Combined Autism & ADHD Diagnostic Assessment
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 four professionals; a Psychologist, Specialised Speech and Language Therapist, Paediatrician and Psychotherapist 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
Prior to your first appointment you will be asked to fill in a range of questionnaires and rating scales. We use the Conners, the SRS (Social Responsiveness Scale) and the SCQ (Social Communication Questionnaire) which will then be analysed and scored. These are among the most widely validated and commonly used rating scales in both clinical practice and research.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 in relation to both autism and ADHD.
An in-person school observation and meeting will also be arranged for every child having a dual assessment with us.
The combined assessment process will involve 4 appointments:
A Mental Health & ADHD Assessment appointment will be carried out in-clinic lasting around 2 hours. This will be with our Psychologist and will also involve further interviews with parents/carers.
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 between 1 – 1.5 hours.
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 the private outpatients department in Chiswick Medical Centre (on Chiswick High Road) by our partner paediatricians.
We additionally carry out a school observation for every child having a combined assessment with us, which is best practice in accordance to guidelines. Further in-person conversations will be held with school staff so a full picture of your child can be understood. This school observation is completed by either our Clinical Director or our Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist ensuring further multidisciplinary team involvement. This observation allows the clinician to observe the child in their usual classroom environment and gather information about their attention, activity levels, impulsivity, social interactions, and response to classroom routines.
If your child is home educated or does not currently attend school, we will carry out a QbCheck computer assessment instead of a school observation. This provides valuable objective information about your child’s attention, impulsivity and activity levels, helping us to build a comprehensive understanding of their presentation.
In some cases, a QbCheck assessment may also be recommended alongside a school observation if further objective evidence is needed to support the diagnostic process. As a licensed provider, we are able to use this evidence-based assessment when clinically appropriate.
We offer a range of follow-up support services should you wish to access additional help after your child’s assessment. These include psychoeducation sessions, counselling, art psychotherapy, occupational therapy, and neurodiversity coaching, all tailored to support your child and family following diagnosis.
We can also provide onward therapeutic referrals and offer a private medication pathway for families who wish to explore ADHD medication as part of their child’s treatment plan. If medication is clinically appropriate, your child may be able to begin treatment with our partner psychiatrist within a few weeks of receiving their diagnosis. Please note that additional fees apply for medication assessments, prescribing and ongoing reviews.
Our 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.
The results of these 4 appointments, the school observation, the formal autism and ADHD rating scales 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.
Fees
The cost of full dual Autism/ADHD Assessment process, verbal feedback and formal report is £3880. A deposit is initially required and the remaining balance can be paid in installments.
A combined ADHD and autism assessment is more cost-effective than booking each assessment separately, resulting in a saving of £630. This is because one of the assessment appointments can be combined as part of the dual assessment pathway. If the ADHD and autism assessments were undertaken independently, separate appointments would be required, making the overall cost higher.
*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