Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessment in Child and Adolescents

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition where social skills, communication and behaviour can be affected. It is a spectrum, and it comes with wonderful strengths, such as a genuine communication style and unique interests.

 

Undergoing a formal assessment for diagnostic purpose may help us better understand the lens that a young person sees the world, allowing us to get a greater understanding of their strengths and any areas of support.

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At From Little Things Psychology, we offer ASD assessments for children and adolescents using gold standard assessment tools. The assessment is carried out by our experienced clinical psychologists and is tailored to the unique clinical needs of the young person. Our assessments usually include:

 

- Initial appointment with parents and/or caregivers for a detailed developmental and social history.

 

- A semi-structured play-based assessment with the young person (using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (i.e., ADOS-2).

 

- Parent and teacher questionnaires to help better understand the young person.

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- Collaborating with other health professionals involved in the young person’s care (e.g., speech pathologists, occupational therapists, paediatricians).

 

- If required, a visit to the young person’s kindergarten or school.

 

- A feedback appointment with parents and/or caregivers to discuss the outcome of the assessments and recommendations.

 

- A comprehensive report with a diagnostic impression and recommendations.

 

We understand that an ASD assessment is a big step for families, and we encourage parents and carers to ask us any and all questions, and we will do our best to answer them.

 

At the current moment in time, we are accepting referrals from paediatricians for children and young people between the ages of four-to-sixteen. 

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ASD assessments without a school observation $2700. If a school observation is required, this will incur an additional fee of $300.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessments for Adults

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We also offer ASD assessments for those over the age of sixteen. While the process is similar to the child and adolescent assessments (above), adaptions are made to ensure the assessment is individually tailored to meet the varying needs and circumstances of the adult. These considerations are best made on a case-by-case basis. We encourage you to reach out to our team to discuss your individual circumstances if you are interested in learning more about whether an ASD assessment may be right for you.

 

 

Other Adult Assessments

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We currently provide assessment and diagnosis of a range of adult mental health disorders, including but not limited to ADHD, personality, and trauma related disorders. These assessments are done in collaboration with paediatricians or psychiatrists using screening assessments and clinical judgment of DSM-5 criteria. 

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These assessments and diagnoses are undertaken during the course of individual therapy sessions. Please refer to our fees page for more information on individual session fees and Medicare rebates under the Mental Health Care Plan. 

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