Autism Assessment

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects cognition, emotion, social interaction, and sensory processing. It exists across a broad spectrum, meaning each individual has a unique experience and profile of strengths and challenges.

We provide assessments for both paediatric and adult clients.

Common signs of autism include:

  1. Differences in social communication and interaction

  2. Strong preference for routine and predictability

  3. Intense, focused areas of interest

  4. Sensory sensitivities (e.g., to sound, light, textures, or tastes)

  5. Difficulty interpreting social cues or unspoken rules

  6. Literal thinking and challenges with abstract language

Autism in women, girls, and adults is often underdiagnosed or missed entirely, as many people learn to mask their difficulties over time. Our assessments are sensitive to how autism can present across different ages, genders, and life stages.

What does the assessment process look like?

For Children and Adolescents

The process of deciding to pursue an autism assessment can feel like a big leap, but it is also a big step toward understanding what to expect. Our comprehensive paediatric autism assessments are tailored to each child’s needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. This process includes 4 appointments and requires active parent involvement to ensure a successful outcome.

Step 1: Intake Appointment

Participants: Parent, or with a child 15 years or older (if they prefer to join)

The intake appointment helps us understand the child’s current difficulties by exploring milestones, developmental history, strengths, and daily challenges. The goal of this assessment is to identify the main concern that led the parents to seek it and to consider how we can best support the child moving forward.

Step 2: Observation

Participant: Child

This phase is designed only for the child being assessed. While this phase aims to observe how your child communicates, socialises, converses, and responds during daily activities, this evaluation is not something your child passes or fails. Rather, this phase serves as a guide for understanding their engagement in a one-on-one setting.

Step 3: Parent Interview

Participant: Parent

The third phase is an important part of this assessment, during which our clinicians set aside time to discuss your child’s behaviour in detail across different settings, such as home, school, and other social settings, based on the observations. The parent gains a clearer picture of the child as a whole during this part of the assessment.

Step 4: Feedback Session

Participants: Parent, or with a child 15 years or older (if they prefer to join)

This is where we walk you through the assessment findings, explain the results, and describe what they mean for your child’s day-to-day life. This phase also gives us the opportunity to answer any questions that you may have. We will also provide you with a clear and concise assessment report that includes recommended next steps for your child, such as school support, therapy, or other helpful interventions that best fit your child’s needs.

For Adults

The decision to seek an autism assessment as an adult may feel different from that in other age groups. Adults may spend years wondering whether autism could explain aspects of their daily living, but still find the courage to seek answers later in life.

Our adult autism assessment is designed to be sensitive to how autism can present across different stages of life, which can make it harder to identify.

Step 1: Intake Appointment

Participant: Client

This is a collaborative conversation with your psychologist to explore your developmental history, current experiences, and areas of your life where you find things a little more difficult or different than usual.

Step 2: Childhood Informant Session

Participant: Childhood informant

This is a separate session where we encourage you to invite someone who knew you as a child, usually a parent, sibling, or close relative, whenever possible. This session helps your psychologist better understand your early developmental years. This further supports the purpose of this assessment. While this session is completely optional, we still recommend including it.

Step 4: Feedback Session

Participants: Client, including any support person

We will meet with you to discuss the main findings from the assessment. Your psychologist explains the outcome and clearly walks you through what it means for you each day. We encourage you to bring a support person to this session.

FEES:

Assessments Fees depend on the assessment type and the time required to administer, score, and report.

Medicare rebates may be available with a referral from your GP under a Mental Health Treatment Plan or under the CNDD- M10 (from those aged 25 or under) through Paediatricians or Psychiatrists. Please ask our team about your options.

Interested in our Assessments?

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