How to prepare for an autism assessment in the UK
A practical way to organize examples before speaking with your GP or preparing for an autism assessment, including childhood patterns, current struggles, masking, sensory traits, routines, and overlap with ADHD or anxiety.
Bring examples, not just scores
Screening scores can be useful, but clinicians usually need concrete examples across your life. Try to write down what happens, how long it has been happening, how it affects daily life, and whether it was present in childhood.
- Social communication and feeling different from peers
- Sensory sensitivities, shutdowns, meltdowns, or burnout
- Routines, transitions, predictability, and distress at change
- Masking, scripting, or effort spent appearing fine
Separate lifelong traits from recent symptoms
Autism, ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and trauma can overlap. Before an appointment, it can help to note which patterns were present before trauma or major stress, and which started later.
- Childhood examples from school, family, friendships, or routines
- Adult examples from work, study, relationships, or health
- What improves when your environment is predictable
- What gets worse under stress, overload, or uncertainty
Use a trait map as a prompt
pysiQ can help you organize your thinking by showing which autism-related areas stand out most. It is not a diagnosis, but it can give you a clearer structure for notes before a GP conversation or formal assessment.
Take the autism trait breakdown test
Map your profile across social communication, sensory processing, routines, emotional intensity, focused interests, and masking.