Autism Assessments for Children

Help for Psychology offers an independent assessment and diagnosis service for children who are suspected of being autistic. 

We follow the NICE (National Institute of Clinical and Care Excellence) guidelines for the assessment and diagnosis of Autism. This means that we always assess individuals by using at least two professionals from different disciplines.

Unlike most other providers, we don’t just offer a ‘one price fits all’ approach, as we are fully aware that each autistic child may have additional personal needs and support requirements which may be different to other autistic children. To this end we have developed a variety of assessment packages, which you can directly access and review via the link to our prices at the end of this page.

1. Initial FREE Autism screen
2. Optional one-hour Consultation – This optional online consultation is carried out without the child being present, allowing the parent(s) to speak openly.
3. Formal Assessment

It is important to note, that unlike some autism screening tools which consist of limited questions, our screening does take longer to complete as it goes into a lot more depth. This is so we can gain a better picture of your child, rather than just providing well used generic questions (of which some are now out of date) linked to autism.

Autism is on a spectrum, so it is misleading to think all autistic children will present in the same way. If we see very few, or indeed no signs of possible autism, we will inform you. Our screening and consultation process is to help you avoid paying for an assessment if a diagnosis is ultimately highly unlikely.

The one-hour consultation is only offered as an option, as some parents prefer to book their children straight in for an assessment following the initial screen, particularly if we see strong evidence of possible autism. However, we have introduced the optional one-hour consultation, priced at £100, just to ensure a formal assessment is the most appropriate route to take, particularly if we are only seeing some possible evidence, rather than strong possible evidence, of autism at the screening stage.

Ethically it is very important to us that families avoid spending money on assessments if it is highly unlikely that their child will receive a formal diagnosis. Therefore if we feel after the initial screen, and consultation, that a diagnosis of autism is very unlikely, we would advise accordingly. If after the screen and initial consultation we feel an assessment is appropriate, then if the parent books a formal assessment with us, we provide a discount on the assessment price, which equates to 50% of the cost of the initial one-hour consultation.

The NICE guidelines also suggest that children should be assessed in more than one context. We therefore send out a comprehensive and confidential school questionnaire, and request feedback from teachers for all children being assessed.  (If your child does not attend a school, then we can discuss different options for this third party input.)  Our assessment process varies from child to child and we are happy to use reports which have been produced by other HCPC registered professionals to avoid repetition.

Further details of all the elements of our assessments, and the various assessment tools we use, can be found on our pricing page. (See link below)

One of the biggest reasons why an autistic person may not receive a formal diagnosis is due to autistic masking, sometimes known as camouflaging. As a team we have exceptional knowledge and experience in this area, and where other health and education professionals fail to ‘see behind the mask’, we know what to look for and can identify signs of masking.

Throughout our website, we have a number of blog articles and help guides on the subject. If you have a concern that your child masks, then please start by reading our blog article; Diagnostic concerns and revisions to the DSM 5 , which explains one of the key reasons why so many clinical teams end up not giving a diagnosis when a child is clearly autistic.

In addition to detailing how we came to our diagnostic opinion, our reports also contain a full explanation of the child’s individual profile of strengths and difficulties.

In addition to taking a Developmental History, and carrying out an ADOS (we use specific aged related versions), all our Autism Assessments also include a sensory screen, which provides a complete picture of sensory integration and processing difficulties in multiple environments, offering intervention strategies to help with sensory integration and processing challenges. Additionally, our Autism Assessments also include a Social Responsiveness Screen, which identifies the presence and severity of social impairment within the autism spectrum and differentiates it from that which occurs in other disorders. This particular screen also makes it easy to compare your child’s presentation to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism. Such comparisons clearly inform diagnosis and further helps us to determine whether your child meets the most current diagnostic criteria for autism.

These screens, and the other elements of the assessments, then allow us to produce a comprehensive picture of your child and any difficulties this might lead to. All our reports come with detailed recommendations for school and home in terms of supporting and managing any areas of concern.

Should any parent find our reports are not accepted locally, then we are happy to discuss the matter with the local NHS team or local authority, on their behalf.

We offer a wide range of optional extras to our assessment service, in order to provide your child with the most bespoke assessment possible to meet their personal needs. All available options are listed and fully described on our pricing page.

Many children become nervous, and anxious, about being assessed, particularly if they are going to a place they are unfamiliar with, and being introduced to people they have never met before. We make every effort to ensure we create a relaxed and non-threatening environment for them to visit. There are no uniforms, all the clinicians wear casual clothing, and their photos are on this website for your children to look at.

In addition to all the images on this website for them to see, we provide a brochure for children being assessed, titled ‘My visit’. These will be sent out ahead of their visit, and the brochure explains what the assessment entails, and will include photos of the rooms we use for assessments. We have produced a separate brochure for under 11s and over 11s, and different brochures for our clinics in Norwich and Henley-in-Arden. Many parents have told us that these brochures have been of extreme benefit when attending our clinics with their children.

Referrals to NHS teams for autism and ADHD assessments increased by 888% between April 2019 and December 2023 (Nuffield Trust), with many more children being referred since the COVID 19 lockdowns. Whether this represents a true rise in prevalence rates, or more parents simply noticing their children’s challenges at this time is unclear. However, what is clear is that waiting times for NHS assessments have increased dramatically, with many teams being completely overwhelmed. Waiting times of up to five years are not unusual.

So why choose a private assessment?

• Your child will be seen more quickly. We can usually offer an appointment within a maximum of three months (sometimes much sooner). We are strong believers in early diagnosis, support and understanding. A ‘‘Stitch in Time’’ is a key message we aim to promote.
• Gaining access to a comprehensive, NICE compliant assessment, which provides the option of tailoring certain aspects of your child’s assessment to meet their specific needs (for example – Educational or Mental Health). All our clinicians have extensive experience of working in diagnostic services.
• You will receive comprehensive feedback about your child’s assessment and a detailed report (with recommendations) that is specifically tailored to your child’s needs.
• Our experienced clinicians can also consider other co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and we can refer onwards within our extensive team should you wish to discuss mental health issues or medication further. We can also offer a range of therapeutic interventions after a diagnosis.
• Our reports can be used to support an EHCP application. We have frequently received praise for the depth and comprehensiveness of the information contained in our reports, and our helpful suggestions for support.
• We have a choice of two clinics where we can offer flexible appointment slots to accommodate travel time to and from the clinic and to help manage any anxiety your child might feel about attending an assessment. We have the time to create a welcoming and low-arousal environment.
• Many people have concerns that a private diagnosis won’t be accepted by either the NHS or the Local Authority. As a recognised provider of services to the NHS in certain parts of the country and various Local Authorities across the country, we are very confident that our assessment reports will be fully accepted.