Combined Autism & ADHD Diagnostic Assessment
Chiswick, West London
We offer a dual assessment process for families wanting to assess for both ADHD and Autism at the same time.
Our processes use gold standard assessments and strictly follow the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) Guidelines, which would be in line with the same protocols of an NHS Assessment.
The dual Assessment process will involve a multidisciplinary team consisting of a Psychologist, Specialised Speech and Language Therapist and Paediatrician and is suitable for those aged 8-17 years.
To ensure we are working in the best interests of your child, our processes are extremely rigorous. A diagnosis of ADHD and/or Autism is a lifelong condition, and we do not carry out a quick assessment in one day; the combined assessment process involves 4 appointments, a school observation and a detailed analysis of home and school questionnaires, developmental history, formal screening tools and rating scales.
The Assessment Process
Our Assessment process meets all the NICE guidelines; the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that we are working in the best interests of your child.
We provide a gold standard assessment, which includes ensuring a multidisciplinary team, of at least 3 professionals, including a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and a Paediatrician, are involved in the process. Our lead dual assessment clinicians are Psychologists and have extensive experience working with the full range of neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health difficulties, having worked within the NHS paediatric neurodevelopmental assessment teams.
Prior to your appointment you will be asked to fill in a range of questionnaires and Psychological Screeners. We use the Conners, the SRS and the SCQ, which will then be analysed and scored. We will also liaise with your child’s school to gather more information and your child’s teacher will asked to be complete further forms and rating scales.
An in-person school observation and meeting will also be arranged for every child having a dual assessment with us.
The assessment process will involve 4 separate appointments:
A comprehensive mental health/ADHD assessment appointment in-clinic lasting around 2 hours. This will be with our Psychologist.
The ‘ADOS; Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule’, an Assessment which is widely recognised as one of the most accurate and reliable means of identifying and diagnosing Autism will be completed with your child by our highly experienced Speech and Language ADOS-trained Therapist, as part of the multi-disciplinary team. This clinic meeting will last 1 hour.
Parents/carers will then meet again with the Psychologist, without their child, to carry out the ADI-R: Autism Diagnostic Interview; another widely recognised diagnostic tool examining the child’s developmental history. This meeting will last around 2 hours and will be carried out remotely via video call.
A Paediatrician will also meet with your child to carry out a physical examination to determine if there is anything medical which may support or refute the diagnosis. This consultation is carried out in Chiswick Medical Centre by our partner paediatricians.
The results of these 4 appointments, the school observation, the formal Autism and ADHD Psychological Screeners from home and school are compiled together to determine the final outcome via a multidisciplinary (an MDT) team meeting. The Psychologist will arrange a feedback meeting, on the phone or via video call to share the results/diagnoses and a detailed, formal report will be sent to parents / carers, within 21 working days of the final appointment.
Our ADHD assessments take place in calm, welcoming therapy rooms designed to help children and young people feel at ease. Depending on your child’s age and needs, we may bring in resources or toys to support the process. The rooms are not pre-filled with these items, as we want to create a comfortable environment without unnecessary distractions.
*If you are looking around for a private ADHD or ASC, Autism Spectrum Condition Assessment, please check and ensure the NICE guidelines are followed by the practitioner/s and a multidisciplinary team, including a paediatrician, are part of the process, otherwise this may impact the external recognition of your child’s diagnosis and/or report.
NICE compliant Combined Autism and ADHD Assessments are provided by our HCPC Registered Clinical Psychologists, Linda Campbell-Arthur: Registration PYL37777, Dr Holly Barker: Registration PYL041730 and Dr Parul Sabey: Registration PYL32791
Fees
The cost of full dual Autism/ADHD Assessment process, verbal feedback and formal report is £3815.
A deposit is initially required and the remaining balance can be paid in installments.