Service Detail

Prior to an assessment, we often send out several documents to be completed by parents/guardians and educational settings. This helps us to have the most up to date information prior to our assessment. If the young person has had any other assessments carried out by a professional, it is helpful for this to be shared with us.

Details of the clinician you will meet can be found in your appointment letter. You can find information about our clinicians on our ‘Meet the Team’ tab.

Please click the links below to find out more about our assessment process:

Pre-School Autism Assessment (Coventry)

When we do an autism assessment, we need to know how your child is getting on at home and nursery/education setting. If they have had assessments by other professionals, we would like to see their reports. 

During your child's assessment, you will be asked about your family, the physical and mental health of family members and whether your child has had any traumatic experiences. Some parents find this difficult, but it is important that we know about issues which could have affected your child's development. If you want to talk about this without your child hearing the discussion, please mention it when you come to us for your first appointment, and we will arrange a suitable time with you to discuss it. 

At each stage it will be decided if your child meets the criteria for an autism assessment through discussion with members of our team, which include a Speech and Language Therapist, Paediatrician, Health Visitor and, if appropriate, Occupational Therapist and education support services depending on your child's needs. It may be decided that your child needs some intervention, for example around behaviour or sleep, or a referral to another service first before progressing to the next assessment phase.

Assessment phase 1 – Your child’s Health visitor or childcare provider will carry out a developmental screen and if appropriate a 'Wellcomm' language screen. They will talk to you about the concerns you have about your child's development. 

Assessment phase 2 - Your child's appointment with the Speech and Language Therapist will be in clinic, nursery or home. They will assess your child's communication skills and provide you with advice and strategies on how you can support your child. There may need to be a follow-up session to see if there has been any progress. This information will be shared with the team to decide if your child meets the criteria for an autism assessment. 

Assessment phase 3 - Once all the information has been collected from the team of professionals and they feel your child meets the criteria for assessment a Paediatrician will be allocated to complete the child’s assessment. Sometimes it is difficult to be sure whether a child has autism, even after these appointments. If we need a more detailed look at your child's social interaction, we will need to request an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessment carried out in a clinic setting.

 

Pre-assessment information - Whilst you wait for an assessment, you can view the pre-assessment parent education session. This has been written and recorded by professionals with many years' experience of working with neurodiverse children and gives top tips on supporting your child. This session has had many positive reviews by parents and carers. 

When you open the PowerPoint, please click on the sound icon on each slide to hear the presentation.  Pre-assessment Parent Education Session - Preschool Age

 

Duty Calls

Whilst waiting for assessment we provide a telephone appointment clinic where you can discuss specific developmental, behavioural concerns with a Neurodevelopmental Practitioner who will give advice and suggest strategies or signpost you to other helpful services on a 1:1 basis.

Contact telephone number for a duty call: 02476 961226

 

Post Assessment

Following your child’s assessment you can still access duty calls. We also recommend you watch the Pre-school Autism Post Diagnosis Support session videos: Recommended resources | CAMHS (cwrise.com)

Contact telephone number for the service: 02476 961092

 

Pre-School Autism Assessment (Warwickshire)

The Warwickshire Preschool Autism Service is a specialist service consisting of a highly skilled multidisciplinary team responsible for the assessment and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  It works closely with education and other support services.  The team includes Clinical Psychologists, Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, Neurodevelopmental Practitioners and we also work alongside Paediatricians.

Assessment  is a multidisciplinary approach and always includes information from different professionals. The professionals involved will depend on your child’s needs but will be led by one person. Your child’s assessment will include:

• A medical assessment by a Paediatrician
• A detailed developmental history
• Information about their  behaviour, interactions skills and development in all environments including home and nursery
• Observations of their play and interactions

Further assessment maybe required which could be:

• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule — assessment tool carried out in a clinic setting

Pre-assessment information - Whilst you wait for an assessment, you can view the pre-assessment parent education session. This has been written and recorded by professionals with many years' experience of working with neurodiverse children and gives top tips on supporting your child. This session has had many positive reviews by parents and carers. 

When you open the PowerPoint, please click on the sound icon on each slide to hear the presentation.  Pre-assessment Parent Education Session - Preschool Age

Duty Calls

Whilst waiting for assessment we provide a telephone appointment clinic where you can discuss specific developmental, behavioural concerns with a Neurodevelopmental Practitioner who will give advice and suggest strategies or signpost you to other helpful services on a 1:1 basis.

Contact telephone number for the service: 0300 303 1255

Post Assessment

Following your child’s assessment you can still access duty calls. We also recommend you watch the Pre-school Autism Post Diagnosis Support session videos: Recommended resources | CAMHS (cwrise.com)

 

 

School Age

School Age Autism Assessment (Virtual)

First Appointment

We meet with parents/guardians to discuss the young persons’ development from pregnancy to present day and explore their historical and current difficulties. We also explore family history including significant life events including any traumatic experiences and family medical history. Some parents/guardians may find this difficult, but it is important to have a clear understanding of the young person’s experiences in order to conclude our assessment. The young person is welcome to attend this appointment if it is felt this is appropriate. This appointment lasts approximately 1 hour to 1 ½ hours.

Second Appointment

This appointment is an opportunity to get to know the young person. We talk about their interests, what they find difficult, their friendships and emotions. The appointment is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers. This appointment lasts approximately 1 hour.

Additional Assessments

Sometimes, we may need further information to form our conclusion as to whether a diagnosis is appropriate. We may request additional appointments with parents/guardians or the young person.

Feedback Appointment

In this appointment we discuss the outcome of the assessment. This appointment is typically for parents/guardians however the young person is welcome to attend. The clinician will explain the reasons for their outcome and talk through any further next steps. This is an opportunity for parents/guardians and the young person to ask questions and receive tailored support. After this final appointment, a report will be sent out detailing the information gathered during the assessment, the outcome and helpful resources.

 

 

School Age ADHD Assessment (Virtual)

Screening Appointment

We meet with parents/guardians to discuss the young persons’ development from pregnancy to present day and explore their historical and current difficulties. We also explore family history including significant life events including any traumatic experiences and family medical history. Some parents/guardians may find this difficult, but it is important to have a clear understanding of the young person’s experiences in order to conclude our assessment. We also get to know the young person. We talk about their interests, what they find difficult, their friendships and emotions. The appointment is not a test, and there are no right or wrong answers.

Feedback

Following the screening appointment, the clinician will review the information gathered and will discuss next steps with parents/guardians. A report will be sent out detailing the information gathered during the assessment, next steps and helpful resources.

If it is felt that we think ADHD could be a suitable diagnosis to help understand the young person’s difficulties, we will make a referral to the psychiatry team. The assessing clinicians are not able to give a formal diagnosis of ADHD. Once the referral has been made, the psychiatry team will review the information provided and will offer a face-to-face appointment if they also feel that a diagnosis of ADHD is appropriate. We are unfortunately not able to provide a timeframe for when appointments with psychiatry may take place.

 

Attend Anywhere

Attend Anywhere consultations via video - Patient information leaflet

Attend Anywhere consultations via video - Patient information easy read leaflet

If you would find it difficult to attend an online consultation, please let us know and we will try our best to offer an alternative approach, based on your individual needs and the capacity of the service at the time. The Trust is committed to providing full access to those with disabilities or additional needs.

 

Face to Face Appointments

Photos of clinic room and building

We aim to be accessible to all individuals that access our service, if you require an interpreter for your assessment, please contact the team (see ‘Contact Us’ page)

 

ADOS Autism Assessment

Claire Rowbury talks about what is involved during the Children's Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Assessment

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

As a service, we aim to be accessible to all experiences, backgrounds and differences. If you feel there are alternative arrangements, we could make to support you to access our material, please contact the team by phone. Contact numbers can be found under ‘Contact Us’ tab.