Autism and ADHD Assessments

In our service with assess children for autism from the age of 5 upwards and ADHD from age 7 and older. We can assess young people up to early adulthood, as long as a caregiver or parent can join the assessments. We do not currently assess adults after completing education/ university, but hope to offer this in the future.

You may have come across the term neuroaffirmative and wondered what this means. Being neuroaffirmative means that rather than seeing Autism or ADHD as ‘disorders’ or ‘deficits’ we value difference and each individual’s preferences and thinking styles. It is important to us that the young people we meet have a positive experience of their time with us and that they view the outcome of the assessment and their strengths in a positive way. We are hopeful that a better understanding of themselves will help children and young people to grow their self esteem and that they feel more confident about their sense of identity. We therefore like to think of the assessment process as a joint journey of discovery.

Whilst some young people are keen to come for an assessment, others my understandably have some worries or be too young to fully understand what an assessment might involve. It is important to us that each child and young person we meet feels positive about the experience and understands the process in a way that is appropriate for their age and developmental stage.

After you have booked your assessment with us, we will send you and your child detailed information ahead of the appointment to prepare them for this. Sirja will also discuss any questions you or your child may have ahead of the meeting.

Parents of girls who present with neurodivergence (traits of Autism or ADHD) often have additional questions about the assessment process. We know that Autism and ADHD can sometimes be more difficult to recognise in girls due to masking. This means parents are often unsure about whether they are ‘reading too much’ into potential traits, but also worry that the young person’s needs may not be fully recognised in the assessment as they are able to mask their challenges. Sirja and her team have a special interest in the assessment of girls and recognise the sensitivity and expertise required to conduct such assessments. Our assessments are designed to think carefully with you about how Autism or ADHD may present in girls.  We also use assessment tools that were specifically developed to tease out possible traits of neurodivergence in girls.

When traits of Autism or ADHD appear to be more ‘hidden’ is is vital that family, schools and teachers supporting the young person develop a good understanding of their strengths and needs. We therefore offer follow up meetings after an assessment to anyone involved in supporting the young person, including schools. It is important to us that the young person’s strengths and needs are fully understood so the right support can be offered.

If you have any questions you would like to discuss before proceeding with an appointment please get in touch to arrange a phone call.

Our assessments are completed in a two step process: an initial 90 minute consultation followed by a comprehensive 3 hour assessment, where appropriate. 

The initial Consultation

Prior to proceeding with a full assessment we always conduct an initial 90 minute consultation. This allows us to get a better understanding of the young person as a whole, rather than focusing solely on potential traits of autism or ADHD. We will generally explore a young person’s overall wellbeing and mood, think about how they are getting on at school or with education and discuss your hopes for the future.

For families who are unsure about whether a full assessment is needed or whether this should include Autism, ADHD or both, the Initial Consultation is an opportunity to explore  the most helpful next steps.

Should we agree that a full assessment is indicated, families are then invited for a second appointment. Please see the information below for more details about what to expect during the full assessment.

The assessment is generally conducted over a whole morning, including feedback of the results and a discussion about the type of support that may be helpful going forward. Before the meeting we will send you detailed information about the appointment for you and your child, so you can prepare them and explain what to expect. Our aim is for young people to remember the meeting as a positive turning point on their journey that has helped them and other people to get a better understanding of them. 

The team

Our multidisciplinary team is led by Dr Sirja van Zyl. She will be your lead clinician throughout the process, from first contact to the final report. Sirja is supported by a team of highly skilled professionals. She is usually joined by two other clinicians. This may inlcude other Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists or Occupational Therapists as appropriate to the child or young person’s presentation.

Assessment tools: All our assessment tools are based on NICE guidelines and completed with clinicians who have received specialist training in assessing autism. This includes:

ADOS 2

The Autism Diagnostic Schedule 2 (ADOS 2) is completed with the child or young person by two clinicians with a specialism in autism. The ADOS 2 consists of a range of  activities the young person will be invited to take part in, including chatting about their interests and playing games. This allows us to observe the presence or absence of specific behaviours which have been identified as crucial in the assessment of autism. We understand that meeting new people can be tricky and always ensure that we provide a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for the young person. Young people will often tell us that attending the ADOS felt like having a chat and was fun, rather than completing an assessment.

We are aware that some young people are very good at behaving in the way they feel is expected of them. This may mean we only get to see one side of them during our meeting, which may be different of how a young person presents at home or school. We are aware of this and very skilled at teasing out the information that is required as part of the assessment, whilst also putting young people at ease.. 

3di

The Developmental, Dimensional and Diagnostic Interview (3di) is an assessment tool that was developed specifically to help parents share the developmental history of their child and highlight the presence or absence of traits of autism. It is completed by one of our clinicians together with parents or caregivers to gather relevant information. This includes information about the child’s development, social interaction, communication and interests. We may occasionally decide to use the ADI-r tool instead of the 3di, as appropriate.

All ADHD assessments are completed by Dr Sirja van Zyl. The assessment is generally conducted over a whole morning, including feedback of the results and a discussion about the type of support that may be helpful going forward. When an ADHD assessment is combined with an autism assessment we will think with you whether you would prefer to attend both on the same day or over two separate meetings. 

Before the meeting we will send you detailed information about the appointment for you and your child, so you can prepare them and explain what to expect. As with autism assessments, our aim is for young people to remember the meeting as a positive turning point on their journey that has helped them and other people to get a better understanding of them. 

There are 3 parts to an ADHD assessment:

• Part 1: The first part of the assessment involves the completion of a detailed developmental history with parents or carers. The developmental history is gathered using the ADHD Child Evaluation (ACE) or the DIVA (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD). This includes obtaining information about the young person’s development, as well as their strengths and challenges in the areas of attention, activity, organisation and impulsivity. There will also be an opportunity to share additional concerns or other relevant information. Older teenagers sometimes join this part of the assessment with their parent(s).

• Part 2: The child or young person will be invited to join the QbCheck assessment. This is a computer based task, which usually takes about half an hour to complete. The QbCheck is designed to measures core ADHD symptoms including inattention, activity and impulsivity. The assessment generates scores which allows the young person’s performance to be compared to that of other young people with and without ADHD.

• Part 3: Feedback of results. This meeting is usually held on the same day as the assessment. During this meeting we will discuss the outcome of the assessment with you and think together about appropriate next steps and what kind of support will be helpful for your child or young person as well as your family and school. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions. We are able to liaise with school and other agencies on your behalf following the assessment, if this would be helpful. 

Reports:

The cost of the full diagnostic assessment includes a full feedback report as well as recommendations for home and school. This will be sent to you within two to three weeks of the assessment. When a diagnosis of ADHD is given, we will also provide you with a letter to your child or young person to explain the outcome of the assessment. We see our reports as collaborative documents between ourselves and the families we work with and will invite you to make comments or suggestion about what you feel would be helpful to include in the report. 

Medication:

We do not prescribe medication, but work closely with a number of local Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and are happy to arrange a referral for you, should you wish to explore medication for your child or young person.

If you would like to find out more or arrange an appointment please contact us. 

The findings of the assessment will usually be shared with the parents and caregivers on the day. We will think with you about how to share the outcome of the assessment in the most helpful way with your child or young person. Some young people choose to join us for the feedback meeting, for others it may be more helpful to discuss the outcome of the assessment with their parents when they are older. Our hope is that all young people we meet leave our assessments with a better understanding of themselves, an awareness of their strengths and the knowledge that we will be providing their families and caregivers with information and support to enable them to achieve their full potential.

A comprehensive report and recommendations will be provided shortly after the assessment and families are free to share this with other agencies, such as schools, universities or future employers,  as they feel appropriate. We always aim to work closely alongside schools and other services involved in supporting a young person and and are happy to join meetings to share the outcome  where this would be helpful.

We understand that receiving a diagnosis of autism or ADHD is often only the beginning of the journey for a young person and their family in seeking the right support and fulfilling their potential. Where appropriate, we can offer follow-up appointments and guidance and review young people throughout their education and development.

If you would like to find out more or arrange an appointment please contact us.

Dr Sirja van Zyl previously worked as a pathway lead in an NHS neurodevelopmental service. One of her roles there involved evaluating private assessment reports to decide whether these meet NICE guidelines and can be accepted by the NHS. She therefore has a good understanding of the importance of NICE guidelines. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent public body that provides advice and guidance to improve Health and Social Care in England. This means that NICE produce guidance on issues such as what kind of professional should be involved in conducting Autism or ADHD assessments, what training should they undergo and what kind of assessment tools should be used. Most NHS teams, schools and other professional bodies will therefore require assessments to meet NICE guidelines in order for these to be accepted.

We therefore ensure that all members of our team have undergone expert training in the assessment of Autism and/or ADHD, that we use the right assessment tools and that our reports and recommendations are compliant with NICE guidelines. 

Our consultations and assessments are bespoke to cater for the individual needs of the young people and families we meet. Fees vary depending on what is required in the assessment. In general, the cost of assessments is as follows:

• Initial consultation £250
• Full assessment of Autism £1775 
• Full assessment of ADHD: £1200
• Combined Autism and ADHD assessment: £2775

We accept payment by bank transfer, credit card as well as through private medical insurance, including BUPA, AXA, AVIVA and a range of other medical insurance companies.