The 2026 price range
- Child assessment, single clinician: typically £1,200–£2,000.
- Child assessment, multi-disciplinary: typically £1,800–£3,500. Some specialist centres higher.
- Adult assessment: typically £1,200–£2,500.
- Combined autism + ADHD assessment: typically £2,000–£4,000.
Cost varies more by provider than by region. Established clinics (Clinical Partners, The Owl Centre, Psicon) sit at the higher end; individual chartered psychologists working independently often at the lower end. Always check what the fee includes: feedback session, full written report, and post-assessment letter to GP / school should all be standard.
What moves the figure within the range
- Single clinician vs MDT. NICE CG128 recommends multi-disciplinary assessment for children. A single psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose, but a full MDT (psychologist + speech and language therapist + paediatrician) is more thorough and more accepted by schools and EHCP processes.
- Whether ADHD is included. Combined neurodevelopmental assessment adds roughly £400–£800.
- Report depth. A short summary report will accept fewer recommendations into an EHCP than a detailed one with quantified provision suggestions.
- Whether pre-assessment screening is included (ADI-R parent interview, school observation).
The free / NHS / Right to Choose alternative
The NHS route is free but slow: 18 months to 4+ years for children in most areas in 2026. For adults (18+), Right to Choose lets you pick an NHS-funded provider (e.g. Psychiatry-UK) often within 6–12 months. For under-18s, Right to Choose availability is patchy and depends on your ICB.
A combined approach is common: start the NHS referral now (the waiting list is the long path, so don't lose time on it) and pursue a private assessment in parallel if you can afford it. You aren't committed to either by having both running.
What NHS vs private actually changes downstream
For most purposes the diagnosis is the diagnosis, regardless of route. A private diagnosis is recognised by schools, local authorities (for EHCP decisions), and the DWP (for DLA / PIP). Two areas where the route can matter:
- Some NHS services (CAMHS post-diagnostic support, specialist autism services for complex cases) require an NHS-recorded diagnosis on the patient's record. A private report may need to be “adopted” by the NHS via a GP referral.
- A small minority of EHCP teams are sceptical of private reports, especially short ones. Robust, detailed reports from clinicians on the BPS or GMC register are routinely accepted.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.