Autism Assessment
At Your Way Psychology and Education, we offer multidisciplinary assessments for autism and other difficulties. Our team comprises highly skilled and expert clinicians with experience in the NHS. We believe in identifying your child’s strengths, celebrating what makes them unique, and providing personalised support every step of the way. We have been commissioned by the NHS and local authorities and our reports have been accepted by both.
Call us or email today to work out if an assessment is right for your child:
01280 853 356
admin@yourwaypsychology.co.uk
We are neuro-affirming, which means we support and celebrate neurodiversity, valuing the strengths and rights of neurodivergent individuals and providing the adaptations they need to succeed and thrive without attempting to 'fix' or change their neurotype
What do our families say?
“We felt heard and listened to. Going forward, that will impact our lives positively with other professionals. We have been validated, my concerns have been validated. We have started the process for an EHCP in school, he will have more of his needs met by school and intervention”
“The diagnosis made me more confident in the EHCP application and decision to move from mainstream school to alternative provision. The report and recommendations from YourWay Psychology were incredibly helpful for this as well.”
Autism Assessment Process
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Contact & Screening
We will have an initial discussion with you to work out what you are hoping to get from an autism assessment. When you refer your child to us, we will ask for some basic information including details about your child and the reasons for you requesting an assessment. We will then send some screening questionnaires to you and your child’s school.
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Initial Assessment
This appointment is with one of our clinical psychologists and is conducted via MS Teams. It lasts 1.5 – 2 hours and is an interview-based assessment gathering a detailed developmental history, and an overview of the child’s presentation from birth to the current time. We need at least one parent to be present, as well as the child. It may be that you do not feel it is appropriate for your child to join this appointment, which can be discussed with the clinician at the time. After this appointment you will receive feedback on whether it is advised to proceed to the follow-up assessment or not.
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Face to face ADOS-II
If we proceed, the follow-up assessment is an ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule). The ADOS is a standardised tool used in assessing autism. It is an activity-based assessment, which involves the child and assessor completing various activities together. This appointment is with a different member of our team from the individual you met in the initial assessment. The ADOS typically takes between 30-60 minutes, and it will be filmed so that it can be reviewed by our multidisciplinary team if needed. Parents are normally asked to wait outside the room whilst the ADOS is being completed.
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Follow up appointment
Once the assessment is complete we meet as a multidisciplinary team to discuss the diagnostic assessment and agree an outcome. We will then provide you with a full report detailing the assessment along with the recommendations. The whole process from the first appointment to receiving the report will take between 6-8 weeks.
You will be offered a follow up appointment with our clinical team to help you understand the diagnosis and what it means for your child.
What happens next?
It is up to you who you share the report with, but if a diagnosis is given and you wish to access support from your local CAMHS, they will likely ask you to send a copy of the report to them so that they can confirm the diagnosis. Please be aware that a private diagnosis does not offer any prioritisation for follow-up in CAMHS, and your child will be placed on their waiting list. We do not have up-to-date information on how long the CAMHS wait is.
The report will offer basic recommendations for home and school, and signposting to relevant local support networks and parent training. You will have access to a follow-up meeting to discuss the assessment and outcome with the assessing clinician and a member of our education team. Following a diagnosis, one of our highly specialist education team can provide further support by liaising with school, including advice and support around the Education Health and Care Plan process. However, free advice and support can be found from your local authority’s SENDIAS team or the charity IPSEA. Although some parents prefer to access our more bespoke support within Your Way Psychology and Education, and this is charged according to our hourly rates.
Fees
How much does an autism diagnostic assessment cost?
£1,750 For the compete assessment, report and follow up appointment.
Details
If you decide to go ahead with an assessment there is a non-refundable £100 deposit which will be deducted from the overall fee. The fee for the initial screening and assessment is £750 (£650 invoiced after receipt of the £100 booking deposit).
This does not result in a diagnosis. It will indicate whether there is sufficient evidence to undertake a follow-up assessment, based on all of the information gathered. If we progress to a full autism assessment the additional fee is £1000 so the total is £1,750.
A follow-up appointment with a clinical professional and half an hour meeting with an educational professional is included within the £1,750 fee. Any additional follow-up support from the team is charged at £100-£135 an hour depending on what is required and which member of the team is best placed to provide this.
Payment is via Bank Transfer. We do not accept cheques, credit cards or cash. We will invoice for the screening and initial assessment fee prior to the initial appointment and ask that payment is made before the appointment. The balance will be invoiced after the initial appointment and payment needs to be made in full prior to the second appointment. Likewise, payments for any additional follow-up support/meetings need to be made prior to the appointments.