Get world-renowned experts to assess whether your child has autism and receive treatment options from their diagnosis. We can help your child to get the right diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored to their individual needs. With our effective, multi-disciplinary approach, we support your child in communicating their emotions and reducing anxiety.
Our team of specialists, who are entirely committed to brain development and health, will provide you with answers to your enquiry within two weeks.
A multi-disciplinary team of child health experts
With extensive experience in the NHS and private sector, our consultants also provide outstanding clinical expertise. A team of Paediatricians, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Speech and Language Therapists, all from different disciplines, deliver our private Autism Clinic services for children and adolescents.
Our child and adolescent specialists work in collaboration with your family, carer and support network, developing bespoke treatment plans and referral pathways to ensure the best possible outcomes for children with autism.
Your child’s autism assessment: what to expect
Our Children’s Autism Assessment is for children aged between 2 – 18 years old. The assessment involves a series of assessments and collaboration between experts. This may include a Paediatrician, a Child Psychiatrist, a Speech and Language Therapist, an Occupational Therapist and Psychologist.
The assessments include the use of gold-standard diagnostic tools, tailored around a child’s specific constellation of symptoms. Our assessment for autism starts at £1,650. See our affordable fees here.
How to prepare for your child’s autism assessment
Prepare for the assessment by collating any previous medical documentation, assessments, school reports and records detailing your child’s early developmental milestones. These can be beneficial to the assessment team and will be reviewed as part of a broader evaluation of your child.
It is recommended to bring any documentation along to the assessment. In some instances, our team may request these be sent in advance, especially for virtual appointments.
On assessment day
Part 1: an interview with parents/carers
The first part of the assessment is a diagnostic interview with the parents/carers, usually in the form of the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R) or another form of detailed neurodevelopmental history. Parental interviews may be conducted virtually, at your convenience.
This ADI-R/ neurodevelopmental history assessment takes around 2 hours to complete and comprises a series of questions regarding your child’s development, social interaction, communication and language, and patterns of behaviour.
Part 2: an interview with your child
The second part of the assessment is the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) which is conducted with your child.
ADOS assesses your child’s social and communication behaviour using age-appropriate games, imaginary play, activities and conversations with the doctor. The assessment takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Report, diagnosis & recommendations
Within 2-4 weeks, a detailed report, specifically tailored to the educational, behavioural and developmental needs of your child is provided. This comes with a virtual follow-up appointment to discuss the diagnosis and further recommendations. The diagnosis is based on DSM-5 criteria (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) and the ASD report and our recommendations are based on NICE Guidelines
Possible recommendations may include:
- referrals for therapies
- further testing options
- Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)
- parental support groups, courses, advice
- useful information on autism and references
Hear from our experts
Learn about our clinics and what happens on the assessment day from our experts, Dr Ben Marlow, Consultant Paediatrician, and Ifigeneia Mourelatou, Autism Practitioner & ESDM Specialist.
Diagnosing autism in children & treatment options
As with any developmental condition, it is ideal to get a diagnosis as early as possible. An early and accurate diagnosis is critical for early intervention to improve the management of symptoms in the short and long term.
The earlier the intervention, the greater chance of a successful outcome on the trajectory of a child’s future development. At an early age, our brains are actively developing, and are thus more malleable, enabling a faster acquisition of cognitive, motor and social skills.
There is no ‘cure’ for autism, however, there are a number of treatment options designed to improve symptoms. Find out more about early intervention here.
What is autism?
Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, social interaction, and behaviour. It is called a spectrum disorder because it affects individuals in different ways and to different degrees.
Autism affects over 1.7% of children in the UK
Latest research (2021) by Cambridge, Newcastle and Maastricht Universities has demonstrated a significant rise in autism amongst children in the UK.
An assessment of 7 million children (aged 2-21 years) found 1 in 57 (1.76%) were on the autism spectrum. Boys showed a higher prevalence of autism (2.8%) than girls (0.65%).
Symptoms of autism
Babies & toddlers
It is sometimes difficult to recognise the early symptoms of autism in babies and toddlers. However, possible signs of autism in babies and toddlers can include:
- No words by 16 months
- No babbling by 12 months
- Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills, at any age
- No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by 6 months or thereafter
- Minimal back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by 9 months
- Lack of meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
- Limited back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
Children
Possible signs of autism in a child can include:
- Unable to make eye contact easily
- Difficulty communicating with others
- Playing alone for long periods of time
- Unwilling to participate in activities with other children
- Unable to share activities or interests with other children
- Failure to develop spoken language at an appropriate age
- Over-interested in part of an object rather than the whole object
- Unable to develop relationships with other children of the same age
- Repetition of the same words or phrases- sometimes at the wrong time
- Unable to use facial expressions appropriately, including smiling when happy
- Insists on having the same routine or habits, (wearing the same clothes, eating the same food, watching the same TV programmes)
Start your child’s autism assessment
If you think your child has some of these symptoms, simply fill out the form below to get your child assessed for autism.
After contacting our specialists, you’ll go through a streamlined process where a dedicated team will support you. After you enquire, you’ll get a diagnosis in 2 weeks.