Help for Psychology offers an independent assessment and diagnosis service for children who are suspected of having an Autism Spectrum Disorder, including those with the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile. (Please note: ‘Autism with the PDA profile’ is from herein referred to as Autism/PDA).
We follow the NICE (National Institute of Clinical and Care Excellence) guidelines for the assessment and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders. This means that we always assess individuals by using at least two professionals from different disciplines.
Our child assessments generally adopt a three step process:
- Initial Autism or Autism/PDA screen
- Optional one-hour consultation – This optional online consultation is carried out without the child being present, allowing the parent(s) to speak openly. (There is a charge for this element of the process).
- Formal assessment`
The one-hour consultation is an option, as some parents prefer to book their children in for an assessment following the initial screen, particularly if we see strong evidence of possible Autism or Autism/PDA. However, we have introduced the one-hour consultation just to ensure a formal assessment is the most appropriate route to take. If we feel after the initial screen, and consultation, that a diagnosis of Autism or Autism/PDA is very unlikely, then 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 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.
An assessment of a child between 3 - 6 will broadly consist of the following:
- Meeting with the child’s parent or caregiver to take a comprehensive developmental history
- A play based assessment using the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Modules One or Two)
- Sensory screen
- Pragmatic (social use of) language and communication assessment
- Nursery/School feedback provided via a comprehensive questionnaire.
- In addition, we also carry out a Cognitive Assessment to establish areas of strength or difficulty. (WPPSI IV)
An assessment of a child between 6 – 12 will broadly consist of the following:
- Meeting with the child’s parent or caregiver to take a comprehensive developmental history
- A play based assessment using the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Modules Two or Three)
- Sensory screen
- Pragmatic (social use of) language and communication assessment
- School feedback provided via a comprehensive questionnaire, and communication assessment.
- In addition, we also carry out a Cognitive Assessment to establish areas of strength or difficulty. (WPPSI IV or WISC V, as appropriate.)
An assessment of a young person between 12 – 19 will broadly consist of the following:
- Meeting with the child’s parent or caregiver to take a comprehensive developmental history
- A structured assessment of imagination and interaction (using the ADOS, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Modules Three or Four)
Adolescent/Adult sensory screen completed by the young person - Pragmatic (social use of) language and communication assessment
- School feedback provided via a comprehensive questionnaire, and communication assessment.
- In addition, we also carry out a Cognitive Assessment to establish areas of strength or difficulty. (WISC V or WAIS IV, as appropriate.)
Diagnostic Reports
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. This includes speech and language ability, including the child’s social use of language. We also offer a sensory screen. This then allows 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.)
Assessment options
We offer other optional extras to our assessment service, as follows:
- Extended feedback with parents after they have had time to read the comprehensive report we provided. (60 minutes – either face to face, via telephone, or via Google Meet.)
- Feedback to the child’s school/nursery to discuss the child’s difficulties. (30 minutes via telephone, or via Google Meet.)
- Post-Diagnostic Support
We have developed a range of post-diagnostic support options which are as follows:
- Parent training modules to help support those children and young people diagnosed with Autism and Autism/PDA (These are being introduced during 2023 as online courses. Further details will appear on our Facebook page as we announce them).
- Teacher training modules to help support those children and young people, within the school environment, who have been diagnosed with Autism and Autism/PDA profile (These are being introduced during 2023 as online courses. Further details will appear on our Facebook page as we announce them).
- One-to-one sessions with a Clinical Psychologist or Speech and Language Therapist to discuss interventions and strategies or to deal with specific difficulties around challenging behaviour
- One-to-one sessions with one of our therapists trained in Sensory Integration
- One-to-one sessions with children and young people to address issues such as anxiety or anger management
- Family sessions to examine family dynamics and the impact of the diagnosis
We are also currently exploring the possibility of starting ‘social groups’ where more able children on the Autistic Spectrum can get to know each other and meet regularly.
Preparing your child for an assessment
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 have just introduced 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.
Cognitive Assessment
A cognitive assessment is not an essential part of an autism assessment but it can be very useful. Most children (and young adults) have reasonably similar abilities in the different areas of the assessment (e.g. verbal and non-verbal reasoning, working memory and processing speed). Many autistic children will have an uneven or ‘spiky’ profile of strengths and difficulties.
Some may be extremely able verbally but struggle in many other areas. They may have difficulties retaining and manipulating information or copying information off the board. Others may have significant language difficulties but process non-verbal information much more efficiently. Results of a cognitive assessment can be shared with school and used as supporting evidence to secure an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan).