Autism Assessments

What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder that impacts 1 in 100 people; it is not a disease. Being Autistic just means that your brain is wired in a different, complex and beautiful way.  It is called a ‘spectrum’ because it presents differently from person to person. This means that to achieve the best outcome, individually tailored support is essential.

Autism affects social communication and interaction and is a life-long condition. Although there is no ‘cure’, strategies can be implemented to make everyday life manageable for individuals and families living with ASD.

Early intervention is key and the first step is diagnosis. 

What are the signs?

Autism affects different people in different ways, but there are some tell-tale signs which are often present:

• Repetition of behaviours and phrases

• Avoiding eye contact

• High levels of anxiety, particularly surrounding changes to routine 

• Difficulty regulating emotional responses 

• Struggling to understand the feelings of others 

• Difficulty making and maintaining friendships 

• Need for control

• Resistance to requests/demands 

• Literal interpretation of language and not understanding idioms 

• Stimming e.g. rocking or flapping arms

It is important to remember that every person dealing with ASD is unique and symptoms differ from person to person. If you suspect you or you child may be living with Autism, getting an assessment is always the first step. 

1

What happens first?

If you suspect that you or your child are living with Autism, get in touch with us. We will discuss your concerns, get background information and advise whether an assessment should be your next step. 

If an assessment is recommended, you will be asked to provide any existing reports from school or other professionals. If these are not available, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire. 

2

How does it work?

If you require an adult assessment, please contact us for more information. 

An autism paediatric assessment with SEN Professionals involves both a parental interview and a child assessment. We follow the NICE guidelines and use gold standard assessments. Following screening 3di and ADI-R are parental interview questionnaires used and are followed up with the ADOS2 Assessment completed by the child or young person.

(Should government regulation regarding COVID-19 change, we will update the website accordingly.)

Part one: The Parental Interview (90 minutes average) 

A multidisciplinary team assessment includes parental interview and child assessment conducted simultaneously and face to face. If preferred, we offer the parental interview online via video call. The aim is to obtain the parents’ point of view and to pool together all background information including details about pregnancy, general development, family background etc. 

This ‘Autism Diagnostic Interview’ paints a detailed picture of the timeline of your child’s development and informs the diagnosis. 

Part two: Child Assessment (60 - 90 minutes) 

We then conduct a multi-disciplinary child assessment involving both a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and a Clinical Psychologist. This is a semi-structured play-based assessment during which the clinicians observe your child’s social interaction.

3

What’s included?

On the day of the Child Assessment (part 2) the clinicians will score the assessment and provide verbal feedback to the parents as to whether the child has met the threshold for an Autism diagnosis. 

A detailed report and recommendations will follow by post. 

Pricing

£1800

Payment Plan options are available. Full fee to be paid prior to assessment. Please give us a call to discuss in confidence.

4

Then what?

Getting a formal diagnosis of Autism is merely the starting point.

From there, you can begin to learn more about the unique needs of your child and what you and your child’s school can be doing in your daily interactions in order to best support their development. At SEN Professionals we are able to provide advice, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, parent and/or school training and support.

You might also like to take a look at our resources page for additional information and helpful materials.

Remember: with autism, early intervention is key.