Autism Assessment process for Children & Young People

We will send out a pack of questionnaires by email for you. We will also email a questionnaire to be completed by the school SENCO, a Class Teacher, or a Teaching Assistant to gather observations about how the child interacts in and with the school environment.

Our developmental history session is delivered online and is where a specialist clinician gathers information about the child’s overall development. This includes their presentation over time, their skills and capacity to manage demand, systematically working through their developmental history and capturing both early and current observations from those who know them best. This is typically held with parents or carers/guardians.

This is based on the ADI-r assessment, although additional questionnaires and collateral information may also be gathered. The session takes up to 2 hours to complete.

Our observation session is based on The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule–Second Edition (ADOS-2) which is a standardised activity-based assessment which explores a person’s development in key areas of communication skills, social interaction, and imaginative use of materials.

The ADOS-2 is administered online by a specialist clinician who records the session, enabling the wider assessment team to review the information afterwards to support their decision-making. The observation session takes from around 45 minutes to about 1 hour to conduct, and a lot of this depends on the needs of the child themselves and the pace that best suits them.

There are many benefits to assessing online, including a reduced change in routine, children can access their appointment in their own sensory environment, the hope being a more authentic presentation is seen. We can provide support and strategies to help your child access their appointment online if this is something you think they will find difficult. Similarly, if you cannot access this in your own home, we can work with your child’s school to facilitate the appointment there.

A multi-disciplinary team meeting is when all the clinicians who are involved in the child’s assessment review and discuss all the information from the assessment. The MDT will use the DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder to determine if there is sufficient evidence from the assessment to meet the minimum criteria for autism or not. Sometimes, at this point, clinicians may request further information from the family, to help them reach an outcome.

After the MDT meeting, the clinicians will have agreed an appropriate outcome for the child based on all the information and evidence from all components of the assessment. The clinician will arrange a phone appointment with the named contact in order to give the outcome, provide a summary of the overall assessment and provide suggestions of appropriate strategies or interventions that may be beneficial. A comprehensive, detailed assessment report will be shared with you within four weeks of your feedback phone call.