Autism Assessments-Timely diagnosis without having to wait

Child autism assessments

Our child autism diagnostic assessment consists of:

• Developmental history (parent interview)
• Structured observation of your child in clinic
• Second Observation of your child in a non-clinic setting (please note, additional fees may be inccured)
• Discussion with teaching staff
• Review of available reports
• Diagnostic discussion by assessing team
• Feedback meeting with you and your child

We use the best available tools – ADOS-2 and ADI-R – to complete our assessment and children are always seen by more than one clinician. Our service includes a report and advice, and a dedicated point of contact or keyworker during the assessment process. We aim to complete the full assessment within 4 weeks. Please note, the final report may take up to 4 weeks to be completed, quality checked by our Senior panel of Clinicians and distributed.

Adult autism assessments

Our adult autism diagnostic assessment consists of:

• Clinical interview, including taking a developmental history
• Direct observation of your communication and interaction skills in clinic
• Review of information from informants (in person or via reports)
• Diagnostic discussion by assessing team
• Feedback meeting with you

We understand the importance of quality assessments, and therefore as a service we require to see you face to face to conduct the gold standard ADOS-2 observational assessment in one of our clinics.

At the moment due to the current situation with COVID-19, we are currently only conducting the direct observation in limited locations. The other parts of the assessment will be done via zoom. We aim to complete the full assessment within a 4 week period. Please note, the final report may take up to 4 weeks to be completed, quality checked by our Senior panel of Clinicians and distributed.

Mental Health Assessments

Our clinicians can also offer psychological assessments focusing on your development, behaviour, and mental health in the form of an hour and half long consultation. These assessments are provided for both adults and children who have concerns over their mental health, including those who have been told there is a long wait for psychological assessment within the NHS.

These assessments can be linked to an autism diagnosis or suspected diagnosis, or they can be stand alone concerns that you want assessed.

Our staff will be able to complete a formulation or “story” of what we think is causing your distress based on our knowledge of psychological theory and different conditions. We will then make recommendations for what we think will help.

For some people, just understanding themselves better is therapeutic, but for others, further assessments or therapy can be useful. Either way, you will be able to move forward in your own growth and in accessing more appropriate help and support.

Why choose us?

With years of experience, knowledge, and expertise, as well as the latest tools and research, our diagnostic assessments are of the highest standard and are thorough and comprehensive.

We understand what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to completing reliable diagnostic assessments. There are no short-cuts and less robust assessments are more likely to result in a diagnosis being missed or people being incorrectly diagnosed.

As a private healthcare provider with a specialism in autism and mental health assessments, we can offer efficient and professional service, without the wait, and with trustworthy results. Our clinicians are also able to direct you to other resources and sources of support so that you never feel like you are walking this journey alone.

We offer autism assessments in Wolverhampton, autism assessments in Shrewsbury and autism assessments in Derby. We also have a network of clinicians and are generally able to assist with enquiries made anywhere on mainland UK.

How much does it cost?

The total cost of a child autism assessment is £2,150. This includes a report and advice, and a dedicated point of contact or key worker during the assessment process.

For children who attend a school that is over 10 miles from the chosen clinic base, an additional fee will be incurred per mile for travel and the clinician’s time.

The total cost of an adult autism assessment is £1,750. This includes a report and advice, and a dedicated point of contact of key worker during the assessment process.

Additional fees such as mileage may apply in certain circumstances, please refer to The Autism Service’s terms and conditions.

Will my private diagnosis be recognised?

The main reason for a questioned diagnosis is low-quality assessment. A high quality assessment includes seeing people in different settings, the opinion of more than one clinician, consideration of alternative explanations, and completed diagnosis from an experienced and suitably qualified clinician.

The diagnostic assessment that The Autism Service offers is thorough and in line with national guidance.  There is, therefore, no reason for another agency to not recognise a diagnosis made by us.

You will receive a report that evidences the reason for our decision-making, and if there are any issues we can speak to agencies on your behalf to confirm our diagnosis.