Neurodiversity Screening and Assessments
Neurodiversity Screening & Assessments
Understanding the Whole Person – Not Just a Score
Sometimes you know that something is different, but you don’t yet understand why.
You may be a parent wondering whether your child’s experiences could be related to Autism, ADHD, sensory processing or another area of neurodivergence.
You may be an adult who has spent years struggling with executive functioning, sensory overwhelm, emotional regulation, masking or feeling different from the people around you.
Or perhaps you already have a diagnosis but still feel that nobody has ever properly explained what your neurodivergence actually means for you.
This is where my screening, assessment and profiling services can help.
I provide comprehensive, neurodiversity-affirming assessments designed to build a detailed picture of an individual’s strengths, differences, barriers and support needs.
My approach looks beyond individual traits and considers how different aspects of neurodivergence interact in everyday life.
Because understanding whether somebody has Autistic or ADHD traits can be important.
But I also want to understand:
What does that mean for this individual?
What Is a Neurodiversity Profile?
A Neurodiversity Profile brings together different areas of an individual’s functioning to create a much more complete understanding of their neurodivergence.
Rather than looking at Autism, ADHD, sensory processing, executive functioning or emotional regulation completely separately, we explore how these areas may overlap and influence one another.
Depending on the assessment or package selected, a profile may explore:
Autistic traits
ADHD traits
AuDHD presentation
Sensory processing
Executive functioning
Communication
Social interaction
Masking and camouflaging
Emotional regulation
Interoception
Demand avoidance
Rejection sensitivity
Attention regulation and hyperfocus
Task initiation and ADHD paralysis
Transitions and need for predictability
Tics and Tourette’s-related needs, where relevant
Strengths and interests
Impact within home, education, employment and everyday life
The result is not simply a list of difficulties.
It is an individualised picture of how that person’s brain experiences and interacts with the world.
Autism & ADHD Screening Assessments
Exploring Traits & Building Evidence
I provide comprehensive non-diagnostic Autism and ADHD screening assessments for children, young people and adults.
These can be particularly helpful when somebody:
• Is questioning whether they may be Autistic or ADHD
• Is waiting for a formal assessment
• Would like evidence to support a referral
• Has been told they “don’t look Autistic” or “can’t have ADHD”
• Has a more internalised or masked presentation
• Has previously had their difficulties attributed solely to anxiety or mental health
• Is struggling within education or employment without appropriate support
• Already has one diagnosis but suspects another area of neurodivergence may also be present.
My screening process considers both current presentation and developmental history, where appropriate, rather than relying solely on a single questionnaire or score.
Particular attention can also be given to presentations that are frequently overlooked, including masking, internalised ADHD, late identification and combined Autism/ADHD presentations.
Understanding Masked Presentations
“But They Seem Fine…”
Masking is an important consideration within my assessment work.
Some neurodivergent people become incredibly skilled at observing, copying and adapting to the people around them.
A child may appear to cope throughout the school day before becoming significantly dysregulated at home.
An adult may maintain employment while using almost all of their available energy simply to appear organised and capable.
Someone may make eye contact, communicate verbally, have friendships, achieve academically or hold a responsible job and still experience significant Autistic or ADHD-related difficulties.
This is why I don’t assess somebody’s neurodivergence based purely on what can be observed during an appointment.
I am interested in:
What happens internally?
How much conscious effort is required?
What happens afterwards?
What does appearing to cope actually cost this person?
Sensory Processing Assessments & Profiles
Understanding How Your Nervous System Experiences the World
Sensory processing is an important part of my assessment and profiling work.
A person can be hypersensitive, hyposensitive or sensory-seeking, and this can vary considerably between different sensory systems.
My comprehensive sensory profiles can explore the eight sensory systems:
Auditory
Sound, background noise, sudden noises and auditory processing.
Visual
Lighting, movement, visual clutter and busy environments.
Tactile
Touch, clothing, textures, grooming and unexpected physical contact.
Olfactory
Smell and sensitivity to environmental scents.
Gustatory
Taste, food textures and oral sensory preferences.
Vestibular
Movement, balance and the body’s relationship with gravity.
Proprioception
Body awareness, pressure, movement and sensory-seeking needs.
Interoception
Internal body signals such as hunger, thirst, temperature, pain, tiredness, toileting and emotional sensations.
The assessment doesn’t stop at identifying sensitivities.
A personalised profile includes practical recommendations and strategies that can be applied within everyday life.
For children and young people, this may include recommendations for home and education.
For adults, recommendations may relate to home, work, relationships and everyday environments.
Executive Functioning Profile
Executive functioning difficulties are frequently misunderstood as laziness, lack of motivation, poor organisation or simply “not trying hard enough.”
In reality, executive functions are the cognitive processes that help us organise and carry out everyday tasks.
An Executive Functioning Profile can explore areas such as:
Task initiation
Planning and organisation
Working memory
Prioritisation
Attention regulation
Time perception and time blindness
Transitioning between tasks
Cognitive flexibility
Impulse regulation
Completing multi-step tasks
Decision-making
Hyperfocus
Task paralysis
Understanding an individual’s executive functioning profile allows us to move away from:
“Why won’t they do it?”
towards:
“What is preventing them from accessing the task, and what support would help?”
Comprehensive Neurodiversity Profile
When You Need the Bigger Picture
For some individuals, looking at one area in isolation isn’t enough.
There may be overlapping Autism and ADHD traits alongside sensory processing differences, masking, emotional regulation difficulties, executive dysfunction, demand avoidance or tics.
My Comprehensive Neurodiversity Profile is designed to bring these areas together.
Depending on the individual’s needs, this may include:
Developmental and personal history
Current strengths and difficulties
Autism screening
ADHD screening
AuDHD profile
Sensory profile
Executive functioning profile
Masking
Communication
Emotional regulation
Interoception
Demand avoidance
Tic presentation where applicable
Impact across everyday environments
Individualised recommendations
Suggested reasonable adjustments
Recommended next steps
A detailed written report is provided following assessment.
This can be particularly useful when somebody has a complex or overlapping presentation and needs their experiences brought together into one coherent profile.
Assessments for Children & Young People
For children and young people, assessment can help families understand why difficulties may be occurring across home, education and everyday life.
Where appropriate, information can be gathered from parents/carers, the young person and educational professionals to help build a broader picture.
Reports can include practical recommendations for:
Home
School or college
Sensory regulation
Communication
Emotional regulation
Executive functioning
Transitions
Reasonable adjustments
Pupil Passports
Further assessment or referral
The aim is to ensure that the child’s needs as well as their strengths are clearly understood.
Assessments for Adults
You don’t need to have everything figured out before seeking an assessment.
Many adults come to me saying:
“I think I might have ADHD.”
“Someone suggested I could be Autistic.”
“I’ve always known I was different.”
“I’ve been diagnosed, but I still don’t understand myself.”
“I’ve developed coping strategies, but I’m exhausted.”
Adult assessment can explore your experiences across childhood, education, employment, relationships and everyday life.
We can look at the strategies you’ve developed, the things you may have learned to mask and the areas where you continue to experience barriers.
For some adults, this is the first time their experiences have been looked at through a neurodivergent rather than deficit-based lens.
What Will I Receive?
The exact process will depend on the assessment or package selected, but may include:
Pre-assessment questionnaires
Detailed online assessment sessions
Developmental and personal history
Appropriate screening tools
Sensory and/or executive functioning profiling
Exploration of masking and compensatory strategies
Individualised recommendations
A comprehensive written report
Suggested next steps
Where appropriate, reports can include recommendations for education, workplace support or reasonable adjustments.
Additional professional or school meetings can also be arranged separately where required.
Can My Report Be Used as Evidence?
My screening assessments and neurodiversity profiles are designed to provide detailed evidence of an individual’s presentation, functional impact and support needs.
They may be helpful when communicating with schools, colleges, employers, healthcare professionals or other services and when providing supporting information for onward referrals or requests for support.
However, it is important to understand the distinction between screening and formal diagnosis.
An Important Note About Diagnosis
My Autism & ADHD Screening Assessments Are Non-Diagnostic
I do not provide a formal medical diagnosis of Autism or ADHD through these services.
A screening assessment can identify traits, patterns and areas that may warrant further investigation, but it does not replace a formal diagnostic assessment undertaken by appropriately qualified diagnostic professionals.
Where screening indicates that further assessment may be appropriate, this will be explained within the report and recommendations.
I believe strongly that screening should be used to increase understanding, not to place somebody into a box.
Whether or not you choose to pursue formal diagnosis afterwards is an individual decision.
More Than an Assessment
For me, assessment shouldn’t end with handing somebody a report.
The most valuable question is:
“Now that we understand this, what do we do with that information?”
Recommendations are therefore an important part of my work.
Depending on the assessment, these may include:
• Sensory regulation strategies
• Executive functioning support
• Communication approaches
• Emotional regulation strategies
• Environmental changes
• School recommendations
• Workplace adjustments
• Reasonable adjustments
• Self-advocacy strategies
• Further professional referrals
• Neurodiversity coaching
• Parent/carer support.
Understanding the why allows us to begin working on the what next.
Professional Knowledge & Lived Experience
My assessment work is informed by specialist training and professional experience alongside my own lived experience as a late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD woman and parent of neurodivergent children.
This combination is particularly important to me when considering areas such as masking, internalised presentation, sensory processing and the hidden effort involved in appearing to cope.
I don’t begin an assessment looking for what’s “wrong” with somebody.
I begin by asking:
Who is this person?
What are their strengths?
What creates barriers?
What are they communicating?
What might have been missed?
And what would help them?
Not Sure Which Assessment You Need?
That’s completely okay.
You don’t need to decide whether you need an Autism screening, ADHD screening, sensory profile, executive functioning assessment or comprehensive Neurodiversity Profile before contacting me.
Tell me a little about what is happening, what you would like to understand and what you hope to gain from the assessment.
From there, we can identify which option is likely to be the most appropriate.