Assessments

What to expect in your child’s Autism assessment

Before the assessment

We look at the information you and your child’s school or nursery have sent us. This helps us decide what kind of assessment will best help us understand your child.

 

The assessment may include:

• Reports from people who know your child well, like teachers or nursery staff. If your child isn’t in school, we’ll ask for information from others who know them well.
• A conversation with you (parent or carer) to learn about your child’s early development and what you’ve noticed recently.
• Watching your child during play or activities. We may use a special tool called ADOS-2 or an informal, depending on what suits your child.
• We might see your child in different places, like school, home, or online.
• Extra appointments if we need more time to understand your child better.

You’ll be told why each part of the assessment is happening, and you can ask questions at any time. If you’re worried or need more time, please talk to the team.

 

You may be asked to come to one of our centres:

We’ll try to book the closest one to you. If travel is hard, let us know.

 

Your child may be seen by different professionals, such as:

• Speech and Language Therapist.
• Paediatrician.
• Psychologist.
• Occupational Therapist.
• Clinical Coordinator or Assistant.
• Specialist Nurse.

We also work with people outside the NHS, like your child’s teacher, SENCo, or educational psychologist.

 

 

After the assessment

The team will meet to talk about what they’ve learned. There are a few possible outcomes:

• Autism diagnosis is agreed.
• Autism is not the right diagnosis, and we’ll explain why.
• More assessments are needed.
• We need to wait and see how your child develops before making a decision.
• You’ll get a call to explain the outcome. If you prefer a video or face-to-face meeting, just ask. We can also use an interpreter if needed.

 

What you’ll receive

• A summary report and a letter with the outcome.
• A chance to have a follow-up chat within 6 weeks to ask questions or talk about the diagnosis with your child.

After this, your child will be discharged from the pathway unless more support is needed. We’ll also try to guide you to helpful services and support.