The Autism Assessment Process
We understand that social interaction might be challenging for some people and will make adjustments as best we can to support you.
The autism assessment process consists of online questionnaires and meetings via video-link.
The meetings are conducted with you and a person you nominate (someone who knows you well and has known you for a significant period of time).
The duration of each meeting can range between 50 and 90 minutes.
The meetings are conducted as in-depth clinical interviews, covering a range of experiences and concerns, ensuring that you feel heard and understood.
We first send you a link to an online autism questionnaire
The second step gathers information from you and your nominated person via online questionnaires
The third step entails diagnostic interviews with you and your nominated person separately, using the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA), and in some cases the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
As autism can present in a similar way to other conditions, our trained clinicians will be able to distinguish between those and autism itself, thus better able to ensure the outcome of an accurate diagnosis.
At the end of each session, you will be given the opportunity to ask questions. A report with a comprehensive synopsis will conclude the assessment indicating whether or not the person has met criteria for a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Where appropriate, it will make recommendations and offer guidance on how to move forward.
A number of people talk about the experience of autism in terms of inhabiting a world. It is not a ‘disease’, or something a person has, but rather a term that encapsulates a different way of navigating the same life. For this reason, the assessment process is designed to help better understand the way you perceive both your internal and external world. We are focused on getting to know the way you see things, from a curious and non-judgmental viewpoint.