If you’ve spent years wondering whether you might be autistic, you may have found yourself: Do I actually need an autism assessment? Perhaps you recognise yourself in what you read about autism. Perhaps someone has suggested that you might be autistic. Or maybe you’ve reached a point in your life where things that you’ve always managed somehow no longer feel manageable.

At the moment, there is a lot of noise in the media and online spaces about autism and ADHD. You may have seen headlines questioning whether autism is being “overdiagnosed”, or debates about whether ADHD even “exists”. You may have come across increasingly polarised conversations about people identifying as neurodivergent later in life, particularly women, and whether this is “valid” or “trendy” or “accurate”.

There is a growing awareness of the experiences of autistic women, but pregnancy and early motherhood remain areas that are still neglected. While every pregnancy is unique, being autistic can add extra layers of sensory, emotional, cognitive, and social intensity that are rarely acknowledged openly. I have written this blog based on reflections on my own two pregnancies and thinking as a Clinical Psychologist working specifically with autistic girls and women.

If you’re looking for an ADHD assessment for yourself, your daughter, or someone you care about, you want to know you’re in safe hands. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidance that sets the standard for high-quality ADHD assessments across the UK. At our service, these guidelines shape what we do—but we also believe that a truly good assessment goes beyond meeting clinical standards. We know that many of the ADHD girls and women we meet have spent years feeling misunderstood, masking their difficulties or being told that they’re, “lazy”, “away with the fairies”, “too emotional”, or “just anxious”. That’s why we’ve developed an assessment process that combines clinical expertise with genuine curiosity about each person’s lived experience. Below, we’ve explained how our ADHD assessments align with the NICE guidelines—and how we bring those recommendations to life.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publishes guidance to help ensure autism assessments are thorough, evidence-based and person-centred. At our service, these guidelines form the foundation of every assessment we provide. But we also know that an excellent assessment is about much more than meeting a set of standards.

Recently, I delivered an in-person presentation at an autism and ADHD event, and afterwards I found myself reflecting on something important: understanding my neurotypes having a positive impact on the entire experience. Not just the presentation itself, but the preparation, the environment, the way I managed my energy, and the way I connected with both myself and the audience. For most of my life, I approached presentations by trying to force myself into ways of working that simply did not fit me. I thought success meant pushing through discomfort, masking anxiety, and trying to appear polished in ways that often exhausted me.

Communication is often talked about as though there’s one “right” way to do it. Speak clearly. Be concise. Make eye contact. Reply quickly. But for many autistic and ADHD people, communication is much more nuanced than that. One of the most helpful things we can do is develop awareness of how we communicate best — and what feels good, comfortable, and sustainable for us. That sounds simple, but communication preferences can actually vary a lot depending on the situation, the person we’re with, our energy levels, sensory demands, stress levels, or even the time of day.

Seeking an autism assessment can be a deeply personal and often vulnerable step. For many, it represents a search for clarity, validation, and self-understanding. Yet not all assessment experiences are the same—and the differences can significantly affect not only the outcome, but how you feel about yourself afterward. This post aims to help you recognise the different types of autism assessments, so you can make an informed and compassionate choice.

Discover how the window of tolerance impacts autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) people. Learn why it’s often narrow, how burnout affects it, and how awareness can help widen the window. The “window of tolerance” is a term used to describe the optimal zone where we feel regulated, engaged, and able to think clearly. It’s the state where our brains are “online,” where we can be present, focused, and in our flow without tipping into overwhelm. For autistic and ADHD people—sometimes known together as AuDHD—this window of tolerance is often much narrower than for neurotypical people. And when the window is narrow, staying in it becomes a constant balancing act.

There are many helpful guides about what to say and what to do when advocating for yourself or someone else. Advice about scripts, communication strategies, and boundaries can be incredibly valuable. However, before we even think about the words we use or the actions we take, I believe there is an important step that often gets overlooked

For many women, seeking an autism or AuDHD assessment is the culmination of years — sometimes decades — of questions about themselves. Many describe a lifelong feeling of being different, struggling in ways that others didn’t seem to, or constantly wondering why everyday life felt harder than it appeared for others. But even if you’re considering an assessment you may be wondering “How does an autism assessment actually help me?”

The main question I get by women is whether they’ll be assessed by a speech and language therapist, a clinical psychologist or another professional in our team. Whilst that is a valid aspect of who is the best person to assess you, that’s just scratching the surface. There is SO much more to consider, and I (as Clinical Lead of the team) take full consideration of the many factors to ensure the best possible ‘pairing’ between clients and clinicians. Just call me Cilla of Autistic Women!!

When people talk about autism, they often focus on traits and diagnostic criteria. But something that comes up again and again in our work with autistic women is camouflaging. Camouflaging isn’t a fundamental part of autism. Instead, it’s a survival strategy—a result of entrenched discrimination and feeling unsafe being your autistic self. Over time, many autistic people learn how to “fit in,” or at least, try to. But camouflaging takes an enormous amount of energy. And it’s one of the main reasons autistic people today are so vulnerable to autistic burnout.

Could midlife actually be one of the most powerful times for women to discover they are autistic? At first glance, it may not feel that way. After all, not knowing you are autistic for 40+ years is incredibly hard. I won’t sugarcoat that. It often leads to trauma, deep distress, and struggles that might have been avoided had the diagnosis or self-understanding come earlier in life. But this is the reality for so many women. And I can’t help but wonder if there’s a way to see this as both rubbish AND potentially great. hat don’t understand them—there are many problems with not being understood as autistic first.

Nearly every single woman who comes to us for an autism assessment has already received a medical diagnosis for a mental health condition. Most often it’s anxiety, depression, complex PTSD (C-PTSD), social anxiety, eating disorder, BPD (borderline personality disorder), EUPD (emotionally unstable personality disorder), or bipolar disorder. And whilst some of these diagnoses may describe parts of their experience—often because they’ve been impacted by environments that don’t understand them—there are many problems with not being understood as autistic first.

Many of the women who come to us for an autism assessment are seeking reassurance. They’ve been told they’re “being awkward”—and they want to know whether they are actually autistic. It’s a painful history to carry. Somewhere along the way, they’ve been told that their needs, preferences, or behaviours aren’t valid. They’ve been told they’re awkward for needing things a certain way, for struggling in situations that others take for granted,

Recently, a woman contacted us about an autism assessment—and then decided not to book one (yet). You might think that would disappoint me, but actually, it made me really happy. Well, maybe happy isn’t exactly the word, but it pleased me deeply. Let me explain why. At Autistic Girls, we believe that deciding to seek an autism or ADHD assessment is not just about recognising traits. It’s also about recognising whether now is the right time for such a big step.

Many people wonder: Am I autistic and ADHD? It’s actually very common to experience both. Autism and ADHD often overlap, and this unique combination is sometimes referred to as AuDHD. Research suggests there may be shared genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, but a lot more study is needed to fully understand the connection.

Many people wonder: Am I autistic and ADHD? It’s actually very common to experience both. Autism and ADHD often overlap, and this unique combination is sometimes referred to as AuDHD. Research suggests there may be shared genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, but a lot more study is needed to fully understand the connection.

When people think about an autism assessment, they often imagine sitting through a long list of standardised tests and questionnaires. At Autistic Girls, we take a very different approach. Why? Because we don’t believe autism is something you have, like an illness or condition. We believe it’s something you are.