To do that, an assessment needs to involve a minimum of two clinicians from different roles. The assessment content requires a Developmental History, along with the assessment of the child using a recognised assessment tool, such as the ADOS. Third-party input (generally the child’s school) and a report (of no determinate length) completes the necessary requirements. A report of just a page or two, providing a diagnosis, would technically suffice.
Here at Help for Psychology, we go beyond what is needed to just ‘tick a box’, and therefore look at providing the best assessment service possible. We use additional assessment tools to provide families with reports which don’t just acknowledge a diagnosis (if a diagnosis is the correct outcome), but guide them and schools in the best way of supporting the needs of their child, both now and in the future.
The first step to using our service is to complete our FREE online screening, which will provide guidance on the most appropriate next step. In the meantime, listed below you will find details of the different packages we offer, along with a host of other options which can be provided to fully meet the specific needs of your child.
To do that, an assessment needs to involve a minimum of two clinicians from different roles. The assessment content requires a Developmental History, along with the assessment of the child using a recognised assessment tool, such as the ADOS. Third-party input (generally the child’s school) and a report (of no determinate length) completes the necessary requirements. A report of just a page or two, providing a diagnosis, would technically suffice.
Here at Help for Psychology, we go beyond what is needed to just ‘tick a box’, and therefore look at providing the best assessment service possible. We use additional assessment tools to provide families with reports which don’t just acknowledge a diagnosis (if a diagnosis is the correct outcome), but guide them and schools in the best way of supporting the needs of their child, both now and in the future.
The first step to using our service is to complete our FREE online screening, which will provide guidance on the most appropriate next step. In the meantime, listed below you will find details of the different packages we offer, along with a host of other options which can be provided to fully meet the specific needs of your child.
Gold Standard
| Gold Standard | £1,750 |
|---|---|
| + Cognitive Assessment (additional service) | £195 |
| + 1hr Extended Feedback (additional service) | £150 |
- Developmental history taken by a Neurodevelopmental Specialist trained to use the ADI-R, and supervised by a Clinical Psychologist or equivalent
- ADOS-2 (we use age-related versions) carried out by either a Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist
- SRS-2 (see further details below)
- SPM-2 (see further details below)
- School report
- Multi disciplinary case review led by a Clinical Psychologist or equivalent
- Up to 30 minutes feedback via Google Meet
- Report (approx 25 pages, with additional pages for optional assessments selected) including recommendations
Gold Standard + Cognitive Assessment
| Gold Standard + Cognitive Assessment | £1,995 |
|---|---|
| + 1hr Extended Feedback (additional service) | £150 |
- Cognitive assessment (we use age-related versions)
- Up to 45 minutes feedback via Google Meet
- Report (approx 30 pages, with additional pages for optional assessments selected) including recommendations
Gold Standard + Education Focus
| Gold Standard + Education Focus | £2,475 |
|---|---|
| + Speech and Language Assessment - added to your report (additional service) | £600 |
| + DASH Assessment - added to your report (additional service) | £200 |
| + 1hr Extended Feedback (additional service) | £150 |
- Developmental history is taken by a Clinical Psychologist, Educational Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Paediatrician
- Cognitive assessment (we use age-related versions)
- Up to 60 minutes feedback via Google Meet
- Extended report (approx 45 pages, with additional pages for optional assessments selected) including recommendations
We use The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5 (CELF-5), the most up-to-date standardised assessment. The CELF-5 comprises a range of subtests to identify receptive and expressive language strengths and needs.
If you are concerned that your child is showing difficulty with one or more of the areas shown below, they may benefit from a full speech and language assessment.
- Listening, attention, memory and language processing, particularly when lots of information is being given orally
- Following instructions, understanding questions and narratives
- Understanding and using vocabulary
- Expressing what they want to say, including difficulties with word finding, grammar, and sequencing their thoughts
- Social interaction, including difficulties joining in conversations, understanding jokes, and non-literal language
- Using language to express their thoughts and feelings, and to regulate their behaviour and their interactions with other people
The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) is designed to identify children with handwriting difficulties. The assessment can provide a more accurate description of why a child or adolescent is struggling to write legibly and at a normal speed. The DASH provides a measure of handwriting speed, which can be useful when determining eligibility for extra support for a child in school, where we report the assessment results and provide supportive strategies and recommendations.
The DASH assessment identifies words per minute in relation to national averages under both test and non-test conditions. This gives a more accurate description of why the child is struggling to write legibly and at a normal speed.
All children may require some help with their handwriting at some point; however, profound handwriting difficulties are more likely to occur with the following conditions: Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and Dysphagia.
- Examine the child/adolescent’s fine motor and precision skills.
- Examines the child/adolescent’s speed of producing well-known symbolic material.
- Examines their ability to alter the speed of performance on two tasks with identical content and free writing competency.
- Difficulty identifying an object from a crowded background
- Poor fine motor control
- Difficulty doing up buttons/zips
- Difficulty manipulating objects
- Difficulty drawing/copying pictures
- Uncontrolled pencil movements
- Cramped or illegible handwriting
The ADOS-2 improves on the original ADOS, which at the time was already viewed as “the gold standard” for the observational assessment of autism. It can be used to evaluate almost anyone suspected of having autism from very young children with no speech, to adults who are verbally fluent. (We assess children from the age of four).
- Provides a highly accurate picture of current symptoms, unaffected by language
- Semi-structured, standardised assessment of communication, social interaction, play, and restricted and repetitive behaviours
- Presents various activities that elicit behaviours directly related to a diagnosis of autism
- Find out whether symptoms indicate autism, a social communication disorder, or something else
- Assess social impairment in natural settings and from more than one perspective
- Multiple perspectives approach on behaviour uncovers a wide range of symptoms, including those that are relatively subtle
- Numerous independent studies demonstrate that the SRS-2 is unmatched in its ability to measure severity of social impairment in the mildest, and most common, forms of autism – including Social Communication Disorder, a new diagnosis included in DSM-5
- Brevity and sensitivity of the SRS-2 make it highly useful for a variety of assessment needs
- Social Communication and Interaction
- Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behaviour
The SPM-2 is a norm-referenced measure of function in the visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, proprioceptive (body awareness), and vestibular (balance and motion) sensory systems, as well as praxis and social participation.
We offer the following optional assessments for all packages:
Cognitive Assessment – £195
A cognitive assessment is not an essential part of an autism assessment, in terms of providing a formal diagnosis, 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).
Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System (ABAS-3) – £245
Ten specific Adaptive Skills are measured by the ABAS-3; Communication, Community Use, Functional Academics, Home/School Living, Health and Safety, Leisure, Self Care, Self-Direction, Social skills, and Work. Measurement of an individual’s adaptive or functional skills is an important part of a diagnostic assessment; alongside the measurement of cognitive skills as it indicates an individual’s level of actual disability in everyday life. The ABAS-3 is compatible with DSM-5.
Behaviour Rating Index of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) – £245
Conners-4 ADHD Screening – £195
The key features of this screening:
- Provides information which can indicate that an ADHD diagnosis may be appropriate (however, a diagnosis would need to be confirmed by a formal assessment. Additionally, a Paediatrician or Psychiatrist, would also be able to discuss the possibility of medication with you.)
- Informing intervention and treatment strategies with information on a broad range of childhood disorders and concerns
- Details of where functioning is most impacted with impairment items that indicate how the child or young person functions in academic, home, and social settings
- Provides a multi-rater perspective of the child or young person’s difficulties with a Parent, Teacher, and Self-report version
Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory- MACI (Age range: 13 to 19 years) – £295
The first section of the interpretive report provided relates to those relatively enduring and pervasive character traits that are likely to underlie a young person’s difficulties. Rather than focus on specific problem areas, the report concentrates on any habitual, maladaptive methods of relating, behaving, thinking, and feeling.
Parental Stress Index (PSI) – £295
The child characteristics are measured in six subscales: Distractibility/Hyperactivity, Adaptability, Reinforces Parent, Demandingness, Mood, and Acceptability. The parent personality and situational variables component consists of seven subscales: Competence, Isolation, Attachment, Health, Role Restriction, Depression, and Spouse. In both scales, the higher the percentile value, the more significant the level of difficulty