Guides
Practical, honest answers to the questions families and adults ask before booking an assessment: what it costs, which route to take, and what actually happens.
Written by Dr Charlie Bamford, Clinical DirectorHCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist · reviewed July 2026
Right to Choose vs private: an honest comparison
NHS-funded assessment through Right to Choose, or going private? Waiting times, availability and control, compared honestly.
Autism in girls: masking, school and the stereotypes
Why autism in girls often looks different: social interest, the helper role, intense interests, perfectionism and the effort behind the scenes.
Why are girls diagnosed with autism less often than boys?
The research behind the diagnosis gap: how our understanding of autism widened over fifty years, and why so many girls were missed.
Understanding autistic girls: what people often miss
The hidden effort, changed plans and self-doubt beneath the surface, and why so much of what matters happens out of view.
Supporting autistic girls: what actually helps
Practical support that reduces hidden effort: information before situations, protected recovery time and interests used as bridges.
Will schools and the NHS accept a private diagnosis?
How private reports are actually used by schools, EHCP panels and NHS services, and what makes a report genuinely useful.
What happens in a child autism assessment?
The whole process, explained for parents: questionnaires at home, school information, two extended sessions, the team decision and the feedback session.