Autism Spectrum Disorder

cayp-psychology.com0333 242 [email protected]

What is autism?Autism is unique in every child and young person. Autism is most often associated with persistent and pervasive differences with social communication and interaction. This refers to differences in making and keeping friends, differences in understanding and expressing emotions, and managing conversations. For some, this also refers to difference in the use of eye contact. Children and young people with autism may also have a keen attention to detail, demonstrate very creative and artistic talents, display substantial expertise in areas of interest, and hold wonderful character traits, such as honestly and loyalty.Autism is also associated with repetitive or specific patterns of behaviour. This refers to intense interests in certain topics, which may not always seem age-appropriate, taking comfort in routines or feeling distressed with changes to a routine, or differences with emotional regulation and expression.These differences are present across different contexts, such as at home and at school, and they have an adverse impact on a young person's ability to function and manage day-to-day tasks.Our autism assessment has been developed in line with the NICE guidelines. It is thorough and comprehensive, and we aim to provide the best understanding of what is going on for your child.CAYP Psychology diagnostic assessments involve• Detailed information collectionusing specialised assessment tools• Expert formulation of your child'sstrengths and weaknesses• An understanding of your child'sdifferences and needs• Provision of tailored recommendations for supportFor more information about our assessments, including the process and explaining the assessment to your children, please visit our website: www.cayp-psychology.com/assessments

Who can have an autism assessment at CAYP Psychology?• Young people aged 8- to 25-years-old, showing traits associated with autism.• Individuals WITHOUT a diagnosed moderate to severe learning disability(this is characterised by functioning no more than 3 years behind chronological age).• Individuals with fluent and coherent speech.• We are also able to assess children from 6-years-old if they have fluent speech or if they have a speech and language therapy reportWhat does an autism assessment involve?The ‘gold-standard’ approach to diagnosing autism in children is to have several clinicians involved. This is known as a multi-disciplinary approach and ensures that we can complete the most comprehensive and objective assessment for your child. We work hard to ensure that the assessment includes all the relevant information to get the right outcome for your child.https://www.cayp-psychology.com/contact.htmlhttps://www.cayp-psychology.com/1. Screening PackPrior to the assessment we require that a pre-assessment screening pack is completed by parents and school. The screening pack includes questionnaires recommended by best practice guidelines. We ask for your perspective, as well as your child's teacher's perspective, of what may be going on for your child. These responses help us to screen for autism, ADHD and emotional and psychological wellbeing challenges.Our screening pack has been expertly developed to ensure that an autism assessment is the most appropriate assessment for your child. Should you feel that the questionnaires do not pick up all of your concerns, please do let us know and we can discuss your concerns further.2. Assessment AppointmentA comprehensive face-to-face appointment will take place for you and your child. This will be with two members of our supportive team. We are clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists,counselling psychologists, forensic psychologists and autism specialist practitioners.These assessment tools involve activities and tasks to explore howyour child understands and navigates the world around them. We offer a flexible approach, putting your child first at all times. We understand the importance of building a rapport, and we work hard to help your child feel safe throughout. During your assessment, we will complete a detailed developmental history. We will consider your child's development from birth to today, talk about your family, and the family history, and discuss your child's journey through education. We will have a chance to discuss all of your concerns in detail, and we will also consider your child's emotional and psychological wellbeing, ADHD difficulties, and learning problems.

WhatNext?3. FormulationA formulation is a working understanding of what is going on for your child. A formulation discussion between clinicians, with consultation and supervision from the wider multi-disciplinary team if needed, will take place to ensure that we get the right diagnosis and outcome.4. Feedback Within a short period of time, most often a week or two, we will have a feedback appointment. This is for you, with at least one of the practitioners who completed the assessment. We will review everything we completed together, including the outcome and our recommendations. We suggest that this feedback appointment is without your child, but this is your decision.5. Report At the end of this process, all the information will be detailed in a report. The report will clearly detail the diagnosis, wider formulation and recommendations most appropriate for your child. We also offer the opportunity for you to request amendments to the report.How much will it cost?Assessments of this level of detail and quality require many years of training and experience, and are considered to be the gold-standard autism assessment for Children, Adolescents and Young People. Clinical psychologists are often regarded as the most qualified profession to complete these assessments.At CAYP Psychology we pride ourselves on the professionalism and quality of these assessments, and we offer these assessments at £2000.Additional assessments for ADHD and learning challenges can also be included. Additional fees apply.The screening process is charged at £200. Once we have reviewed the completed screening packs, and we agree that an autism assessment is appropriate for your child, we ask for a deposit to proceed with your booking (£360). The remaining balance is paid in two installments as you progress through the assessment process, with the final payment only due at the end of the process.tel:01614682721https://www.cayp-psychology.com/contact.htmlAfter an assessment takes place, and if your child receives a diagnosis of autism, we are proud to offer you our own support group for parents. An autism diagnosis can be difficult to come to terms with. Moving on from a diagnosis can seem daunting, but we’re here to help. Our “What Next?” group explores the next steps after your child’s diagnosis. We offer a four-week course, providing an opportunity to meet other parents and carers, to explore various topics to help increase your understanding of your child’s autism, develop your appreciation of the positives of neurodiversity, and develop strategies to respond to difficulties.For more details, please visit: www.cayp-psychology.com/whatnextclick or scan QR Code for more information.