Private assessment and diagnosis advice

You need to make sure that person carrying out the autism assessment is overseen by someone that works for and associated with the National Health Service. It's also worthwhile to be on the waiting list for non private assessment while also seeking private assessment.

It's also a good idea if you suspect your child has any comorbid conditions like sensory processing disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or specific learning disabilities to look for assessment for those separately as some NHS and Private autism diagnostic services do not assess them all together. it really depends on the qualification the professional carrying out assessments. 

It is recommended that if you seeking the Diagnosis to get extra support at school and other education funding or benefits that you contact your local authority to see if they accept private assessment as evidence. Some local authorities in East Anglia still do not accept private diagnosis as evidence and will withhold financial aid and support until an NHS Diagnosis is provided. I know about this one personally and looking into previous discussion about the same subject on the community page i am not the only one have this problem.

You ideally need to ask and look into the qualification and their position of the profession diagnosing your child with autism. A basic statement is basically a document that state the professional believes that your child has autism but does not clearly state the diagnosis statement of the document of evidence. The diagnosis statement can vary depending on organisation. it could be a written document in the form of letter with written statements supporting evidence on the professional decisions for diagnosing the individual with autism usually multiple pages.                      

Exactly my psychologist I was diagnosed with is a specialist in autism and works private and for the nhs.

Hello I went to a private psychologist for my autism assessment you can be waiting for years otherwise but it is expensive it cost me £1200 I hear it’s usually between £1000-£2000 but for me it was worth it a huge relief. Hope everything works out for you and your daughter.

I can't vouch for the service, but there is a clinic called summerfield healthcare that does autism assessments in Wolverhampton.  I came across them some time ago.

I think concerns about whether a report would be acceptable to NHS or not is something of an urban myth.  As long as the person is qualified and you get a full report it should not be a problem.  Many of the consultant psychologists offering private assessments are the same people used by the NHS anyway.  Provided the process is carried out properly there should be no problem.  

I will have a look at that today.

many thanks for the information and response.

M

We are in a similar position with over a year wait in our health service. Also ours isn't the greatest. We have a Dr called Dr Mallya in Milton Keynes. It's a two hour drive for us, but we saw him this week and he seems to really get what our son needs. He's not advocating for a lot of appointments as well, so it's not cheap but he's not rinsing us. We looked on BMI for him as it gives you a profile on each Dr. Does that help you?

Hi 

thank you for the response.

We have not seen a private doctor as yet, but feel we are at that stage now.

I have seen the below responses recommending Healthcare4kids.

Are there any other recommendations ??

M

Did you find a private doctor yet?

Hi all

Just an update on where we are at with our daughter (I will refer to her as B)

It’s been an eye opening, emotional two months to say the least.

Following my original post, the first bit of good news was that she was offered a position at a new school.

No thanks or help from her old school, it was simply that she had been on the top of a waiting list for two years and a place became available.

The final conversation I had with the head of year was summed up by his comment that “they had fulfilled their obligation”..... which from what I had already heard meant they were glad to see the back of B.

The new school started great, very attentive teachers and I had conversations with the head of year and their Senco officer to explain what we were doing in relation to our daughter being assessed.

On the advice of the Senco officer, we arranged an appointment with a speech and language therapist.

She also indicated that unless their assessment came back indicating the need for an Autism assessment then don’t waste your time and money??

She has now had her first initial assessment, albeit remotely.

Next step is that intend to visit B at school in the coming weeks to do an assessment on-site.

They advised we take B for an eye test.

The opticians report stated B had perfect vision, however she does identify some letter in other forms, and we should not rule out a test for Dyslexia.

We were not too surprised by this, as B has been using blue overlays for some time now.

We forwarded the report to the Senco and her speech therapist for their files.

The Senco stated they were not concerned. B has settled in well, nothing but positive feedback from all her teachers and they would monitor the situation on a weekly basis.

That is where we are currently with regards reports and assessments.

However we are more concerned about her mental state now.

Obviously B has had numerous meeting with new people and she realises that she may be a little different.

Using the blue over lays at school, children have called her disabled and other hurtful comments.

We have already dealt with one incident of bullying.

However she has managed make a few friends now, which is really positive.

However, she seems to be happy to talk about her day and loves to do her homework after school.

But we are now experiencing regular upsets on an evening when she is on her own in her bedroom.

Tears upon tears, she talks about the nasty comments that are said to her.

She hates her appearance, stating she’s fat and ugly.

More worrying is that she has come out with comments such as

“When I close my eyes all I can hear repeatedly is the nasty words people have been calling me at school”

“I’m not going to kill myself as it would upset you too much” !?!?!

“I know you love me, but my head keeps telling me you don’t”

One hour later she can be laughing and joking downstairs like nothings been said?

So as a father I’m am emotionally distraught at hearing such things.

I’m not sure what to do first, does she need to see a psychiatrist?

I’ve been waiting for a Camhs appointment on the NHS for four months now, so ruling that out as an option.

Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated....

M

Hi Gem&Stu,

Thank you so much for posting this link to the website. This is exactly what I've been looking for. I fear I'm going to have to bypass the NHS and to have a positive recommendation is so helpful.

Thanks again

Hi....we live in Northamptonshire and paid privately for our 9 year old girl to be assessed. We were getting nowhere with school (masking at school) or GP (she wasn’t at a “self harming stage to warrant referral!!!). Thank goodness we met Dr Jo Jones & Dr Chris Morrell. They are based in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire and can be contacted via  doctorjojones@healthcare4kids.co.uk

Website is http://www.healthcare4kids.co.uk 

it was worth every penny x x 

Hi Plastic,

Also looking for an assessment for my own 12 year old and stumbled into this thread.  How does one distinguish between and a basic assessment and a diagnosis. Are there clinical definitions or descriptions of each?

Many thanks, 

P

Just ask lots of questions before you hand over any cash - I have heard of some clinics doing a basic assessment that people mistake for a full diagnosis - and it gets rejected whenever they ask for support so it costs them a lot of valuable time having to go around the loop again.

You might need to speak to all parties involved (school, mental health team, NHS etc) for recommendation for the right people to use in your area.

Hi Plastic

thanks for the swift response.

I presumed if a provider offered assessment and diagnosis that would have  been accepted by all parties.

Thank you so much for the info.

For the report to be accepted, is it dependent upon the relevant qualifications of the report provider or is there something other specific I need to be aware of?

many thanks 

M

Whichever service you use, make sure that any diagnosis report they provide will be accepted by the NHS and by schools etc. - some aren't!

Good luck.