ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder

What happens next?

Seeking a professional assessment is the first step. People referring to the service will provide us with a holistic perspective on how your child presents in multiple settings, such as home and school.

What will happen at the assessment?

Each child's assessment will be made up of a number of different meetings. These may include:

• observations - children and young people are assessed in a range of environments, which may include the children's school or another setting. The type of assessment offered will be specific to your child's needs and may be face-to-face or virtual. The NDP Team will advise the best assessment type for your child.
• information gathering - we will collect information from parents/carers, schools and other settings, any key professionals and, depending on age, we may also gather information directly from the child;
• further assessments - these may include exploring other explanations for your child's presentation as, wherever possible, we will aim to provide an understanding of a child's needs even if this is found not to be autism.

Which professionals will be involved in an assessment?

Every child will have the core group of professionals involved in their assessment outlined in current NICE guidelines but they may not see/meet all of them.

A child's assessment may, therefore, include an number of different professionals, including:

• speech and language therapist
• community paediatrician
• psychologist
• occupational therapist
• clinical co-ordinator
• clinical assistant
• specialist nurse

There may also be non-NHS professionals working with yout child, such as their school SENCo, educational psychologist, teacher/early years teacher or communication and autism team, with whom we will work closely.

What happens after the assessment?

When the assessment is complete, professionals meet for a discussion - a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting. A decision will be made at this meeting and outcomes may include:

• There is sufficient evidence to determine that a diagnosis of ASD is given at this time - diagnosis agreed.
• There is insufficient evidence to determine that a diagnosis of ASD is given at this time - diagnosis not given.
• We feel a child needs more time to continue developing emerging skills, with agreed strategies of support before a decision can be reached.

If we feel we have found an alternative or differential explanation for a child's difficulties, we will provide this outcome also.

Families will receive a feedback call from a professional to share the outcome and this will be shared with the child's family and agreed professionals.

Following the feedback call, families will receive a report detailing the assessment and confirming the outcome.

Where indicated, we will provide a plan/advice and/or a programme of activities for you to complete with your child at home. In some cases, additional advice may be given to your child's nursery or school.

Your child will then be discharged from the pathway and there will be no further intervention unless this is indicated to you by a member of the team. We also aim to provide signposting and post-diagnostic support from our partners if this is possible and available.

Once the report has been received, families will be offered the opportunity for a follow-up discussion.

Feedback

‘I think having the assessment all in one day makes things so much easier, because within one day it’s over and its one day that you have to be available to complete the assessment instead of having different days and times. It worked really well for me and my daughter’.
Parent of service user.

‘Very friendly, professional staff.’
Parent of service user

Healios:

‘The communication throughout has been fantastic. We have been kept informed as to what is happening, what we can expect and been reassured during assessments when we've been unsure about information we may have forgotten. Everyone has been very personable and approachable which not only made it a much more pleasant experience for ourselves, but also for our child too. I would highly recommend the service to anyone else that needed it. Times have been prompt, everything has been clearly set out and we've felt like everything we have said has been listened too and taken seriously. Even when our internet was playing up for us, we were quickly called and soon managed to sort everything out and get back on track. Thank you for making a potentially stressful event feel more manageable, we are really grateful.’
Parent of service user

‘Detailed questioning to gather the best information. Good explanation of any questions that may of not been clear. God explanation of how assessment works, next steps and outcomes. Very reassuring throughout the whole process’.
Parent of service user

‘Done in the comfort of own home. Clinicians were professional and listened well.’
Parent of service user

If you are waiting for a new or a follow up appointment and you are concerned about your child’s health, or if there has been significant deterioration in your child’s behaviour, please contact your GP, call 111 or 999 if an emergency.