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Autism Therapy and Support London

A different way of being in the world — is it Autism or Just ‘Feeling Different’?

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from spending a lifetime trying to work out rules that everyone else seems to have been born knowing. You watch other people navigate social situations with an ease that baffles you. You feel connection deeply but find the mechanics of it harder than they appear to be for those around you. You have learned — often from a very young age — to perform a version of yourself that fits in, whilst the real you retreats somewhere quieter and safer. That performance is masking. And it is extraordinarily costly.
If this resonates with you, you are not alone — and you are in exactly the right place. This page is for people who are wondering, exploring, and trying to understand whether autism might explain a lifetime of experiences that have never quite fitted a neat explanation. Whether you are reading this for yourself, for your child, or for someone you love, we hope it offers some recognition and a sense of being seen.
Many autistic people report feeling genuinely understood in our clinic in ways they’ve never experienced with neurotypical clinicians. We don’t just assess autism – we understand it intimately because we live it. This creates safe, validating assessment environment where you can be authentically yourself without performing neurotypical behavior.

Ready to explore a formal assessment? Learn about our private ADOS-2 autism assessment at our Harley Street clinic

What Is Autism? Understanding the Spectrum

  • Autism — formally Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or, in the neurodiversity-affirming language many autistic people prefer, simply autism or being autistic — is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition affecting how a person processes social information, communicates, experiences sensory input, and relates to the world around them. It is not an illness, a disorder to be cured, or a failure of development. It is a different neurological architecture — one that creates both genuine challenges in a world designed predominantly for neurotypical people, and genuine strengths that deserve to be recognised.
  • Autism is a spectrum, but not in the way the word is often used colloquially — it is not a straight line from "a little bit autistic" to "very autistic." It is a multidimensional profile in which different autistic people may have very different presentations: one person may be highly verbal and appear socially fluent whilst finding the effort of maintaining that fluency utterly exhausting; another may find verbal communication itself challenging but have remarkable abilities in specific areas of interest. The spectrum is not a measure of severity — it is a description of diversity.

Masking — The Hidden Cost of Fitting In

Masking is the process by which many autistic people — and particularly autistic women and girls — learn to suppress, hide, or imitate their way past autistic traits in order to appear more neurotypical. It involves studying social behaviour and reproducing it deliberately, suppressing stimming and other self-regulatory behaviours, forcing eye contact that feels unnatural, scripting conversations, and monitoring and managing one’s own presentation constantly and consciously.

Masking can be extraordinarily effective in the short term. Autistic people who mask can appear entirely neurotypical to those around them — which is precisely why they are so frequently missed by diagnostic services, by teachers, by employers, and by themselves. But the long-term cost of sustained masking is enormous. It consumes cognitive and emotional resources that leave nothing in reserve. It erodes the sense of who one actually is. It produces chronic exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, and depression that are frequently mistaken for primary mental health conditions rather than symptoms of a person working unsustainably hard to appear as someone they are not.

Many adults who receive a late autism diagnosis look back and recognise masking as the defining feature of their adult life — the organising principle around which everything else was arranged, and the reason why they were always tired in a way that other people did not seem to understand.

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Living with Autism: Challenges and Strengths

Different operating system

The world can feel like it's designed for a different operating system than the one you're running. You might find social situations exhausting, not because you don't want connection, but because reading between the lines and navigating unwritten rules takes enormous energy. Perhaps you've learned to mask – to hide your authentic self to fit in – and it's left you feeling drained and wondering who you really are.

Sensory overwhelm

Daily life might mean managing sensory experiences that others barely notice – lights that feel too bright, sounds that are too loud, textures that make you uncomfortable, or spaces that feel overwhelming. Transitions and changes to routine can feel destabilising.

Feeling misunderstood

For many, there's a painful history of feeling "different," being misunderstood, or being told to "just try harder" at things that feel fundamentally difficult. Or maybe you're a parent watching your child struggle to be understood, knowing they have so much to offer if the world would just slow down and listen differently.

Profound gifts

But autism also brings profound gifts: deep focus and expertise in areas of interest, honesty and authenticity, pattern recognition, attention to detail, and often a rich inner world. Being autistic isn't something to fix – it's a different, valid way of experiencing and moving through the world. The right support means understanding yourself better, advocating for what you need, and building a life that works for you, not against you.

Our Practitioners Who Work with Autism

Our autism specialists work extensively with autistic children, teens, and adults, as well as their families. They approach autism from a neurodiversity-affirming perspective, focusing on understanding, acceptance, and practical support rather than trying to make anyone “seem less autistic.” Whether you’re seeking diagnosis, looking for strategies to navigate a neurotypical world, or wanting to better support an autistic loved one, they’re here to walk alongside you with understanding and respect.
A woman with light brown hair and a dark blouse sits indoors, smiling with her hands clasped under her chin. A stack of books and a potted plant are on the desk. Olena Edwards-Skadowska, London Trusted Therapy expert, is pictured. Olena Edwards-Skadowska London Trusted Therapy Director

Olena

Individual and Couples Psychotherapist

Indu Dua London Trusted Therapy: Professional relational and trauma-informed Counsellor providing expert mental health and trauma support.

Indu

Individual and Couples Psychotherapist

Tina Foley London Trusted Therapy: Expert Individual and Couples Psychotherapist specializing in EMDR and professional mental health care.

Tina

Individual and Couples Psychotherapist EMDR

Karima El Haddad London Trusted Therapy: Expert Individual, Couples, and Family Psychotherapist providing professional mental health care.

Karima

Individual Couples and Family Psychotherapist

Rebecca Myers London Trusted Therapy: Expert Individual and Couples Psychotherapist providing professional care for mental wellbeing.

Rebecca

Individual and Couples Psychotherapist

Nikki Holmes London Trusted Therapy: Expert Individual, Couples, and Family Psychotherapist providing professional mental health support.

Nikki

Individual Couples Family Psychotherapist

Riffat Hussein London Trusted Therapy: Professional Speech and Language Therapist offering expert support for communication challenges.

Riffat

Autism Assessor (ADOS-2) Speech and Language Therapist

Sabine Tendas London Trusted Therapy | Counselling Psychologist

Sabine

Counselling Psychologist Individual Couples and Family Psychotherapist

Clinical Psychologist London for Children | Dr Sagari Sarkar

Sagari

Clinical Psychologist Individual Couples and Family Psychotherapist

Dr Saz Guscott HCPC Practitioner Psychologist Neurodiversity Specialist CBT ACT CFT IFS ADHD Autism Support Harley Street and Online

Saz

Counselling Psychologist Individual and Couples Psychotherapist EMDR

Haneyeh Belyani, with shoulder-length dark red hair and a fringe, smiles softly in a grey blazer over a black lace top while sitting in a bright, modern room with blurred greenery in the background.

Haneyeh

Counselling Psychologist Individual and Family Psychotherapist EMDR

Dr Emma Corcoran | Clinical Psychologist and Therapist London A woman with straight brown hair and fair skin is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a brown and white patterned jumper and is posed in front of a plain white background.

Emma

Clinical Psychologist Individual and Family Psychotherapist

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Autism in Women and Girls — A Story of Being Missed

Autism has historically been understood primarily through research on boys and men, leading to profound underdiagnosis in women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. Autism in female adults often differs from stereotypical male presentation, though research increasingly suggests this reflects socialisation and masking rather than fundamental neurological differences.

Women and girls with autism are more likely to camouflage or mask autistic traits, consciously or unconsciously suppressing natural behaviours and imitating neurotypical social behaviour. Masking in female autism is exhausting and contributes to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Girls with autism often develop intense interests in socially acceptable areas like animals, reading, or celebrities, making their interests less obviously “restricted” than boys’ interests in trains or dinosaurs. Women with autism frequently experience social difficulties in childhood as shyness or social anxiety, rather than recognising autism.

The consequence is that many autistic women spend decades receiving diagnoses of anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, or eating disorders — conditions that are often genuine co-occurring difficulties but that cannot be adequately treated without understanding the autistic neurology that underpins them. A late diagnosis frequently arrives with a complex mixture of relief, grief, and anger: relief at finally having language for a lifetime of experiences; grief for the years spent without understanding; anger at having been missed by systems that should have seen more clearly.

Our founding director Dr Olena was diagnosed autistic in her fifties. She completed ADOS-2 clinical training specifically because she understood from personal experience what it means to be a woman who is missed — and because she was determined that fewer women should have to wait as long as she did.

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Our Autism Reviews

4.86 rating based on Doctify, Google and Trustpilot reviews

I J

  • 2025-03-31
Karima never made me feel like a diagnosis or a checklist. We worked on an autism diagnosis for my child, approaching things through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, which unpicked things slowly and carefully. Six months in, our child seems lighter, somehow, and that's meant everything to us.

S B

  • 2025-11-04
If you're dealing with an autism diagnosis for my child, I can't recommend Rebecca enough — using an attachment-based approach, which respected exactly where things were at. Bedtime doesn't feel like a fight anymore, which says a lot.

D F

  • 2025-07-13
For months I'd been dealing with an autism diagnosis for my child, and nothing seemed to help. Haneyeh changed that, leaning on practical CBT tools, which was applied with real skill, not just theory. At this point, we finally have a name for what we were dealing with, and we can see it every single day.

G E

  • 2026-06-03
I’m 17 and lately had an Autism Complete assessment with London Trusted Therapy. I was kinda nervous at first, but they made the whole thing feel calm and not scary , like at all. The therapist was actually listening to me, and didn’t make me feel weird or judged, which surprised me. The report helped me understand myself way more, and it explained some things I’ve struggled with for years. I’m genuinely grateful for the whole experience, honestly. I’d recommend LTT to anyone around my age who thinks they might be autistic.

B L

  • 2025-12-17
Finally, answers at 50 After five decades of feeling "different" but never quite understanding why, the ADOS-2 assessment at London Trusted Therapy has been life-changing. The professionalism began from my first enquiry - Sofi and Andrew were incredibly accommodating with scheduling and answered all my questions without making me feel I was being difficult. The location at Pinero House is perfect for anyone who values discretion. The reception is small and well-managed, and you're not sat in a crowded waiting room, which I appreciated enormously. The consulting room itself was unexpectedly comfortable - large, well-appointed, and crucially, not intimidating or overly clinical. What impressed me most was the rigour of the assessment. Trish, who conducted the ADOS-2, clearly knew her field inside out and created an environment where I could be myself. The clinical psychologist's evaluation was extraordinarily thorough - they didn't rush, they listened, and the subsequent report gave me clarity I've sought my entire adult life. Having a multidisciplinary team means you're not relying on one person's opinion, which gave me confidence in the diagnosis. Cannot recommend highly enough.
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Autism and Emotional Wellbeing

Autism and mental health are deeply intertwined, and understanding this relationship is important for anyone exploring whether autism might be relevant to their experience. The majority of autistic adults experience significant anxiety — not as a separate condition, but as a natural consequence of navigating a world that creates constant unpredictability, sensory challenge, and social demand. Depression is similarly common, and in many cases develops as a secondary response to chronic masking, social misattunement, and the accumulated weight of feeling different and unseen.
Autistic burnout — a state of profound physical, cognitive, and emotional exhaustion that can follow a prolonged period of high masking or overwhelming demand — is increasingly recognised as a distinct and serious phenomenon. It can look like depression, like CFS, or like a sudden and apparently inexplicable loss of function in someone who has previously appeared to cope well. Understanding it as burnout rather than breakdown — or as a signal from a nervous system that has exceeded its capacity — changes how it needs to be supported.

Our therapists work with all of these dimensions of the autistic experience, within a framework that is neurodiversity-affirming, non-pathologising, and genuinely attuned to what living as an autistic person in a neurotypical world actually involves.

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Autism and Co-occurring Conditions

  • Autism rarely presents in isolation. It commonly co-occurs with ADHD — a combination sometimes informally referred to as AuDHD — alongside anxiety, depression, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and sensory processing differences. The interaction between autism and ADHD is particularly common and can create a complex, nuanced profile that requires careful assessment to understand fully.
  • Understanding whether co-occurring conditions are present is important both for accurate diagnosis and for ensuring that support is genuinely tailored to the whole person rather than to a single diagnostic category in isolation. Our multidisciplinary team is experienced in assessing and supporting complex neurodevelopmental presentations across the lifespan.

The Strengths of an Autistic Mind

A complete and honest account of autism must include its strengths — not as a consolation prize for the challenges, but as genuine attributes that deserve to be named and valued in their own right.
The same neurological profile that makes social environments exhausting and sensory input overwhelming also underlies some remarkable human qualities: depth of focus and expertise in areas of passionate interest; honesty and directness that cuts through social performance; extraordinary attention to detail; pattern recognition that sees what others miss; a commitment to fairness and authenticity that is profound and consistent; and a rich, often intensely creative inner world.

Many of the most innovative, original, and impactful thinkers, artists, scientists, and leaders across history were or are autistic. This is not about toxic positivity or about minimising the very real difficulties autism creates — it is about holding the whole truth. Autism is not a tragedy. It is a difference, with costs and with gifts, that deserves to be understood fully.

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Frequently Asked Questions — Understanding Autism

Yes. Many autistic people — particularly women — go undiagnosed throughout childhood and well into adulthood. If you are reading descriptions of autism and experiencing a sense of recognition you have never had before, that recognition is worth taking seriously. An autism assessment at any age is entirely valid and can be genuinely life-changing.

Yes. Autism does not require visible difficulty or inability to function. Many autistic people are highly capable, professionally successful, and appear entirely neurotypical to those around them — at significant personal cost in terms of effort, exhaustion, and the suppression of their authentic selves. The question is not whether you function, but whether functioning requires more from you than it should — and whether understanding why might change everything.

Autism involves specific, consistent neurological differences in social processing, sensory experience, and cognitive style that go beyond introversion or sensitivity as personality traits. The key features — social communication differences, sensory sensitivities, strong preference for routine, intensity of focused interests — are persistent, pervasive, and neurologically rooted rather than temperamental preferences. A thorough assessment by a qualified specialist can distinguish autism clearly from introversion, anxiety, or other explanations for the experiences you are describing.
Autistic burnout is a state of profound physical, emotional, and cognitive exhaustion that develops when an autistic person has been operating beyond their neurological capacity — typically through sustained masking, sensory overload, or excessive social demand. It can involve a significant loss of previously held skills and functioning, and is distinct from depression or ordinary tiredness, though it is frequently misdiagnosed as one or the other. Recognition of burnout as a specific phenomenon is growing in both the autistic community and clinical literature, and it informs how our therapists understand and support autistic clients.
Schools are not always well-positioned to identify autism, particularly in children who mask effectively, meet academic expectations, or whose difficulties are primarily internalised rather than behavioural. If your instinct as a parent tells you something more is happening, that instinct deserves to be explored by a specialist. A private assessment provides a level of depth and expertise that is rarely available through school-based provision alone.

This page is for people who are exploring what autism is, whether it might apply to them or someone they love, and what the experience of being autistic actually involves. The Autism Complete service page describes our assessment programme, ADOS-2 methodology, multidisciplinary team, and post-diagnosis support pathway in detail — and is the right page to visit when you are ready to take the next step towards a formal assessment.

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Explore Our Private ADOS-2 Autism Assessment at Harley Street

No GP referral needed. Appointments available within days. Specialist in adults, women, teenagers and children.

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Harley Street

Pinero House
115A Harley Street
London W1G 6AR
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