Patient Guide: Your Child and Young Person’s Autism Assessment
For parents and guardians of children aged 8-10
How to prepare and what to expect from your child’s autism assessment.
Step 1: Booking Your Child’s Assessment
- Make an appointment with your GP.
- Ask for your child to be referred to Psychiatry UK’s Children and Young People’s Service for an autism assessment under the Right to Choose (RTC) scheme.
No, your child’s assessment will be funded by the NHS if you book through RTC.
To be referred to our Children and Young People’s Autism Service under RTC, you must:
- Be aged 8 to 18 years.*
- Live and be registered with a GP in England (excludes Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland).
- Provide an email address and/or a mobile phone number.
- Be able to provide photo ID for both you and your child.
- Agree to the use of an online patient portal.
- Agree to an online video consultation/assessment.
Please note: If you are aged over 17 years 9 months, you will be referred to our Adult Autism Service.
When your child’s referral has been processed:
- You will receive a Welcome email.
- This email contains a link to set up your child’s MedQare patient portal account.
- Click here to check our current waiting times.
Important to know:
- Your child’s assessment will take place via a Teams video call.
- All our communications are online using our patient portal.
Step 2: Your Child’s Referral and Patient Portal
When we receive your child’s referral, our team will check the information provided to make sure we have what we need to move forward.
This includes your child’s contact and personal details, the reason for their referral and relevant information about their health and development.
If anything important is missing, we’ll usually contact your child’s GP to request it. You do not need to contact us while we’re reviewing the referral unless we ask you for further information.
Once your child’s referral has been processed, we’ll send you an email and/or text message with a link to set up their MedQare patient portal.
You’ll use the portal throughout the assessment process to:
- Receive messages from our team.
- Complete forms and questionnaires.
- Upload documents.
- View and manage appointments.
- Receive your child’s assessment report and other correspondence.
Please check the portal regularly once you’ve set it up. We also recommend checking your email inbox, including your junk or spam folder, for messages from Psychiatry UK.
Step 3: Getting Ready for Your Child’s Assessment
Before we can arrange the assessment, we’ll need some information from you, your child and their school or education setting. This helps the clinical team begin to understand your child’s development, experiences, strengths and needs before they meet you.
We’ll add the forms and questionnaires you need to your child’s patient portal.
These may include:
- Parental Responsibility Form.
- Developmental History Form.
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Parent or Guardian).
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Teacher).
- School Information Form – Autism.
- RCADS Child Questionnaire.
- RCADS Parent Questionnaire.
Some forms are for you to complete as your child’s parent or guardian. Others help us hear from your child or gather information from their school or education setting.
You do not need to complete everything in one sitting. Take your time and give us as much information as you can.
You know your child well, and the information you share with us is an important part of their assessment.
We’ll ask about different areas of your child’s life and development. This may include their early development, communication, social experiences, interests and routines, sensory experiences, strengths and things they may find difficult.
You do not need to remember every detail or have an answer to every question. Please tell us as much as you can.
Children can have different experiences in different environments, so we’ll also need information from your child’s school or education setting.
This helps the clinical team understand more about your child’s experiences outside the home and see whether there are differences between different settings.
It’s OK if you, your child and their school don’t always see things in exactly the same way. Children can behave differently in different situations, and different people may notice different things. All of these perspectives help us build a fuller picture of your child.
We’ll need to confirm the identity of both you and your child as part of the assessment process.
Please have photographic identification available for:
- Your child.
- The parent or guardian attending the assessment.
The clinician will check this at the start of the assessment.
Please tell us if child has a disability, sensory need, learning need, communication need or anything else that may affect how they take part.
We’ll discuss what may help. This could include changes to communication, additional time to process questions or other reasonable adjustments based on your child’s individual needs.
Read our guide: Accessible Communications and Assessments.
Step 4: Booking Your Child’s Assessment
Once we have the information we need, we’ll send you a secure booking link by email and/or text message.
The link will be valid for 21 days, so please book within this time.
Your child’s assessment takes place across three appointments on the same day:
- Initial Assessment.
- Structured Observation appointment.
- Outcome Appointment.
The Initial Assessment and Structured Observation appointment can take place in either order.
Once both have been completed, the clinical team will review and discuss all the information gathered during your child’s assessment. You’ll then attend the Outcome Appointment, where we’ll explain the assessment outcome and what happens next.
There’s nothing your child needs to study, practise or prepare before their autism assessment.
It can help to explain that they’ll be meeting people online who would like to get to know them and understand more about what life is like for them.
You can let your child know that:
- There are no right or wrong answers.
- They do not need to behave in a particular way.
- They can ask if they do not understand something.
- They can tell the clinician if something feels difficult.
- They can ask for a break if they need one.
Try not to coach your child about what to say or how to behave. The clinicians want to get to know your child as they are.
Your child’s assessment will take place securely online using Microsoft Teams.
Before the assessment day:
- Check that your camera and microphone are working.
- Make sure your device is charged or plugged in.
- Check your internet connection.
- Have photographic ID ready for you and your child.
- Choose a quiet, private place where you’re unlikely to be interrupted.
- Have anything nearby that may help your child take part comfortably.
You can use our Teams Device Test to check your equipment beforehand.
Step 5: Your Child’s Assessment Day
The Initial Assessment is a conversation with one of our clinicians. They’ll spend time getting to know you and your child and finding out more about your child’s development and experiences.
They may ask about:
- Your child’s early development.
- Communication and relationships.
- Their experiences at home and in education.
- Interests and things that are important to them.
- Routines and how they manage change.
- Sensory experiences.
- Their strengths and things they may find difficult.
- Everyday life for your child and your family.
The clinician will already have information from the forms and questionnaires completed before the assessment, so you do not need to remember or explain everything at once.
Your child will also have opportunities to share their own experiences in ways that are appropriate for them.
This appointment is a little different.
Your child will meet a trained assessor who will spend time talking and doing activities with them. This gives the assessor an opportunity to learn more about the way your child communicates and interacts.
There’s nothing your child needs to practise or prepare beforehand. There are no right or wrong answers, and they do not need to behave in a particular way.
The Structured Observation Appointment is just one part of the assessment. Its findings are considered alongside all the other information gathered about your child.
Step 2: Your referral and patient portal
After the Initial Assessment and Structured Observation appointment, the clinical team will bring together everything they’ve learnt.
This includes information from you and your child, the forms and questionnaires completed before the assessment, information from your child’s school or education setting and information gathered during the appointments.
The team considers all of this information together before reaching an assessment outcome. No single appointment or questionnaire decides the outcome.
Once the clinical team has reviewed and discussed the assessment, you’ll meet with your clinician for the Outcome Appointment.
They’ll explain:
- The outcome of your child’s assessment.
- How the clinical team reached its decision.
- What the outcome means for your child.
- Any recommendations or next steps.
- What happens after the assessment.
You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and talk through anything you’re unsure about.
We’ll also prepare a written assessment report explaining the outcome and recommendations in more detail.
Tell us.
It’s fine if your child needs:
- A break.
- More time to answer.
- A question explained differently.
- Another way to communicate with us.
They don’t need to sit still, make eye contact or behave in a particular way for their assessment.
We want to understand what things are like for them, so please tell us if there’s something that would make taking part easier.
Step 6: Your Child’s Assessment Outcome and Report
There are three possible outcomes:
- Your child receives an autism diagnosis.
- Your child does not receive an autism diagnosis.
- The outcome is inconclusive.
Your clinician will explain the outcome to you and your child and talk through the clinical team’s findings and any recommendations.
If the assessment finds that your child meets the diagnostic criteria for autism, your clinician will explain what this means and discuss any recommendations with you and your child.
Your child’s report may include recommendations for:
- Practical strategies that may help in everyday life.
- Support or reasonable adjustments at school.
- Support with co-occurring needs or conditions, where relevant.
- Further information, resources or services that may be helpful.
If your child receives an autism diagnosis, you’ll also have a Post-Diagnostic Review around six weeks after their assessment. This gives you time to read their report before meeting with us again to discuss the diagnosis, recommendations and any questions you or your child may have.
If your child does not meet the diagnostic criteria for autism, your clinician will explain the clinical team’s findings and discuss whether there are other factors that may help explain their experiences or needs.
They’ll also talk through any recommendations or suggested next steps during the Outcome Appointment. These will be included in your child’s assessment report.
Not receiving an autism diagnosis does not mean that the things your child finds difficult aren’t important. The assessment can still help build a clearer picture of their strengths, needs and experiences, and the support that may be helpful.
Sometimes, the clinical team may not have enough information to reach a clear conclusion about whether your child meets the diagnostic criteria for autism.
This might be because information about their development is limited or unclear, their experiences overlap with other conditions, or the information available does not provide enough consistent evidence to confirm or rule out autism.
Your clinician will explain why the outcome is inconclusive and whether any further information, assessment or support is recommended.
Your child’s report will also explain the outcome and any suggested next steps.
The clinical team will prepare a written report bringing together their findings and recommendations.
This may include:
- Your child’s developmental history.
- Their experiences, strengths and needs.
- Information from the pre-assessment forms and questionnaires.
- Information from their school or education setting.
- Clinical observations from their assessment.
- The clinical team’s diagnostic reasoning and conclusion.
- Recommendations for support or further assessment, where appropriate.
- Signposting to helpful information, resources or services.
The report will be available through the MedQare patient portal. A copy will also be shared with your child’s GP.
Step 7: What Happens After Your Child’s Assessment?
If your child receives an autism diagnosis, you’ll have a Post-Diagnostic Review around six weeks after their assessment.
This gives you time to read their assessment report and think about any questions you or your child may have.
During the appointment, you can:
- Discuss your child’s diagnosis and assessment report.
- Ask about anything you’re unsure about.
- Talk through recommendations for your child.
- Discuss support or adjustments that may be helpful.
- Ask about any suggested next steps.
Your clinician can also help you understand which parts of the report may be useful to share with your child’s school or other professionals supporting them.
The Post-Diagnostic Review is the final planned appointment in your child’s autism assessment pathway.
Your clinician will discuss the outcome, recommendations and any suggested next steps with you during the Outcome Appointment.
These will also be included in your child’s assessment report.
The recommendations may still help you understand your child’s individual strengths and needs. The clinical team may recommend other support, further assessment or ways to help with particular areas of difficulty.
If your child’s assessment is inconclusive, their report will explain why the clinical team was unable to reach a clear conclusion and what they recommend next.
This might include gathering further information, considering another assessment or seeking support for particular needs identified during the assessment.
Please follow the recommendations in your child’s report, as these will reflect their individual circumstances.
Your child’s assessment report may signpost you to organisations, information or services relevant to their needs.
You may also find it helpful to speak with:
- Your child’s GP.
- Their school or Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).
- Other healthcare professionals already involved in their care.
- Local services or organisations recommended in their assessment report.
You can also find further information and resources in our Information Hub.
