Adult Autism Service (City & Hackney)

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people.  It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition, which means that it will affect people in different ways and is therefore referred to as an Autistic Spectrum.

The three main areas of difficulty people with Autism can experience includes:

• Difficulty with social communication and understanding what people think and feel.
• Difficulty with social interaction.
• Difficulty with rigidity and repetitive behaviours. Difficulty coping with change and unpredictability.

We will ask you to complete some questionnaires prior to your first appointment. The first assessment appointment usually takes 90 minutes with a Psychiatrist, who will take a detailed clinical history as well as asking questions specific to Autism. 

The clinician will then discuss their findings with the multidisciplinary team, taking into account the questionnaire scores also and a decision will be made.  You will then be offered an outcome appointment, and be advised whether you meet the diagnostic criteria or not.

If there is insufficient information, we may request to speak to someone who knows you well for collateral information or, alternatively, we may request you have a further ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule) assessment with another clinician.

Typically, the assessment will happen over 2 -3 separate appointments, although there may be more if required.  

There is limited post-diagnostic provision for those who have a diagnosis. However, we will signpost you to local services that can help and organisations that specialise in supporting people with autism. And if you do not have an autism diagnosis, we will talk with you about strategies that might help and next steps.

Being assessed is helpful in clarifying why you respond and communicate in the way that you do. An assessment can confirm whether you do in fact have Autism or not. Either way, this knowledge can aid you to access services and support that can help and support you. 

If you are diagnosed with Autism, it can enable you to:

• Gain an understanding of yourself, learn about your condition and how to cope.
• Access services that suit your needs.
• Access certain benefits: such as DLA or PIPs; for students, you could claim Disabled Students Allowance.
• Get help at work: employers have a responsibility to make “reasonable adjustments” to your work environment.

You could be eligible for a community care assessment under The Care Act 2014 in order to access care and support.

(From The National Autistic Society, www.autism.org.uk)

It is important that the individual is aware of the referral and consents to being referred to the service. We cannot accept referrals from individuals with an existing diagnosis of Learning Disability (Instead, these patients can be referred to the Learning Disability Service) Nor if there is an existing Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Autism Diagnosis.

We accept self referrals and referrals from professionals. All referrals must go via the Trust's Single Point of Entry (SPA).

Send all referrals via elft.ch.spa@nhs.net