So there is a lot of misinformation out there about getting a private Autism Assessment. Things like “schools don’t accept private assessments” or “They’re not the same standards as the NHS” and we’re here to clear a lot of this up. In this article, we’re going to discuss why most people should consider getting a Private Autism Assessment.

If you’re already thinking of going private for an Autism Assessment but want more information, then why not book a free clinical appointment with a qualified Autism specialist at CareGen here.

Saves a lot of TIME!

The biggest reason that a lot of families go private for an Autism Assessment is due to the horrendous waiting times for an Autism Assessment within the NHS. In some areas, this can be up to 4 years for an assessment. To put this into perspective, a child could be referred for an Autism assessment when in Reception and not be seen until they are in Year 4. For many families, this is just way too much time wasted, especially when some schools struggle to implement any strategies without a formal diagnosis.

This is where Private Autism Assessments come in. The waiting times are far less, and you can usually be seen within weeks. For many families and individuals, this means that they can access support quicker and with little disruption to their daily lives.

“The standards aren’t the same as the NHS”

You’re right the standards aren’t the same between NHS and Private Autism Assessments! This is because in most cases, Private Assessments will offer a lot more than an NHS service can, due to the time freedoms these companies have, in comparison to NHS services. This often means that you have more access to clinicians within private services and they often spend more time on cases than if they were working in the NHS. In fact, many professionals that work in private Autism Assessment services, also work within NHS Autism services.

In addition, because there is the added element of you paying for the service. Most private clinicians use this as a driving factor to provide the best possible service. Therefore, if you mix this belief with more time to really get to know you or your loved one, then you can expect a higher standard of care in comparison to other services.

“School don’t accept Private Diagnosis”.

 Sadly, this is true in some schools, however this should be challenged immediately! In my many years of working in NHS Autism services, there were times when we would get phone calls from families in this exact situation. Our response was always, for them to tell school that if we accept private assessments then they should to. If the school was still insistent on getting an NHS assessment, we would then send the school a letter saying that we accept the private diagnosis, and that they should treat the diagnosis the same as an NHS diagnosis.

This is a common misconception that Autism Assessments need to be from the NHS otherwise school won’t accept this. However, in most cases, schools are happy to accept any diagnosis if it is from a qualified Autism clinician. In addition, many NHS services are now outsourcing their Autism Assessments to private companies so this issue should become less common in years to come.

Thank you for reading this article by CareGen. If you are considering going private for you/your loved ones Autism Assessment then why not book a FREE clinical appointment with an Autism Specialist at CareGen today by clicking here

Ok, so the number one question that I have been asked by parents in my nearly a decade of Assessing, Diagnosing and Supporting people with Autism is, “How do I know if my child needs a referral for an Autism assessment?”. This can be very confusing for most parents who want to know how to better support their child. So, in this article, we’re going to help clarify some key areas that you should be aware of if you think you require a referral for an Autism Assessment. 

Warning: This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be used as a diagnostic tool.

Don't have time to read this article? Don't worry, here's a quick 2 minute video that you can watch. 

Want a FREE CLINICAL APPOINTMENT? Why not book onto one of CareGen’s free appointment with a Trained Autism Specialist by clicking here.

Social Communication Difficulties

So, the first thing to look out for is., how does your child communicate with you socially? This doesn’t necessarily mean verbal communication but also non-verbal communication.  Do they initiate conversation with you, or do they ask you follow up questions on your trail of thought? These are examples of verbal social communication and if you have noticed that your child may not be engaging in this, then it may be time to seek further support. In addition, when they do communicate with yourself, do they use non-verbal communication skills to show that they are engaging in the conversation? Examples of this are things like giving eye contact or nodding their head to show that they are still participating in the conversation. If this is something that you’re worried about, then why not book to speak to a trained Autism specialist FOR FREE by clicking here.

Social Interaction Difficulties 

Now this could mean a lot of things, however in my experience, parents usually notice if their child is having difficulties developing and maintaining friendships at an early age. Some concerns could be that your child isn’t particularly interested in other children their age and much prefer being left alone. However, other parents may notice that their child attempts to make friends but struggle to develop these friendships further which leads to these relationships fizzling out. If this is something that you are experiencing with your child, then it may be time to seek further support.

Rigidity and inflexibility of thought

We could write an entire blog post about this section; however, we’ll give you a quick run-down. Examples of difficulties within this area could be that your child likes things done in a specific way and can become quite distressed if this isn’t done. This also expands to your child having a set routine and may get very upset if this is changed suddenly. Again, if you notice that you’re child has a strong need for things to be the same, then it may be time to seek support to better understand how to support them.

So, the question now is, “What do I do now that I think my child needs a referral”. If this is you, then why not book onto one of CareGen’s FREE CLINICAL APPOINTMENTS to speak with an Autism Specialist to see how we can help you.  You can do so by clicking here.

So.. the long wait is finally over… and you’ve managed to get an appointment for an autism assessment for either yourself or your child. You’re probably now having the same thoughts as 90% of people in your situation and that is ‘What actually happens in an autism assessment?’ Don’t worry, we at CareGen have got you covered! We are going to breakdown, step by step, what we do within our autism assessments, so you know what to expect before and during an assessment.

Still waiting for an Autism Assessment? You can schedule an autism assessment in as little as a couple of weeks by clicking here

Developmental History

This is a critical step in any autism assessment. For a clinician to diagnose autism, we need to gather detailed information on you/your child’s life. Topics that we cover are split into 2 parts: from pregnancy to 3/4 years old and then from 4/5 years old onwards. We ask questions around how you/your child were in social situations with social communication and social interactions. For example, did they make eye contact as a child? Or did they initiate conversations and maintain this interaction?

We also ask questions around you/your child’s flexibility of thought. This means how you/they were in relation to being spontaneous and creative in both play and day to day living. This could include questions such as ‘what were they like with routines as a child?’ or ‘did they play creatively at school?’.

This part of the assessment is to gather a picture of you/your child in relation to possible autism. Prior to the assessment, we recommend you thinking back and writing down any examples of times where you/your child have ever displayed things like good social skills or need for routine and sameness.

Gathering Information from a Second Environment

For a clinician to diagnose autism, we need information from more than one environment. This is usually from school or another setting that you frequent. Prior to your autism assessment, we will email you a form, and request that you get either school or another setting to complete it. We ask that you ensure that this is completed and returned to us at least 48 hours before the autism assessment, so the assessing team can review. This essentially saves you a lot of time and minimizes any delays for the assessing team as this information is readily available to us.

Clinical Observation

The final part of any autism assessment is a clinical observation of you/your child. This allows the individual to have their say within the assessment process. We may ask some questions around you/their social interaction and communication skills, along with any difficulties you/they may be experiencing. Don’t worry, if you need more information on this part, your clinician can explain this to you further during the Developmental History stage of your assessment.

Once all these steps have been completed, the assessing team should have all the information necessary to come to a diagnostic conclusion. A Multi-Disciplinary case discussion will be held (usually on the same day as the last part of your assessment) and you will be notified of the outcome on the same day.  

If you feel like you or your child requires an autism assessment, then click here to book one today. CareGen offers affordable and flexible online autism assessments by qualified clinicians.