An autism assessment can help identify and understand your child's individual profile and provide guidance and support to help them reach their potential.

If you think your child may be autistic and you would like information or an assessment, we can help to talk through the options. Please complete our initial consultation request on our website to speak with one of our team.

It's important to get an assessment with a qualified professional who is trained and experienced in diagnosing autism to ensure they consider all aspects of your child’s life and other conditions that may be present.

The ‘gold-standard’ approach to diagnosing autism in children is to have a multi-disciplinary approach which ensures a comprehensive and objective assessment. Our autism assessments use evidence-approved recommendations and we follow the NICE guidelines.

Clinical appointment with the parent(s)/carer - this is your first appointment with your allocated case manager. Your case manager is your point of contact throughout your assessment journey. We find out more information about you as a family, your child's development and answer any questions you may have about the assessment.

Pre-assessment questionnaires – We will ask you and your child’s school to complete some important forms to understand how your child behaves in different environments and what challenges they experience.

Additional information - With your consent, we also ask for feedback from other professionals who know your child. We may also ask to review any previous professional and school reports to build up an understanding of your child over time.

Appointment for your child – your child will meet with a specialist clinician who will spend time with them, using toys, games and conversation to understand how your child sees the world. Whilst it should be a fun experience for your child, the clinician will use evidence-based and approved screening tools to assess your child against the criteria relevant to autism. The assessment session is modified depending on your child's age and stage of development.

Appointment for parent(s)/carer – We use the 3Di / ADI-R standardised developmental interview which is a detailed measure of social communication and autistic traits. This part of the assessment can be completed online or in clinic.

Diagnostic report – following your appointments the multidisciplinary team discuss all of the information that has been gathered throughout. Your case manager will give you a feedback call following this (usually within 2 weeks).

A full and comprehensive report is written, with a formulation and diagnosis (where one can be made) and recommendations and resources.

Feedback appointment – Once you have received your assessment report, we have a 1-hour online feedback session to review the assessment, report and most importantly the recommendations to take forward. This is an opportunity for us to talk through the assessment report in detail and offer much needed space for all of the ‘what next’ questions and ongoing support.   

If additional feed-back sessions or other follow-up support is required, this can be arranged at additional cost. In some instances, further assessment may be required depending on the complexity and level of functioning (e.g. school observation or cognitive assessment). Your case manager will keep you updated throughout your assessment journey.