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.