Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Our ASD assessments adhere to the British Psychological Society (2021) practice guidance document on assessing and working with people with Autism.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that an autism diagnosis should include a detailed developmental history from a parent, carer or close family member (NICE, 2016).  Psychological assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involve a variety of methods to evaluate an individual’s social communication, behaviour, and cognitive abilities.  Our assessments combine clinical history interviews, objective psychometric assessment, and family member engagement when assessing for the presence of autism.

We follow a thorough assessment process that considers the individual’s unique experiences and needs which emphasizes the importance of involving autistic individuals, their families, and carers in decision-making throughout the assessment and intervention process. These assessments aim to determine if a person meets the diagnostic criteria for ASD or ADHD as outlined in the DSM-5:TR (APA, 2022), and ICD 11 (WHO, 2019/2021)

In addition to a clinical interview, which involves talking about topics including current difficulties, childhood development, education and occupation, friendships and social interaction, health, strengths and preferences; our ASD assessments can also include the use of objective psychometric assessment and an iformant interview with an early years carer if this is possible. A range of psychological measures cab be used such as:

  • The AQ10 screen, was developed for use in the NHS by the National Institute for Health Research. The scale is designed to measure the degree to which an individual possesses symptoms typical of the autistic spectrum.  It is recommended as a screening assessment by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).
  • The Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R) – this is a specialist assessment that focuses on early childhood history and development, and is completed with a parent or someone who knew the person well as a child;
  • The RAADS-14 Screen is specifically tailored to assist in the diagnosis of adults within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by addressing symptoms based on the DSM-5:TR for autistic disorder, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) equivalent.
  • The Adolescent Autism Quotient is adapted from the Autism Spectrum Quotient which quantifies autistic traits in adolescents and adults. The Adolescent Autism Quotient can quantify where an adolescent is situated in the continuum from autism to atypical.
  • The Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) for young people 1-17 years
  • The Girls or Women’s Questionnaire for Autistic Spectrum Conditions (GQ-ASC)
  • The Social Attention and Communication Tool (SACS and SACS-R) for children aged 12 to 48 months