Why do an autism assessment?

An autism assessment can provide a greater understanding about your or your child’s neurodevelopmental profile, can greatly assist in recognising strengths and unique qualities, and identify the most appropriate supports for any individual needs.

Assessments for children (4 years and above)

Assessments for adults

Not just for children, an autism assessment can also help adults explore their own social and communication styles and understand why some tasks in the workplace, in the home or when studying can be more challenging – these assessments can be specifically tailored to your individual needs.

What to expect as part of an assessment

Our assessments often consist of several stages and activities, some of which will involve you and/or your child attending the clinic, and others will involve completing online questionnaires and providing additional information.

For all of our assessments we follow these steps:

Step 1. An initial assessment consultation:

An initial consultation will provide an opportunity for you to discuss your concerns and provide relevant background information regarding your or your child’s education, learning experiences and any areas of challenge.

Depending on the type of assessment being requested, and information that you provide during this consultation, we may also ask about areas such as speech and language development, social interaction, daily living skills and any other relevant information.

This initial consultation will also provide you with information about the type of assessment that is recommended, what to expect and any additional referral requirements or support actions that may be of benefit.

Step 2. Assessment session/s

Depending on whether the assessment is for a child or an adult, you may be asked to attend one or more assessment appointments.

For children, the assessment would include a parent-only session, involving a structured interview to explore early development in childhood and observable behaviours over time, and an observation session and interview with your child. For adults, the assessment would usually involve one extended appointment. The assessment process is specifically tailored to your assessment needs so may include the completion of additional tasks and the completion of online questionnaires.

We also gather information from a variety of sources including teachers where relevant. For adults, we may ask you to bring your partner or someone who knows you well to the assessment session.

Step 3. Report writing

An assessment report, including information about current strengths and weaknesses, overall learning profile (dependent on assessment type), a summary of significant findings and practical recommendations for support (or extension) will be provided to you on completion of the assessment process. The report is available approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the assessment.

Step 4. Follow-up appointment

Our reports are comprehensive and written in a way that is easy to understand, even so you may have questions or would like to discuss the results in more detail, which is why all of our assessment packages include a 30-minute follow-up appointment that can be booked once you have received your report.

What to bring to an assessment

• A copy of your referral (if you have one)
• Reading glasses and hearing aids if applicable
• Copies of medical and school documentation (if applicable)
• Reports from any previous cognitive assessments or assessments completed by an allied health professional (such as a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, school psychologist).
• A drink and a snack if your assessment is likely to take more than 1 hour (this will be confirmed during the initial assessment consultation).

More information

If you would like to learn more about the assessments we offer or book an appointment with one of our clinical psychologists, contact our friendly client team by calling 6143 4499 or email via our contact page.