Child and Adolescent Autism and ADHD Assessment and Therapies Service

The areas of difference that are diagnostically important are:

Persistent difficulties in social communication and interaction Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities The above signs present since early in the developmental history.

These differences can be observed or present at:

• Difficulties in making and sustaining friendships

• Difficulties with making and sustaining eye contact

• A limited range of interests and activities

• Repetitive actions such as rocking or hand flapping

• Delays or difficulties with using language

• Less than expected responding to their name

• Significant apprehension in social situations

• Struggling with changes to routine

• Struggling with emotions

• Emotional outbursts

• Difficulty attending and engaging with school

• Repetition of words or phrases

• Trouble understanding facial gestures

• Difficulty in detecting sarcasm

• Difficulty with understanding metaphor

• Struggling with food and eating based on the sensory experience

• Sensory overwhelm in situations

• Difficulty coping with loud noises or textures

• Difficulty in new places for example going on holiday

• Preoccupation with thoughts and internal experiences

• Literal mindset and understanding

• Being over or under sensitive

• Causing self-injury such as head banging to cope with stress

• Impulsive actions that can lead to negative outcomes

• Preference for being alone or playing alone

• Anger and frustration at others

• Very specific interests

• Specific anxieties and phobias

The main domains that are important diagnostically are:

Inattention – difficulties with close attention, organisation and finishing tasks
Hyperactivity – restlessness, excessive movement, difficulty remaining still
Impulsivity – acting with little thought to the consequence.

These domains can be observed through:

• Being unable to sit still

• Fidgeting

• Difficulty concentrating on tasks

• Excessive physical activity

• Acting without thinking

• Interruption of conversations

• Difficulties waiting turns

• Disorganisation

• Difficulties with sustaining friendships due to behaviour

• Struggling with focusing on details

• Ignoring social rules

• Getting distracted easily

• Forgetting things

• Losing things

• Finding it hard to read others feelings and moods

• Messy work

• Careless mistakes

• Difficulty listening to others

• Difficulty following instructions

• Daydreaming

• Preoccupied with thoughts

• Preoccupation and focus on tasks to the neglect of other things (for example forgetting to eat)

• Always on the go

• Talking excessively

• Blurting out words or finishing sentences

• Difficulty waiting

• Interrupting and intruding on others

A detailed clinical assessment completed by one of our experts, supplemented with psychometrics (questionnaires); this assessment takes approximately 60 minutes and also includes a feedback call. This assessment will give a view on if an autism, ADHD or combined diagnostic assessment is indicated. At this point, you can choose whether to go ahead with the recommended assessment. A report is produced of all the presenting set of difficulties, their impact and the history of the difficulties including developmental history. This report includes recommendations for further assessment

Please download our Adult Autism Assessment Patient Guide here.

As part of this assessment you and your child will meet different professionals and the results of all the different components are drawn together by the team as a whole as part of the diagnostic process. The assessment includes:

Developmental history with the parent/carer (3DI) – 60-90 minutes.

Interactive structured clinical assessment with the child (ADOS) – 60 – 90 minutes
School observations or feedback.

Expert team review of the assessments and observations with diagnostic decision-making.

Feedback appointment (60 mins) where the diagnostic decision is communicated, recommendations given and questions answered.

The assessment includes and a full and detailed report with a summary of each component of the assessment, the diagnostic outcome and the recommendations made.

We guarantee our assessments: if the local authority or NHS initially rejects the outcome of the diagnostic assessment, and their decision remains unchanged after you challenge it through a formal review, we will refund the cost of the assessment. This refund is only offered after the review process confirms the decision.

Please download our Adult ADHD Assessment Patient Guide here.

As part of this assessment you and your child will meet different professionals and the results of all the different components are drawn together by the team as a whole as part of the diagnostic process. The assessment includes:

An objective measure of ADHD symptoms (the Qb Check) School and family completed psychometric questionnaires.

Clinical assessment interview attended by you and your child.

School observations/feedback from the school.

Expert team review of the psychometrics and assessment.
60-minute feedback appointment where the diagnostic decision is communicated, recommendations given and questions answered.

The assessment includes and a full and detailed report with a summary of each component of the assessment, the diagnostic outcome and the recommendations made.

We guarantee our assessments: if the local authority or NHS initially rejects the outcome of the diagnostic assessment, and their decision remains unchanged after you challenge it through a formal review, we will refund the cost of the assessment. This refund is only offered after the review process confirms the decision.

Some individuals may have both Autism and ADHD.

We offer a combined assessment pathway which combines both of the assessments
Some aspects overlap so they are only completed once, which means a streamlined assessment without duplication and unnecessary burden of assessment for you and your child.

We offer ADHD prescribing and titration.

When ADHD medications are prescribed, they need to be adjusted to the right dose over a period of time, this is called titration.

Our titration is completed by our advanced nurse practitioner, Mr Sam Smith, who has extensive experience in prescribing ADHD medications, as well as our specialist doctor of child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr Khalid Ali.

Prescribing and titration take place across 5 appointments and include an additional QB check as a way to objectively evaluate the impact of the medication.

The appointments allow time for unhurried discussion of the impacts of the medication, adjustment of the dosage and general advice and support on the management of ADHD symptoms.

We offer support offered by our specialist nurses which is both direct for the individual but also for the family as a whole

Sessions are an hour long but can always be tailored in length and frequency to suit the needs of the individual and their family

Support includes therapeutic work, parenting support, recommendations and advice on making adjustments

All support is from our expert nurses who have extensive experience working with young children and their families

We are proud to offer this support as for many individuals and families, they can feel isolated and daunted by what comes next after receiving a life-changing diagnosis

Speech delay, limited speech and struggling to use speech effectively can be a central part of Autism and sometimes can be disrupted for young people with ADHD

Speech and language therapists can help by:

• Building attention and listening skills

• developing play skills

• improving motivation to communicate

• building social understanding

• building comprehension of language

• helping with expressive communication skills

• developing social skills

• improving non-verbal communication – including means of expression and gestures

• building conversational skills

• developing or supplying communicative aids and devices if appropriate