More and more people are identifying autism in themselves or their family members and waits for autism assessment on the NHS can be frustratingly lengthy, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you feel that you have identified autism in yourself or your child, you might have opted for a private assessment to avoid these lengthy waiting times and contacted us here at Speech Matters Speech Therapy. But now you might be wondering, what actually happens during an autism assessment?
You will speak to different professionals, including a psychologist and a speech and language therapist over a couple of sessions.
Our consultant psychologists will complete a thorough developmental history with you. This can take place online or in person. This usually means you need to bring someone with you who has known you since birth, such as a parent. If this isn’t possible, don’t worry, there are amendments that can be made to the assessment. The developmental history takes a few hours to complete and you will go through questions all about your developmental milestones as a child, your communication and play style and any typical (and atypical) symptoms of autism in childhood.
Following this there is an observational session, which will usually be done in person, but can be done online if needed. This assessment might take place on the same day or a different day, depending on what has been agreed and what works best for you. This is where myself (a speech and language therapist) and another professional, such as a psychologist, complete the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition) with you. This is NOT a test and there are no right or wrong answers. We will do a variety of tasks with you and simply observe HOW you do the tasks. We will also ask you some questions about your life and your relationships. This session takes around 45 – 60 minutes, but it can vary depending on the person.
Following this, our consultant psychologist will write a report and then meet up with you to go through the results. They will discuss with you whether you do or don’t meet the criteria for autism and what this means for you. Post-diagnostic support can also be offered, if needed/requested.
If you have any further questions around autism assessment or you would like to refer yourself or your child, then please do get in touch here.
