near the eyes, watching things from an angle
- Hair twirling and twisting, foot jiggling, pen clicking — stims that were never noticed
- Rubbing a thumb across fingertips, pressing nails into a palm
More examples
- Drawn to one part of a thing — the hinge, the label, the way light passes through it
- Spinning the wheels rather than pushing the car
- Lining up, sorting by colour, arranging rather than playing with
- Echoing lines from shows or from a parent, sometimes much later, often carrying real meaning
- Chewing a pen lid, a sleeve or a cheek; jaw clenching; teeth grinding
- Stimming saved for home, or for the car, or for when nobody is watching
Interests, play and samenessAutistic interests, routines and difficulty with change.
In both directions — and the quieter one gets missed
- Interests pursued far past where others move on, with encyclopaedic depth
- Or interests that are less obvious as “special interests” — socially common topics, private interests, or interests that shift over time but are pursued with unusual intensity while they last, including interests taken on from a friend
- Change that was planned is fine; change that arrives unannounced is much harder
- Real distress at small changes — a different cup, a different route, the wrong bowl
- Using a toy for what it does rather than what it represents — working the mechanism, testing how it opens
- Same route, same meal, same seat — each one a decision already made
- For some people, reduced structure can itself feel difficult — for example, finding it unexpectedly hard to decide what to do with an unplanned weekend
More examples
- An interest that is genuinely regulating — what makes a hard day survivable
- Interests kept private because of teasing, or masked as something more acceptable
- Transitions being harder than the activities on either side of them
- Knowledge that runs deep enough that other people come to you for it
- Using it for something else entirely — a car to line up, a doll for its hair
- Pretend play re-enacted rather than invented — the same scene, the same words, the same order
- Needing to know the plan, and asking about it again and again
- Quiet dread when a plan changes late, and guilt about minding that much
Sensory differences — outside and inside the bodySensory differences in autistic adults. Sensory differences in autistic children.
Sensory differences can involve the external environment as well as awareness of internal body signals such as hunger, thirst, pain or the need to use the toilet
- Food temperature and texture mattering more than flavour — and foods that must not touch
- Hand dryers, vacuums, fire alarms
- Tags, seams, socks and waistbands
- Hair brushing, haircuts and teeth cleaning
- Balloons, party poppers, school bells
- Choosing where to sit in a restaurant by the lighting and the noise
- Getting home and needing the lights off and the noise gone before anything else
More examples
- Losing speech in background noise, with hearing tests that come back clear
- Not noticing hunger, thirst or needing the toilet until it is urgent
- The same meal daily for months, then never again
- Brand-specific, because a different packet genuinely tastes wrong
- Hearing the fridge hum, the lights buzz, a conversation three tables away
- Supermarket lighting, fluorescent tubes, sun flickering through trees
- Hugs that are fine when expected and unbearable when not — often the surprise, not the touch
- Not being able to tell nervous from excited from hungry, or to name which feeling has arrived
- Seeking deep pressure — weighted blankets, tight clothing, firm hugs
- Pain and temperature registering far less, or far more, than expected
- Noticing detail others miss — a change in a room, a wrong note, a flavour nobody else can place
When there is more coming in than can be managedAutistic overwhelm, shutdowns and meltdowns.
Some ways overwhelm can show up
- Shutdowns — going quiet, still, flat, unreachable. Easier to miss than a meltdown
- A delay between the overwhelming thing and the reaction, so the cause is never obvious
- Finding speech much harder, or temporarily being unable to speak, during intense overload
- Holding it together all day and falling apart at home. School sees a model student; the parent is not believed
- Coping all through a birthday party and melting down in the car
- Going quiet at the end of a working week and having nothing left for anyone
- Cancelling at the last minute; needing dark and silence; a day to recover from an evening
When distress becomes very intense
When distress becomes very intense, some people may also hurt themselves, intentionally or unintentionally, for example through head hitting, biting, scratching, pinching, pulling hair or other body-focused behaviours. These behaviours can have many causes and should always be understood in context.
- Head banging, face or head slapping, biting or hitting oneself
- Hard scratching, pinching, hair pulling
- Skin picking, nail biting, cheek chewing
If someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent help, call Triple Zero on 000. For 24-hour crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. The Psychology Hub is not an emergency or crisis service. Our crisis support page lists the full set of services.
Masking, and why autism gets missedAutism masking and camouflaging. Masking in autistic children.
The pattern is real. The gendering of it is not a rule
- Copying the mannerisms, phrases and interests of whoever seems to be doing it right
- Studying people the way you would study a subject — from books, television, watching
- Forcing eye contact, holding still, rehearsing expressions
- Being the quiet, “no trouble at all” child — with nobody asking what it costs
- Only being themselves once they are home
- Being treated for anxiety, depression or other difficulties for years before autism is considered
- Scripts for shops, phone calls, meeting someone new
More examples
- Perfectionism and people-pleasing as survival strategies
- Copying a classmate closely enough that nobody notices anything different
- Recognising yourself in your own child’s assessment report
- Burnout in the twenties, thirties or later, which for some people is when autism is first considered
Can autism look different in girls, women and gender-diverse people?Autism in women and girls. Autism in gender-diverse and non-binary people. Autism in girls.
Autism does not have one male presentation and one female presentation. Every autistic person is different. However, research suggests autism can be missed more often in girls and women, particularly when a person has strong language skills, copies or studies other people socially, has interests that appear typical for their age or gender, or holds distress together in public and becomes overwhelmed later.
Some girls and women may develop sophisticated ways of camouflaging social differences — rehearsing conversations, copying expressions or mannerisms, forcing eye contact, following other people’s lead, or carefully learning social rules that others seem to pick up intuitively.
Restricted or highly focused interests may also be overlooked when the topic itself appears ordinary or socially expected. What may be distinctive is the intensity, depth, repetition or role the interest plays in the person’s life rather than the subject matter itself.
None of these patterns belongs only to girls or women. Boys and men can mask extensively, and many autistic girls and women have more obvious or traditionally recognised autistic characteristics. Non-binary and gender-diverse autistic people may also camouflage or present in ways that are missed. Assessment therefore needs to consider the individual rather than relying on gender stereotypes.
Sometimes something else is noticed first
Autistic girls and women whose autism has not yet been recognised may first come to clinical attention because of anxiety, depression, eating difficulties or eating disorders, emotional dysregulation, self-harm, attention or executive functioning difficulties, or other mental health concerns.
These difficulties can genuinely co-occur with autism and deserve assessment and support in their own right. Sometimes, however, the more visible difficulty becomes the focus while the broader developmental pattern associated with autism remains unrecognised.
There can also be overlap between features associated with autism and other diagnoses. For example, research has highlighted diagnostic overlap between autism and borderline personality disorder, particularly in girls and women. Similar outward behaviours can sometimes arise for different reasons, so developmental history, sensory experiences, social communication, relationships, patterns of interests and behaviour, and the function of behaviours all need to be considered carefully.
Eating disorders, particularly restrictive eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, are also important to consider. Autism and eating disorders can co-occur, and for some people an eating disorder is recognised before autism is considered. Eating difficulties may also be influenced by sensory sensitivities, interoception, rigidity, predictability, anxiety or other factors.
In children and adolescents, selective mutism may also co-occur with autism. Selective mutism is not simply another name for autism, and one should not automatically be assumed to explain the other. Where both are possible, assessment needs to consider the wider developmental and social-communication picture.
ADHD, anxiety and other neurodevelopmental or mental health conditions can also co-occur with autism. Identifying autism later does not necessarily mean an earlier diagnosis was wrong. A comprehensive assessment considers both differential diagnosis and co-occurring conditions rather than assuming it must be one or the other.
An autism assessment looks at the whole picture
Autism rarely arrives on its own, and several other things can look like autism from the outside. A good assessment has to be able to tell the difference, and to recognise when more than one explanation is true at the same time.
Depending on age and circumstances, the clinician may also consider:
- attention, activity level and impulse control, including ADHD, which commonly co-occurs with autism
- anxiety, low mood, trauma and their effect on social behaviour
- speech, language and communication development
- learning, literacy and numeracy difficulties
- cognitive or intellectual functioning, and intellectual disability
- adaptive functioning, which is how a person manages the practical demands of daily life
- sensory processing differences and their impact at home, school or work
- developmental history, medical history and family history
This is why the initial appointment matters. It is where the clinician works out what actually needs assessing, rather than assuming the answer in advance.
When an autism assessment may be helpfulAdult autism assessment. Late autism diagnosis in adults. Autism assessment for children.
People come to an autism assessment for very different reasons, and at very different points. What follows are reasons people give, and uses an assessment may have — not a list of things it will deliver.
For children and teenagers
Depending on the findings and the child’s circumstances, an assessment may help with understanding a pattern of strengths and difficulties, informing support at home or school, and providing individual recommendations. It does not guarantee a diagnosis, an adjustment, a funding decision or any other outcome.
Understanding the pattern
- A structured review of the child’s developmental history, current presentation and day-to-day needs.
- A description of strengths and difficulties together, where a written report is included.
- Where the picture is still emerging, the clinician may recommend a period of review rather than reaching a conclusion early.
- Where autism does not appear to best explain the person’s presentation, the clinician may consider other possible explanations, including co-occurring conditions, and recommend further assessment or referral where appropriate.
School and learning
- Information a school may consider when planning classroom adjustments or a learning plan. Each school applies its own criteria.
- Where a written report is included, recommendations can be written for the people who support the child day to day.
- Documentation that can be put to a school or examining authority where adjustments or arrangements are being sought.
Family and home
- An explanation that may change how behaviour at home is understood — what is overload, and what is not.
- Practical starting points for sensory load, routines and transitions.
- Something you may choose to share with a co-parent, a grandparent or a school, so the explaining does not fall on one person every time.
Practical and onward
- Where something else would help, the report may recommend other professionals, and the clinician can discuss referral options.
- Potential access to funding or support programs, if that is relevant to your situation. Each scheme sets its own rules.
- Where a written report is included, a record the family can draw on as the child changes schools or moves between services.
For adults
Adults seek autism assessment for different reasons. Depending on the findings and the person’s circumstances, an assessment may help with self-understanding, support planning or documentation. It does not guarantee a diagnosis, an adjustment, a funding decision or any other outcome.
Making sense of your own history
- A structured opportunity to explore whether autism, or another explanation, fits what you have been noticing.
- A different frame for your own history. Things filed away as laziness, rudeness, being difficult or not trying hard enough may have another explanation.
- A shift in the question — from what is wrong with me, to what do I actually need.
- Context for exhaustion or burnout. For some autistic people, years of masking, navigating sensory demands or continually adapting to environments that do not fit their needs can take considerable effort.
- Starting this after a child in the family has been assessed is a legitimate reason to begin.
- There is no upper age limit. Identification later in life may still inform what happens next.
Getting the right kind of help
- Findings that a clinician can use to shape therapy around how you actually work. The Psychology Hub’s clinicians work in a neurodiversity-affirming way. Support is focused on wellbeing, understanding, autonomy and the person’s own goals — not on making an autistic person appear less autistic.
- It may help make sense of why previous support only partly fitted or why some difficulties have persisted. Anxiety, depression, eating disorders, ADHD and personality disorders can co-occur with autism, and there can also be overlap in how some features appear from the outside. For some people, another difficulty is identified first and autism is considered later. Understanding the broader picture can help support be better tailored to the person.
- Co-occurring difficulties may be considered, or further assessment may be recommended.
- If the answer is not autism, the assessment does not stop there. The clinician may consider other explanations and recommend additional assessment or referral where appropriate.
Work and study
- Documentation that may support a request to a school, university or other education provider for reasonable adjustments, such as access arrangements or exam adjustments. Each provider determines what evidence it requires and what adjustments are appropriate.
- Better decisions about environments. Knowing which settings drain you may be more useful than pushing harder through the ones that do.
- A way to make sense of a work history that has not run in a straight line — first for yourself, and then for other people if you choose to share it.
Relationships and family
- Something you may choose to share with a partner or family member. It may provide another way of understanding differences in communication, connection and support needs, and help shift the conversation towards what actually helps.
- Language for describing your own experience, which some people then use to find others who describe it the same way.
Practical and onward
- Where a written report is included, documentation you can give to another organisation.
- Potential access to funding or support programs, if that is relevant to your situation. The clinician will talk this through with you.
- Where something else would help, the clinician may recommend other professionals — occupational therapy for sensory needs, speech pathology, dietetics, physiotherapy, or GP and psychiatric input — and can discuss referral options.
One honest note. We cannot guarantee that a report will be accepted by any school, employer, funder or government body — each sets its own evidence requirements. Tell us at the outset who the report is for and what they have asked for, and we will confirm what is needed before you go ahead.
What an autism assessment may involve
Every assessment is individualised, and the clinician recommends a pathway and a tailored quote at the initial appointment. The steps below describe the process that is commonly followed.
90-minute initial appointment
This is the first part of the assessment. The clinician gathers detailed developmental, clinical and background information, explores the concerns and questions that have brought the person to assessment, considers current functioning and begins determining what further assessment is required.
Questionnaires and information gathering
Relevant questionnaires are completed by the person being assessed and, where appropriate, by parents, carers, partners, teachers or other people who know them well. Previous reports and other relevant information may also be reviewed.
Assessment measures and further appointments
The clinician selects the assessment measures needed based on the person’s age, presentation and the questions the assessment needs to answer. This may include autism-specific assessment tools, clinical interviews, observational measures and, where relevant, assessment of cognitive, adaptive, attention, learning or other areas.
Clinical interpretation and report preparation
Once the assessment information has been gathered, the clinician brings together the developmental history, clinical interviews, questionnaires, assessment measures, observations and any collateral information to interpret the findings and prepare the report where a written report is included.
Feedback appointment
The clinician meets with the client and/or parent/carer to explain the findings, answer questions, discuss the outcome of the assessment and talk through recommendations and next steps.
Draft report
Where a written report is included, a draft report is provided for the client/parent to review for factual accuracy. This is an opportunity to identify factual errors or information that may need clarification. It is not an opportunity to change the clinician’s professional conclusions.
Final report
Once factual corrections or clarifications have been considered, the clinician finalises the report and provides the completed version.
Autism-specific tools the clinician may draw on include the ADOS-2, the MIGDAS-2 and the ADI-R, alongside questionnaires and standardised measures selected for the person’s age and circumstances. With consent, information from school, early childhood services, a GP, paediatrician, speech pathologist, occupational therapist or previous reports helps build an accurate picture across settings.
Assessment principles and community-informed framing on this page are informed by the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia, updated in 2023. Its recommendations are approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Online and in-clinic autism assessments
Assessments are offered online and in clinic at North Lakes. Which parts can be delivered online depends on the measures the clinician selects, the age of the person being assessed, and clinician availability, so we confirm this with you rather than promising it in advance.
What can usually be done online
Initial appointments, developmental history and clinical interviews, questionnaires, collateral discussions and feedback sessions can generally be conducted by video from anywhere in Australia. For many adults and older teenagers, most of the process can be completed this way.
What needs to be done in person
Some components are not suitable for video. Direct observational assessment using the ADOS-2 is conducted in person, and cognitive testing for children under six is also done in clinic. Where an in-person session is needed, the clinician will tell you at the initial appointment.
You do not need to work out which measures are right before you book. Clients can select an assessment type when booking, but the measures used are a clinical decision. If the initial appointment indicates that a different approach, a different tool or a different pathway would answer the question better, the clinician will recommend that instead.
Timing and written reports
Initial appointments are typically available within one to two weeks for both online and North Lakes appointments, subject to clinician availability and suitability. This is the wait for the initial appointment, not the time required to complete the full assessment process.
Where a written report is included in the agreed scope, it is usually completed within four to six weeks after the assessment sessions are finished. Complex assessments, missing documents or delays in receiving collateral information may extend this timeframe. The clinician will confirm the expected documentation and timing in the recommended pathway and tailored quote.
Before booking, tell the clinic why the report is needed and whether another organisation has set particular requirements. This matters for autism in particular, because schools, the NDIS and other funders sometimes ask for specific evidence or for input from more than one profession. The Psychology Hub cannot guarantee that a report will be accepted by a school, employer, funder, court, government agency or another health professional, or that it will produce a particular diagnosis, medication, funding or support outcome.
What to prepare
If available, it can be helpful to gather previous psychological, medical or allied-health reports; speech pathology or occupational therapy assessments; school or early childhood service reports; a current medication and health summary; details of relevant developmental and family history; contact information for a parent, partner, teacher or other person who may provide collateral information, where appropriate; and any written requirements from the person or organisation requesting the report.
Baby books, developmental records and early videos can be genuinely useful for an autism assessment, particularly for adults, because they help build a picture of early development that memory alone may not cover. Do not delay making an enquiry if you do not have these documents. The clinician will explain what is relevant for your circumstances.
Fees, referrals and funding
Can I self-refer?
Yes. A referral is not generally required to book a privately funded autism assessment. A referral may be required if another organisation requesting the report requires one.
How are assessments funded?
Medicare does not generally cover the full cost of a privately arranged autism assessment. For eligible people under 25, some allied-health assessment appointments may attract Medicare rebates through the Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Eligible Disabilities pathway. Specific referral and eligibility requirements apply, including involvement of an eligible paediatrician or psychiatrist for allied-health diagnostic assessment services. These rebates do not necessarily cover every component or the full cost of an assessment. Ask us to check your referral and intended pathway before relying on a Medicare rebate.
Can private health insurance help?
Some policies may contribute to psychology assessment services. Benefits and exclusions vary, so check directly with your insurer using the clinician and service details provided by the clinic.
Depending on the person’s needs and eligibility, some people may also explore Medicare, disability, health or carer support pathways such as:
- Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Eligible Disabilities Medicare pathway
- Mental Health Treatment Plan, where clinically appropriate
- GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, where eligible
- NDIS
- Centrelink supports such as Carer Allowance or Carer Payment
Eligibility requirements apply to each, and each scheme sets its own rules and makes its own decisions. The Psychology Hub does not determine those outcomes.
Support after an autism assessment
An assessment is a beginning, not an end. What people usually want next is help translating the findings into ordinary life: what to ask the school for, how to reduce sensory load at home, how to explain it to family, what reasonable adjustments to request at work, and how to manage the anxiety, low mood or burnout that often sits alongside it.
The Psychology Hub provides therapy for autistic children, teenagers and adults, and support for parents and carers. The Psychology Hub’s clinicians work in a neurodiversity-affirming way. Support is focused on wellbeing, understanding, autonomy and the person’s own goals — not on making an autistic person appear less autistic.
Psychology support, here with us
Available separately from the assessment, and booked separately. Support with anxiety, emotional regulation, self-understanding and identity, the demands of school or work, relationships, and — where autism is identified — making sense of or adjusting to an autism diagnosis received later in life. For families, practical strategies and support for parents and carers in their own right.
Art therapy, here with us
For people who find it easier or more comfortable to explore experiences through making, images and creative expression than through conversation alone. Autistic children, teenagers and adults may be among those who prefer this way of working. No artistic experience is needed or expected.
Referrals to other professionals
Where something else would help, the report may recommend other professionals, and the clinician can discuss available referral options. That might be speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, dietetics, paediatrics, psychiatry or your GP — and plenty besides, depending on the picture.
Support at school, university or work
Where relevant, the report can be shared to help inform requests for classroom adjustments, learning plans, exam arrangements, educational supports or workplace adjustments. Each school, university, workplace or organisation applies its own criteria and determines what adjustments or support it provides.
Frequently asked questions
Can a psychologist diagnose autism?
Yes. Psychologists with appropriate training and experience can assess and diagnose autism.
The Psychology Hub has psychologists who provide autism assessments for children, teenagers and adults. You do not need to see a paediatrician or psychiatrist simply to begin an autism assessment with us.
Some funding bodies and organisations set their own evidence requirements, and a few ask for input from more than one profession. Tell us at the outset who the assessment is for and what they have asked for, and we will confirm what is needed before you proceed.
From what age can autism be assessed?
Autism assessments are available from 12 months of age.
Assessments for very young children are shorter, more play-based and rely heavily on observation and parent report. Where a child is very young, or the picture is still emerging, the clinician may recommend a period of review rather than reaching a conclusion prematurely.
Is there an upper age limit?
No. We assess adults of any age.
A significant number of the adults we see were never identified as children, and many were given other explanations along the way. An assessment in adulthood is still worth having: it reframes a person’s history and changes what support makes sense.
Can an autism assessment be done online?
Partly, and often substantially, but not always entirely.
Initial appointments, developmental history and clinical interviews, questionnaires, collateral discussions and feedback sessions can generally be conducted by video anywhere in Australia. Direct observational assessment using the ADOS-2 is conducted in person, and cognitive testing for children under six is done in clinic.
Which parts of your assessment can be delivered online depends on the measures the clinician selects, the age of the person being assessed and clinician availability. This is confirmed at the initial appointment.
Do I need a referral?
No. A referral is not generally required to book a privately funded autism assessment.
A referral may be required if another organisation requesting the report requires one, or if you are seeking a Medicare rebate under the Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions or Eligible Disabilities pathways. These pathways have different eligibility, prerequisite-service and referral requirements, and a GP referral alone does not open the complex-neurodevelopmental pathway. Ask us to check your referral and proposed pathway before relying on a rebate.
Which assessment tools do you use?
That is a clinical decision made after the initial appointment.
Depending on age, language, presentation and the purpose of the assessment, the clinician may use tools designed specifically for autism assessment, such as the ADOS-2, the MIGDAS-2 or the ADI-R, alongside developmental history, clinical interview, questionnaires and, where relevant, cognitive or adaptive functioning measures.
Clients can select an assessment type when booking, but the measures used are determined by the clinician. If a different approach would answer the question better, the clinician will recommend it.
Autism presents differently in girls and women. Do you account for that?
Yes, deliberately.
Autistic girls and women are identified later than boys and men, and many are not identified at all, largely because the way autism is commonly described was built around how it tends to present in boys. Masking, a quieter and more internalised presentation, and social differences that are easy to miss all contribute.
Where the person being assessed is a girl or a woman, the clinician looks specifically for these presentations, and selects measures and interview approaches with that in mind.
Can you assess autism and ADHD at the same time?
Often, yes. Autism and ADHD commonly co-occur, and it is reasonable to look at both.
Whether a combined assessment is appropriate, and what it would involve, is worked out at the initial appointment. The clinician will recommend a pathway and provide a tailored quote before anything proceeds.
What happens if the outcome is not autism?
That is a useful outcome, not a wasted one.
A thorough assessment considers other explanations, including ADHD, anxiety, trauma, language and learning difficulties, cognitive functioning and sensory differences. If autism does not appear to best explain the person’s presentation, the clinician will discuss the findings, consider other possible explanations or co-occurring conditions, and may recommend further assessment or referral where appropriate.
Will the report be accepted by the NDIS, a school or another organisation?
We cannot guarantee it.
Schools, the NDIS, employers, funders, courts and government agencies set their own evidence requirements, and those requirements change. The Psychology Hub cannot guarantee that a report will be accepted by another organisation, or that it will produce a particular diagnosis, funding or support outcome.
Tell us before booking why the report is needed and give us any written requirements you have been sent. That is the best way to make sure the assessment is scoped to answer the right question.
How long does the whole process take?
Initial appointments are typically available within one to two weeks, subject to clinician availability and suitability.
The assessment itself is usually completed across several appointments, and where a written report is included it is usually finished within four to six weeks after the assessment sessions end. Complex assessments, missing documents or delays in receiving collateral information may extend this.
What does an autism assessment cost?
Fees depend on the assessment pathway recommended for you, which is why the 90-minute initial appointment comes first.
After that appointment the clinician provides a tailored quote covering the sessions and documentation proposed, so you know the cost before you commit to the full assessment. Current appointment fees are listed on our fees and rebates page.
Not sure where to start?
A free 10–15 minute discovery call can help you understand our assessment options and whether booking an initial appointment may be a useful next step, subject to availability. The call is not an assessment or clinical advice.
Or, if you are ready to explore things properly with a clinician, book the 90-minute initial assessment appointment.
You can self-refer for a privately funded assessment. If you hope to use a Medicare, funding or insurance pathway, ask us to check its referral requirements before you proceed.
New to the clinic? See what happens at your first assessment appointment.
