Autism Assessments

Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) is a broad term used to describe a spectrum of neurodevelopmental conditions. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects the way we communicate, interact and understand the world and others around us. As the name suggest, Autism is on a spectrum and therefore it can be different for everyone depending on the difficulties and symptoms experienced and the severity of these. Some people need little, or no support and others may need help every day.

It is important to recognise that Autism is not an illness. It is a condition that means your brain works in a different way and sometimes this means you need support to help you with certain things. Most importantly, it does not have to stop you living a full and good life. Like all people, you will have your own strengths and weaknesses, but there are a few key characteristics which are most commonly seen including:

Difficulties with social interaction and communication. This can include things like:
- Taking things literally, or needing extra time to process information
- Struggling to make or maintain friendships, not seeking comfort or understanding appropriate social interactions
Repetitive or restrictive behaviours such as:
- Keeping to routine or becoming distressed at changes in routine
- Repeating movements or using objects either out of enjoyment or to self soothe
Experiencing sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smell, light, colours
Focussed or intense interests and hobbies
Anxiety

This is not an exhaustive list of symptoms and it is important to know that not everyone will experience the same difficulties. The symptoms are divided into two main categories: problems with communication and social interaction, and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour or activities (DSM-5). In order to get a diagnosis, a person must display difficulties in social communication and interaction and have some symptoms in repetitive or restrictive behaviours; all of which must be present across multiple contexts (e.g. home, school, work etc)

We don’t know what causes Autism, but we do know that it is not caused by bad parenting, vaccines, diet or an infection you can spread to others.

What does an Assessment Involve?

If you are concerned you or your child may have Autism, there are a number of methods to assess for Autism. The ‘gold standard’ approach to diagnosing Autism is to have a multi-disciplinary approach (i.e. several clinicians) to ensure a comprehensive and objective and to use standardised and validated assessment tools. As a result, I have created a pathway for assessment which reflects this approach. This ensures you only pay for the relevant parts you need, and you can decide at any stage whether you wish to continue.

To carry out the standard assessment, I work alongside Dr Laxmi Budhwar, Clinical Neuropsychologist and an Assistant Psychologist. Sometimes, it is important to involve other professionals, depending on the needs of the assessment, this can include a Consultant Psychiatrist, Consultant Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist. If it is relevant to include any of these professionals, I work alongside a number of individuals and will discuss this with you during the initial enquiry.

The package is split into three parts (described below) which includes using screening tools, interviews, assessment tools, observations (where appropriate), post assessment discussions to feedback and on-going support (where appropriate). The team explore the history of the difficulties, yours or your child’s personal and developmental history, understand how the symptoms and difficulties impact on you and determine if Autism is the right diagnosis.

I can offer assessments for Adults and Children of all ages (however for younger children, below 6, there may be a different approach).

Pathway

I have designed pathway to ensure you are getting the best out of the process. It involves three main stages:

Click below for the pathway...

1. Pre-Assessment

Pre-Assessment

The pre-assessment includes an initial consultation with you (either for yourself or in relation to your child) to find out the difficulties and reasons for seeking an assessment. This is usually a 30 minute telephone / video call, however for more complex cases, we may suggest a 1 hour face-to-face meeting. We then send out pre-assessment questionnaires and screening tools to be completed by you, and teachers (if relation to a child). Once we receive these back, we score them and decide if an ASC assessment is the most appropriate assessment and give you a brief feedback about this. The pre-assessment will also determine whether the full assessment needs to involve other professionals or additional assessments (e.g. cognitive assessment or observations).

Where an ASC assessment is not suggested, we can offer a more detailed feedback and discussion about what other reasons you or your child may be struggling (please see stage 3).

2. Assessment

Assessment

Where a full ASC assessment is recommended through the initial consultation and screening, we then begin the gold-standard assessment. This usually involves two appointments (one with each clinician).

One appointment with the adult to complete a comprehensive interview to gather a detailed personal and developmental history (for yourself or your child). This will give time to think about personal history, development of early years, family experiences and emotional well-being. The appointment will last approximately 90 minutes.

At the same time one appointment will be to carry out a standardised observation using the ADOS-2 assessment tool for your child or other relevant diagnostic tools for adults. These assessments usually involve some short interviews and questions as well as stimulating activities to understand how your child sees the world and observe their interactions.

Sometimes an additional cognitive assessment of intellectual functioning may be recommended (this will be discussed at pre-assessment as it involves additional costs) and observation of a child in home or school environment may also be recommended (again this will be discussed at the initial consultation). Where the cognitive assessment or observations are recommended, these will usually be through an additional appointment so that it is not overwhelming and to allow you / your child to feel safe during the process.

Occasionally, it is important to include other professionals such as a Paediatrician, Psychiatrist, Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist. These will be decided at the pre-assessment stage and if appropriate, separate appointments will be arranged to meet with the relevant professionals. We already work with a range of professionals so you do not have to worry about finding another professional as we will arrange this as part of the assessment.

The whole approach is flexible and can be adapted to give plenty of time to build rapport and ensure we are getting an accurate picture.

Professional Discussion

Once the assessments are completed, the clinicians will meet and discuss the assessments. All the information gathered will be carefully considered to come to an understanding of whether ASC is relevant and what is happening for you or your child. Occasionally we may discuss the assessment with a Consultant Psychiatrist or Consultant Paediatrician, even when they are not involved directly with the assessment, to ensure an accurate diagnostic outcome.

3. Feedback, Report and Ongoing support.

Feedback, Report and Ongoing support.

Following the assessment, we will arrange a feedback appointment with both clinicians (myself and Dr Budhwar), where appropriate, to go through the outcome of our findings and discuss our understanding of what is going on for you or your child.

Where we are making a diagnosis of ASC, we will explain this to you and your child and make recommendations in regard to strategies or support that might be needed. We can offer post-diagnostic support and will discuss with you how this might be helpful for you or your child. As we work as part of an MDT and with other professionals we can make the appropriate suggests and referrals to ensure you or your child receives the best support.

A written report will also be provided following the feedback session which you can share with relevant people. There will be an opportunity to request any amendments to the report where these are factually incorrect.

To find out more about the Autism Assessment packages, please Contact Me and I will be happy to provide you with more information and discuss your individual needs.