Combined assessment
The main combined ADHD and autism pathway for adults, children and young people.
Combined assessmentPrivate assessment across the UK
Combined ADHD & Autism Assessment for Women & Girls UK
An integrated private assessment for women and girls where ADHD and autism are both credible parts of the question, with careful attention to overlap, masking, compensation and alternative explanations.
Gender-aware, not stereotype-led
When ADHD and autism both deserve careful consideration
Some people reach assessment with a complicated mixture of attention difficulties, sensory needs, social exhaustion, intense interests, restlessness, routines, emotional overwhelm and years of compensating. The informal term AuDHD is often used when ADHD and autism co-occur, but it is not a separate diagnosis.
A combined assessment should not simply add two screening scores together. It should examine each diagnostic question independently, identify areas of overlap and test whether another explanation better accounts for some experiences.
Patterns worth exploring
- Executive-function difficulties alongside a strong need for predictability
- Internal restlessness with sensory or social overload
- Intense focus that can coexist with difficulty starting or switching tasks
- Masking or compensation that makes difficulties less visible
- Periods of exhaustion after sustained social or organisational effort
- A developmental history that does not fit neatly into one diagnostic question
Assessment still needs the full picture
- Developmental history and onset
- Current functioning across relevant settings
- Strengths, coping strategies and compensatory effort
- Co-occurring conditions and alternative explanations
- Functional impairment, not traits alone
Masking and compensation
Why difficulties may have been missed earlier
Compensation can take different forms across ADHD and autism: intensive planning, perfectionism, social rehearsal, copying peers, suppressing movement or relying on urgency to complete tasks. These strategies can conceal impairment while creating significant effort and exhaustion.
Good assessment does not assume that a person must have been disruptive, visibly hyperactive or socially isolated. Equally, masking should not be assumed simply because someone is female. The task is to test the developmental evidence carefully.
Important
A screening score is not a diagnosis
Questionnaires can support assessment, but diagnosis should be based on a comprehensive clinical and developmental assessment, evidence of impact and consideration of other explanations.
What the pathway considers
Assessment built around evidence rather than stereotypes
1
Clarify the question
Why assessment is being sought now, what has changed and what the person hopes to understand.
2
Map development
Explore childhood and adolescent patterns, school or work history, relationships, coping strategies and available informant or documentary evidence.
3
Consider overlap
The assessment separates what may be best explained by ADHD, autism, both, or neither. Anxiety, trauma, mood, sleep, learning needs and physical health are considered where relevant.
4
Feedback and report
Explain the evidence, uncertainty, strengths, needs and practical recommendations. A particular diagnosis is never promised in advance.
Related assessment pathways
Choose the question that fits best
ADHD in women and girls
A focused guide to ADHD assessment where internalised or compensated difficulties may matter.
ADHD assessment for women & girlsAutism in women and girls
A focused guide to autism assessment, including camouflaging and sensory/social demands.
Autism assessment for women & girls
Frequently asked questions
Questions about assessment for women and girls
What does AuDHD mean?
AuDHD is an informal term commonly used for co-occurring autism and ADHD. It is not a separate diagnostic category.
Can one assessment conclude ADHD but not autism, or vice versa?
Yes. Each diagnostic question should be considered on its own evidence. Asking about both does not mean both diagnoses will be supported.
Is masking proof of autism or ADHD?
No. Masking and compensation can be clinically relevant but are not diagnostic on their own. Assessment considers the complete developmental and functional picture.
Is a combined assessment appropriate for teenagers?
It can be when both ADHD and autism are credible referral questions and the pathway is suitable. For young people, parent or carer and school information may be useful where appropriate.
Primary guidance
Evidence and guidance
Assessment is informed by current diagnostic guidance and the individual clinical question. Public guidance is reviewed alongside the person’s history and circumstances.
Report use
Clarify the intended recipient before booking
A private report can be shared with a GP, education provider, employer or other professional where appropriate, but third-party acceptance, prescribing and statutory decisions remain with the receiving organisation.
Start with a free 15 minute consultation
Clarify the assessment question, suitability, evidence, fee and likely next steps before committing.