Child Autism Assessment FAQ’s

What are the benefits of a diagnosis?

It may help an individual (and others around them) to understand why they may experience certain difficulties and how to support their needs.
It may provide insight into any existing mental health challenges.
It may help the individual to access appropriate services and benefits.
Reasonable adjustments can be put in place in the educational setting or workplace environment.
It can enable you to gain more tailored ongoing support. For example, therapists may choose different techniques and counselling models.
It may help individuals with a more internalised or subtle autistic profile.
You might need a diagnosis to join some social groups.
Although you don’t need to be diagnosed to have self-belief, some autistic people welcome the diagnosis as a way of making sense of their life experiences and being able to identify with other autistic people.

What are the benefits of having an online assessment?

An online assessment session allows you to access a wider range of clinicians, more flexibly, from the most suitable environment for you/the child. Having your assessment online can help to reduce the potential anxiety of travelling to a clinic space and meeting the clinicians face to face. Often individuals feel safer in their homes and can feel more able to be themselves.

Having an assessment online means our assessment is ‘ADOS informed’ as it is not standardised online. Our clinicians are experienced at delivering these assessments online, and we have various strategies to make sure the experience is as accurate as it can be.

How long will the ADOS assessment take?

The assessments usually take between 45 minutes and an hour. There is space for as many breaks as you feel you need. There is also time at the end to ask any questions and share anything you feel you have not had the opportunity to share.

What if my child does not engage in the assessment?

The assessment is an observational session, where we can understand how your child responds and copes with various tasks and questions. There are no right or wrong answers or ways to approach and complete the session.

Our assessors are experienced with working with highly anxious and avoidant individuals who might struggle with completing tasks or answering questions. We have various strategies that help each individual feel calmer and able to try their best. If they are unable to attend, we can discuss this and explain alternative options.

How can I support and prepare my child for the assessment?

Many people we assess are anxious initially and we have various tactics to help make each individual feel more settled. Most people actually enjoy elements if not the whole ADOS session. We have various resources that we can provide you with to show your child before the session, to help them understand what to expect, as well as sharing how you might explain the reason behind coming for the assessment.

Will assessors be able to recognise if the I/my child may be masking?

We know that masking is a common feature in Autism and we take this into account when making a diagnostic decision.

Who should my/my child’s informant be?

The informant needs to ideally be someone who has known the individual since early childhood (under 5 years old). This is usually a parent or carer.

However, we understand that in some cases this is not possible. In this case, the informant should be someone who knows the individual now and has known them for as long as possible.

What if I don’t think an informant will be able to give good evidence?

We gather information from lots of different sources. We will look at the whole picture and not base our decision on one piece of evidence. You can tell the people assessing you/your child if you are particularly concerned about inaccurate evidence.

Can someone get a diagnosis if they have friends, have a job or make eye contact?

We know that there is huge variability in the way different Autistic people behave, communicate and live their lives. Autistic people may have friends, have jobs, and/or make eye contact. We will view you/your child as a whole person and look at strengths and difficulties in many different areas.

What is the difference between Autism and Aspergers?

Previously ‘Asperger’s Syndrome’ and ‘Autistic disorder’ were separate diagnoses. However, this changed in 2013 when both were incorporated within ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’ in the DSM-V. This changed because it was recognised that every Autistic individual has their own unique set of strengths and needs, and there was not a clear and reliable difference between Aspergers and Autism.

As the change in terminology happened recently, you will often see/hear it still being used.

What does neurodiversity/neurodivergence mean?

Neurodiversity refers to the diversity of different neurotypes within a group. This includes both neurodivergent and neurotypical. Neurodivergence refers to anyone whose brain works differently due to developmental and/or acquired differences. This can include neurodevelopmental conditions (like Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia), brain injuries, and mental health conditions.

Neurotypical describes people whose brains and cognitive functions align with what is commonly seen as typical or average in society.