Our Autism assessment package has been developed based on evidence based Best Practice and meets Gold Standard NICE guidelines for an ASD Assessment. It is a very detailed and fully comprehensive Autism assessment involving a total of over 14 hours of professional time from two different specialist trained Clinicians and our Clinical Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist Tiago Pinto, who is recognised by the National Autistic Society as a ADOS-2 and ADI-R (autism ‘gold standard’ diagnostic tools) trainer.

The assessment process involves screening questionnaires, face to face appointments and results in a clear and comprehensive report.

Prior to the assessment appointments both you and somebody who knew you during your early years will be asked to complete questionnaires. If the assessment is for your child, questionnaires will be provided for you as parents / guardian to complete. The information provided in these questionnaires will provide the assessing Clinicians with vital information to be utilised throughout the assessment process.

We also collect any available information from previous or other relevant assessments and any other relevant sources and we will ask for your authority to contact your workplace (or your child’s school) or other external setting as may be relevant, to request that they provide additional insight into your (or your child’s) daily life.

Arrangements will then be made for both for you and also your parent / carer or family member to be seen face to face for either a half or full day. If it is your child is being assessed, arrangements will be made for your child’s assessment and for you to be interviewed as parent / guardian, similarly. 

The assessment process is in two parts: 

1. A detailed developmental history is taken from parents or family using the ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised) – this interview meeting typically takes up to three hours for the Clinician to complete.
2. At the same time (either on the same day or an alternative day within the same week if easier for you to arrange), an in-depth observational assessment is carried out with the child or adult concerned using the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2nd Version). This meeting typically takes up to one hour for the Clinician to complete.

All this information is gathered to formulate a clear diagnosis with a recommendation of needs and to prepare in-depth reports. 

A clear understanding of the nature of the difficulties experienced by the child or adult concerned is very important for the person, families and professionals involved. It will also help professionals working with the person and their family to provide appropriate intervention and support.

This package has been developed based on evidence based best practice and meets NICE guidelines. It is a very detailed and fully comprehensive Autism assessment involving a total of over 14 hours of time by two different Clinicians, with additional input from a Clinical Lead. This involves screening questionnaires, face to face appointments and a comprehensive report.

How do we provide feedback?

An autism assessment should be a very thorough affair. As an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition the team wants to be absolutely certain about an ASD diagnosis.

Assuming no exceptional circumstances arise, we generally provide detailed findings and conclusions 8 weeks after the date of the first assessment through a video or phone conference. In addition, we discuss recommendations and follow-up pathways with you. There is plenty of time for discussion around the findings. 

People often have questions about coping with difficult behaviour and different interventions. We can give some general advice and referrals may be recommended back to local services and to the network of the national and local Autism societies for specific help. 

Finally we will provide a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations which will be sent to you and also to the referring party.

Unfortunately, due to an increased understanding of the negative impact an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis can have on a person’s life (and increased awareness of the practical, financial and education support measures those who are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder may be entitled to, NHS services are heavily oversubscribed with a very high demand. Waiting times are typically one to three years for an assessment date, depending on geographical location and the age of the person being assessed. 

Not only does such a very long wait cause anxiety and distress for the person seeking a diagnosis (and for their family and friends), it also deprives them of time within which they could be benefiting from additional practical and financial support in their lives. For a child or young person especially, years of waiting for an assessment could deprive them of additional practical or one to one teaching support at school (or even access to an autism specialised Special Educational Needs School) at a time in their development that such support is most critical for their long term future.

It is also the case that certain complex profile types may not be easily assessed by standard NHS screening measures; the quality of the assessment services provided varies considerably in different geographical locations, with the detail quality of diagnostic reports provided by these services, varying as a consequence of this. 

A Private Autism Diagnostic Assessment does offer an alternative for people seeking a diagnosis (whether for themselves, or for their child or family member) to the distress, anxiety and the potential for long term adverse consequence for the person’s future, of the years of waiting for an NHS assessment. However, the costs, accessibility, timescales, clinical expertise, quality of the assessments and detail of reports provided by private diagnostic autism assessment providers however, does vary significantly.