Should I pay for a private Autism Assessment?
What you need to consider about a private Autism Assessment
Needless to say, waiting lists are really long on the NHS and it may be leaving you, as a parent or guardian feeling uncertain, worried, frustrated and helpless. Deciding whether to wait or obtain a private assessment is not only a decision based on cost….
Whilst you are waiting for an Autism assessment its likely you have loads of questions such as:
- Am I supporting my child in the right way?
- Is my child in the right school?
- Should I be doing something different?
Of course, a diagnosis won’t change your child, however, it will provide you and your child with:
- A greater understanding of what is happening and why
- Help for the school to understand your child’s needs and make reasonable adjustments so your child can access the classroom and the curriculum in line with their needs
- Give you the clarity to enable you to make plans for future
Parent D who’s 11-year child received an assessment with us said:
“The greatest progress for us a family was the diagnosis, we have been able to make positive changes at home and in school”
Alternative routes for your autism diagnosis
Families may decide to seek an independent assessment rather than wait to be seen by the NHS
Although there is a financial implication for independent assessment finding the balance between the timing of diagnosis and the cost is critical for many families.
What do I need to consider?
If you are looking for independent assessment it is important you consider the professional qualification and experience of the assessors, how they make the diagnosis and what signposting for additional help they will provide.
There are a number of excellent resources to support you as a parent as you try to navigate this often-difficult decision:
How can we help you?
At The Speech Therapy Practice our team of independent assessors will discuss the process of assessment with you at the outset, this enables you to start building a relationship of trust.
After we have gathered important information from you about your child’s development strengths and difficulties, we will carry out a school observation to make sure that we capture information about all of the different environments your child experiences.
A clinic based ADOS assessment adds a further important information that contributes to the overall diagnosis which occurs at a multi-disciplinary team meeting.
We write you a comprehensive report outlying how the diagnosis is made and giving you loads of useful information for the future.
Please feel free to reach out to have a chat with us about our Autism Assessment Service if you want to find out if it is the best option for you.