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What does an autism assessment involve?
Step 1 - Enquiry
When you contact us to discuss an assessment, we will aim to answer any questions you might have, and you will be asked to return a form with some basic information about yourself (contact details, preferred pronouns, occupation etc).
Step 2 - Initial Consultation
We will then find a mutually convenient time to meet online for an initial consultation which takes 90 minutes. Once your first appointment is booked, we send you some screening measures to complete in advance. In the initial consultation we speak in more detail about the things you have noticed that have made you suspect you are autistic, as well as other background information such as your physical and mental health. You are welcome to ask someone to join you for this session if you would find this helpful (but it is definitely not a requirement). Towards the end of the initial consultation, we let you know whether we have heard enough to suggest whether an assessment might be a good use of your time (and money), so you can decide whether to proceed. We discuss which assessment tools might be best for your circumstances, and you have the opportunity to ask us any questions that might be on your mind. You can choose to end the process here if you no longer wish to proceed with the assessment.
If you do decide to go ahead with an assessment, you will be added to our waiting list at this point. We will aim to give you a rough idea of how long you are likely to be waiting.
Step 3 - Assessment
As agreed in your initial consultation, we begin the assessment tools that we have identified. All autism assessments will include an observational assessment as well as a developmental interview. We will support you sensitively through this process, but this part can be tiring so we recommend having a few online meetings to make sure we can get the best information from you. It is normally helpful to have someone else involved in the assessment. Please see the FAQs page for more information about who might be involved.
Step 4 - Report
At the end of your assessment, we will discuss your preferences with regards to how you would like to hear the outcome of your assessment. We can either meet for us to share our findings with you, or we can send you a draft of your report. We spend time pulling together all of the information we have gathered, and thinking carefully about the diagnostic criteria. We will develop a psychological formulation, which is a shared understanding of your experiences. We will also give lots of thought to recommendations which we feel might help you in the future.
Step 5 - Feedback
Once you have had time to read and process your report, we will be in touch to offer an optional feedback session. This session is included in the package at no extra fee. The session takes up to an hour and is typically an opportunity to discuss: how the outcome of the assessment feels (whether you received a diagnosis or not), any amendments we need to make to the report, any questions you might have, and any recommendations we have made.
Combined Assessments
If you have chosen to be assessed for more than one condition, the process will be as described above. Your initial consultation, report and feedback session will incorporate all elements of the assessment, but we will of course conduct separate assessments due to the separate (albeit with some overlap) nature of the conditions.