A clearer picture of your own patterns, while you wait for an autism assessment.
SensoryShore is a free website for autistic adults in the UK, and for adults who think they may be autistic. It is made especially for people waiting for an NHS (National Health Service) autism assessment.
You answer the NeuroProfile questionnaire one question per screen, and you can pause at any time. Your results describe patterns such as how you react to noise and how much effort you put into fitting in. You can also download a report and prepare a letter for your GP (general practitioner, your family doctor).
SensoryShore is not a diagnostic tool and does not diagnose autism or any other condition. It does not replace an autism assessment.
The wait
Waiting for an assessment should not mean waiting to understand yourself.
While you wait for an assessment, daily life carries on. You may face sensory overload, when sound, light, or crowds become too much. You may be tired from masking, which means hiding or changing how you naturally act so that you fit in. You may notice signs of autistic burnout, which is deep, long-lasting exhaustion. And you may not know yet what any of this means. We built SensoryShore for this waiting time.
9 in 10
have waited longer
than the 13 weeks that NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends
13 weeks
longest recommended wait
from referral (a request, usually from a GP, for you to have an autism assessment) to the start of an assessment
Several years
widely reported wait
not an NHS-published average figure
Waiting list reality
You are not alone on the waiting list
NHS England data records more than 270,000 people in England with an open referral for suspected autism. This means they have been referred for an autism assessment that has not finished yet. SensoryShore is for the adults on that list.
Nine in ten people on NHS autism waiting lists have already waited longer than NICE recommends. Waits of several years are widely reported.
Based on NHS England Autism Statistics, March 2026
9 in 10
have waited longer than 13 weeks
Several years
widely reported wait in many areas
13 weeks
Several years
Based on NHS England Autism Statistics, March 2026
What you get
Words for how you actually experience the world.
You get specific words for your own experience — which senses overload you, how much you mask and in what way, and whether your answers show signs of burnout. You can print your report and take it to a GP appointment to start a conversation.
It does not tell you whether you are autistic, and it does not replace a formal assessment. CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. NeuroProfile is what you get today.
A profile of your own patterns
A clearer picture of how you experience daily life.
The questions are adapted from questionnaires published in autism research. Your answers become a written description of your own patterns, in words you can use.
- Up to 129 questions, plus 3 short questions about you, in up to 9 sections
- A sensory profile across 6 areas, such as sound and touch, showing how strongly each affects you
- Questions adapted from published autism research
Masking in three parts
See not just whether you mask, but how.
Masking means hiding or changing how you naturally act, so that you fit in with other people. Your results show masking in three parts, so you can see which kind of effort you make most.
- Compensation: actively working out social rules
- Masking: hiding autistic responses
- Assimilation: forcing yourself through situations that do not fit you
Signs of burnout
A clearer view of what coping costs you.
Autistic burnout is deep, long-lasting exhaustion. It can build up after a long time of masking or coping with too much. Your results show whether your answers include signs of it.
- Your answers in section 8, about burnout and wellbeing, are placed in one of four bands: low, moderate, high, or severe
- A band is a fixed range of scores: it is not a diagnosis, and it does not compare you with other people
- Your masking answers can also add a separate note that burnout may be worth reading about
- Designed to make overload easier to name
CalmCompanion (in development)
A companion that starts from your results, so you do not have to explain yourself first.
CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. It is an AI (artificial intelligence) companion. It adapts to your NeuroProfile results, your communication style, and your pace. We cannot give a date for it yet.
- Uses your NeuroProfile results from your first message
- Plain, literal communication
- Fixed safety rules, kept separate from the AI
Why SensoryShore
What makes SensoryShore different
You may have already tried online autism quizzes, or asked AI chat tools for answers. SensoryShore works differently. Its questions are adapted from published autism research, and they cover many areas of daily life. Your results come with a report and a GP letter you can download.
Masking & burnout insight
We do not stop at one masking score. We also show it in three parts, so you can see which kinds of effort you make.
- Compensation, masking, and assimilation shown separately
- Shows which part stands out most for you
- Your masking answers can also add a separate note that burnout may be worth reading about
Not just whether you mask — but how.
Built not to add pressure
SensoryShore is built not to add pressure. People who use it may already be tired from sensory overload, masking, or burnout.
- No streaks, badges, or points (rewards some apps use to keep you coming back)
- No notification nagging
No pressure, and nothing to keep up with.
Built by a family
We are a family, and we run SensoryShore ourselves. Two of us are autistic and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) adults. The words and the way the site works come from our own experience.
- Written from our own experience
- Plain words and a calm, predictable layout
- For autistic adults, and adults who think they may be autistic
Built by a family, for adults who are autistic or think they may be.
Designed to feel like being understood rather than assessed.
Not available yet
These two parts are not available yet. You cannot use them today.
Your profile over time (planned)
This is planned for a later version and is not available now. It shows two things separately: the patterns that are usually true for you, and how things are for you right now.
- Some patterns stay much the same over the years
- Stress and rest can change how you feel and act for a while
- One set of answers cannot show both
Your usual patterns, and how things are right now.
Safety that does not rely on the AI (in development)
CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. If someone writes to it about a crisis, fixed safety rules decide the reply, not the AI.
- Crisis messages are never left to the AI
- The same fixed reply for high-risk situations
- Safety rules kept separate from the AI
Safety does not depend on the AI.
What you leave with
Walk away with something you can use.
When you finish, you get a results page and a report to download as a PDF (a type of file you can save and print). You can also prepare a letter for your GP and download it. You can use them to understand yourself better, or to start a conversation with your GP.
All of this is free and available now.
- A sensory profile across 6 areas
- Masking in three parts
- Signs of burnout, in one of four bands: low, moderate, high, or severe
- Scores for other areas, such as routines, planning tasks, and managing strong feelings
- A letter for your GP, which you prepare and download yourself
Sample sensory profile
Cost
SensoryShore is free.
If we can keep it that way, we will. We are a family, not a company, and we run SensoryShore ourselves.
You need a free account to take the questionnaire. The account asks for your first name, your email address, and a password. It does not ask for payment details.
All of these are free:
- Your SensoryShore account
- The NeuroProfile questionnaire: up to 129 questions, plus 3 short questions about you, in up to 9 sections
- Your results page, which shows how each score was worked out
- Your report, to download as a PDF (a type of file you can save and print)
- A letter for your GP, which you prepare and download yourself
If the cost of SensoryShore ever changes, we will say so on this website first. Results you already have will stay available to you.
Start your NeuroProfileQuestions and answers
Frequently asked questions.
Clear answers, no jargon.
No. SensoryShore is not a diagnostic tool and does not diagnose autism or any other condition. It helps you describe your own patterns while you wait for an autism assessment. Only a formal autism assessment can give a diagnosis.
It takes around 20–35 minutes. There is no time limit. You can pause and come back at any time.
The questions are adapted from questionnaires published in peer-reviewed autism research. Peer-reviewed means other researchers checked the work before it was published.
Your account and your answers are stored on a server in London, in the UK. We do not sell your information. No AI is involved in scoring your answers. You can ask us to delete your account and your answers at any time by emailing hey@sensoryshore.com.
CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. It uses your NeuroProfile results to adapt its tone, pace, wording, and suggestions. If a message is about a crisis, fixed safety rules decide the reply, not the AI. When CalmCompanion is ready, it will use an AI service run by a company called Anthropic, which processes data outside the UK. CalmCompanion will not be made available until its safety rules have been tested.
No. Pulse is planned for later and is not available. It is a phone app that uses a heart rate monitor, such as a smartwatch, to help you notice rising stress earlier. We cannot give a date for it yet.
Get one email when CalmCompanion is ready.
CalmCompanion is in development and not yet available. It is an AI (artificial intelligence) companion: a computer program you write messages to, and it writes back. It adapts to your NeuroProfile results, your communication style, and your pace. We cannot give a date for it yet.
Leave your email address and we will email you now to confirm it, and once more when CalmCompanion is ready. No marketing emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.
You do not need to do this to use the NeuroProfile questionnaire.
SensoryShore is not a diagnostic tool and does not diagnose autism or any other condition.