Can You Get an Autism and ADHD Assessment Together?

Yes, you can get an autism and ADHD assessment together, through what’s known as a combined assessment.

You may feel like you don’t quite fit the description of either ADHD or autism. You’re too organised for “typical” ADHD, too chatty for “typical” autism.

Many adults only start looking into an autism and ADHD assessment after noticing that their attention, social interactions, and sensory experiences don’t line up neatly with just one explanation. 

This guide walks you through what a combined assessment involves and what happens once you have an outcome.

 

What Is an Autism and ADHD Assessment?

A combined assessment is a single clinical process that looks for both autism and ADHD together, rather than sending you through two separate assessments with two separate teams. 

It exists because the two conditions frequently overlap, and separating them can mean one gets missed. 

Some people use the term “AuDHD” to describe having both conditions. It isn’t a clinical diagnosis in itself; it’s a shorthand that’s grown out of the autism and ADHD communities to describe a particular, often more complicated, set of experiences. 

Whatever term is used, the assessment itself is looking for one of four outcomes: autism, ADHD, both, or neither. Each of those outcomes still gives you something useful: a clearer understanding of yourself and a starting point for support.

 

What Is Autism?

Autism is a difference in how a person communicates, socialises, processes sensory information, and experiences the world. It can shape how someone reads social situations, how they respond to noise, light or touch, and how strongly they gravitate toward routine and specific interests. It’s worth being clear: autism isn’t an illness, and it doesn’t need to be “fixed.” 

You can read more about what autism is and how it presents in adults.

 

What Is ADHD?

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a recognised neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, impulsivity, and activity levels. In adults, it often shows up less as visible hyperactivity and more as difficulty with focus, time management, organisation, and follow-through.

Take a closer look at what ADHD is and how it’s typically diagnosed in adulthood.

 

Autism vs ADHD: Comparing The Two 

Autism and ADHD are separate conditions, but they share some traits and often happen together. When someone has both, it’s sometimes called AuDHD. The table below compares how each one can affect attention, social interaction and routine, and what happens when the two combine.

 

	Autism	ADHD	Combined (AuDHD)
Attention	Deep, sustained focus on specific interests. Difficulty shifting attention on demand.	Difficulty keeping attention on tasks.	Focus on interests and struggle to engage with everything else.
Social interaction	Difficulty reading nonverbal cues and unwritten social rules.	Interrupting, impulsivity, trouble taking turns in conversation.	Misreading cues and acting impulsively, which can compound the discomfort.
Routine and regulation	Strong preference for predictability; distress at unexpected change.	Impulsive, drawn to novelty and change	Internal conflict wanting order but struggling to create or maintain it.

 

Signs You Might Need a Combined Assessment

Because autism and ADHD traits overlap so heavily, many adults aren’t sure which assessment to ask for, or whether they need both investigated at once. Here’s what tends to point toward a combined assessment being the right route.

Common Autism Signs in Adults

• Difficulty interpreting social cues, tone, or other people’s perspectives
• Sensory sensitivities to noise, light, textures, or touch
• A strong preference for routine and predictable environments
• Intense, focused interest in specific topics or activities

Common ADHD Signs in Adults

• Trouble sustaining attention or following tasks through to completion
• Frequent forgetfulness or missing details
• Ongoing difficulty with organisation and time management
• Restlessness, impulsivity, or acting before thinking things through

Why the Two Can Be Missed Together

When both conditions are present, they can hide each other. One set of traits can mask the other, meaning a clinician assessing for just one condition might miss the second entirely. 

 

Traits can also pull in opposite directions. This is one of the biggest reasons diagnosis gets delayed in adulthood. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s worth reading more on why to consider an ADHD diagnosis as a first step.

 

Why Choose a Combined Assessment Over Two Separate Ones

Going through one combined process rather than two standalone assessments has some clear practical advantages:

Time and cost: one process is almost always quicker and less expensive than two separate assessments.

A fuller picture: a single clinician or team assesses both conditions together, rather than each one being looked at in isolation.

Fewer things get missed: because one condition can mask the other, assessing them together reduces the risk of an overlooked diagnosis.

 

How an Autism and ADHD Assessment Works

The exact structure varies slightly between providers, but most combined assessments follow a similar shape: a series of structured sessions rather than a single appointment.

Step 1: Pre-Assessment Questionnaires

Before any appointments take place, you’ll complete a set of online questionnaires covering attention, behaviour, sensory experiences, and daily routines. With your consent, someone who knows you well may also be asked to contribute their perspective, since this can highlight patterns you might not notice in yourself.

Step 2: Assessment Sessions

Initial session: your clinician will talk through your concerns, explain how the assessment works, and review your personal, educational, and work history.

Main assessment session: typically the longest part of the process, exploring attention, organisation, impulsivity, social interaction, routines, and sensory sensitivities in depth.

Some providers split autism and ADHD into separate sessions, sometimes across different days; if this applies to your provider, they’ll explain the structure upfront.

Step 3: Outcome and Feedback

Once the sessions are complete, your case is reviewed before a decision is reached. You’ll then have a feedback session where the outcome is explained clearly, along with a written report setting out the reasoning behind it and what’s recommended next.

 

What Happens After the Assessment

Whatever the outcome, you’ll leave the process with a clear report and a plan for what comes next.

If You Receive a Diagnosis

A diagnosis isn’t an endpoint; it’s a starting point. It can open the door to workplace adjustments, targeted therapy, and, where appropriate, medication. If ADHD is part of your diagnosis, it’s worth understanding the full range of ADHD treatment options available to you.

If You Don’t Receive a Diagnosis

Not receiving a diagnosis doesn’t mean your experiences aren’t real. You’ll still receive a detailed report explaining the clinician’s reasoning, along with recommendations — which might include exploring other conditions such as anxiety or depression, or practical strategies for managing attention, organisation, and daily routines regardless of the outcome.

 

NHS vs. Private Autism and ADHD Assessments

One of the biggest practical questions adults face is which route to take.

NHS referral: usually requires a GP referral, and waiting times can be long, often many months, sometimes longer, depending on your area

Private assessment: usually available via self-referral, with appointments booked much sooner, at a cost

What to check before going private: confirm the clinic’s clinicians are appropriately qualified and registered, and that reports are recognised for workplace and educational purposes.

Neither route is “better”; it depends on your timeline, budget, and how quickly you need clarity.

 

Autism and ADHD in Women

Women and girls are diagnosed with autism and ADHD later than men on average, and often only reach assessment in adulthood. 

A large part of this comes down to masking, consciously or unconsciously learning to hide or suppress traits to fit in socially. 

Clinical understanding of both conditions was historically built around how they present in boys and men, meaning traits in women aren’t always recognised using the same criteria.

This is why a combined assessment can matter so much for women specifically; an assessment that’s alert to less “typical” presentations is far less likely to miss something.

If this resonates, our guide to autism assessment for women goes into this in more depth.

 

Taking the Next Step Towards a Diagnosis

Getting clarity on your concerns starts with the right assessment. A combined assessment can save you time and reduce the risk of one condition masking the other. 

If you’re ready to take the next step, you can find out more about our ADHD assessment or our autism assessment, whichever feels like the right starting point for you.