How will I find out about my assessment?

You will receive a letter via email which will tell you the time, date and location of your assessment. 

If you are on our waiting list for an assessment you will receive regular text messages to reassure you that you are on the list and that we will offer you an appointment in due course. 

Whilst you wait for your appointment you can find information here about resources you can access whilst you wait.

Where will my assessment take place?

When invited for an assessment you will attend one of our clinics

• Brentwood Community Hospital 
• Pitsea Clinic
• Great Oaks Clinic 
• Child Development Centre, Thurrock Community Hospital

Who will carry out my assessment?

Our assessment team is made up of specialist clinicians who all have experience in autism and ADHD. Our clinicians come from a variety of professions including Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Clinical Psychologists, Nurse and Community Paediatricians. 

You may meet some of our team members who will carry out part of your assessment before you see a Paediatrician. In some cases, your whole assessment will be carried out by members of the team including a Clinical Psychologist or Specialist Practitioner.

ADHD Assessment

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and diagnosis relies on the presence of characteristics such as difficulties sustaining attention, finding organisation hard being easily distracted as well as traits of increased activity of such as fidgeting, restlessness, excessive climbing or running and acting impulsively. In order for a clinician to offer a diagnosis they will ask about these characteristics and how impact the child’s daily life. 

Below is a guide on what an assessment for ADHD might look like – in some cases there may more information or appointments required so the clinician can be sure that a diagnosis of ADHD is the best explanation for your child’s differences

Please note that as outlined in the NICE guidelines, we do not provide ADHD assessment for children under 6 years old.

ADHD Assessment for Children aged 6-10 years old

Once your referral has been accepted by the clinical team, your child will be placed on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. When your child is close to the top of the wating list, you and your child’s school will receive a link to a further questionnaire called a ‘Conners Questionnaire’. These are specific questionnaires which ask about different  strengths and difficulties your child may have – it is very important to fill these in an open and honest manner so that clinicians have the best picture of your child’s needs. 

Once these questionnaires are completed and returned, you will be offered an appointment with a Community Paediatrician. The Paediatrician will ask you questions about what you have noticed about your child, their strengths and difficulties as well as completing a developmental history. 

The Paediatrician may offer you an outcome at this appointment or they may request further assessments such as a School Observation or a QBTest. 

If a school Observation is needed one of our Assistant Practitioners will go to your child’s school, speak with adults who support them and observe them in the classroom and during break time. They will then complete a report to share with your child’s paediatrician. 

A QBTest is a computerised assessment tool which looks at your child’s attention, activity levels and impulsivity. Depending on the child’s age it is carried out over a 15 or 20 minute period and is administered by an Assistant Practitioner. Parents/ Carers will be asked to wait outside the room whilst the QBTest is administered to reduce the number of distractions in the environment. Your child will be asked to sit at the computer and where a head band with a reflective ball on to monitor movement and hold a clicker to click when they see certain stimuli. Take a look at the video here on how the QBTest is administered - 

The Paediatrician may also take a ‘Watch and Wait’ approach depending on the information received – this is where the Paediatrician would provide a review after several months and after receiving updated information about the characteristics your child may be experiencing. 

The Paediatrician will make a decision about whether the criteria is met for a diagnosis of ADHD based on all of the information that has been gathered and share this decision with you and your child. If a diagnosis is not offered, signposting to other organisations will be shared.

ADHD Assessment for Children aged 11-19

The Children’s ADHD assessment pathway accepts referrals for young people up to the age of 17 years 5 months. If you are above this age at the time you are seeking a referral you will need to discuss a referral to the Adult ADHD Service from your GP - https://eput.nhs.uk/our-services/mid-and-south-essex-adult-adhd-assessment-service/  

Once your referral has been accepted by the clinical team, your child will be placed on a waiting list for an ADHD assessment. When your child is close to the top of the wating list, you and your child’s school will receive a link to a further questionnaire called a ‘Conners Questionnaire’. These are specific questionnaires which ask about different strengths and difficulties your child may have – it is very important to fill these in an open and honest manner so that clinicians have the best picture of your child’s needs. 

Once the Conners Questionnaires are returned, you will have an appointment with our specialist practitioners. You and your child will be asked to come into different rooms for different parts of the assessment to be completed. Your child will be asked to complete the QBTest and share what life is like for them with one of our assistant practitioners whilst parents are in another room complete a developmental history and ADHD information questionnaire. In some cases, you and your child will be seen in one room together to complete the assessment. We aim to gather all of the information required as part of your assessment in one appointment before you see the Paediatrician, however in some instances you will be asked to return for a further appointment prior to seeing the Paediatrician. Your clinician will explain whether this is needed at your appointment. 

The Paediatrician will make a decision about whether the criteria is met for a diagnosis of ADHD based on all of the information that has been gathered and share this decision with you and your child. If a diagnosis is not offered, signposting to other organisations will be shared.

Autism Assessment

As autism is a lifelong diagnosis, information for an Autism assessment is gathered over a period of time. It is gathered from people and professionals who know your child well and professionals who have met your child. This information will be gathered and considered by a multi-disciplinary team which includes their Community Paediatrician, to decide whether a diagnosis can be given. 

Below is a guide on what an assessment for Autism might look like – in some cases there may be more information or appointments required so the clinician can be sure that a diagnosis of Autism is the best explanation for your child’s differences.

Autism Assessment for Children Aged 3-5 

If your child is experiencing speech and language difficulties we would always recommend you attend a drop-in session prior to seeking a referral for an Autism assessment. Details of how you can do this can be found here - https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/services-essex-childrens-speech-and-language-therapy  

We would recommend you discuss any concerns you have about your child’s developmental with your child’s health visitor – they can offer support and signposting before a referral is made. As Autism is a life long diagnosis, it is important that you and your child have attempted to access community groups, implemented advice from your health visitor and that differences are observed over a period of time before a referral is made for an Autism assessment. Having this wealth of information before a referral is made ensures that your child has support in place to help them thrive and if an assessment is offered, provides the clinical team with information from different areas of your child’s life to support a timely assessment process. 

If an assessment is offered, your child may see a Paediatrician as their first appointment or they may be observed in a clinic or their pre-school setting by a specialist nurse. This will be dependent on the information received in the referral. If there is enough information to support a diagnosis, your child may be offered an outcome at their first appointment with a Community Paediatrician. The Paediatrician may also take a ‘Watch and Wait’ approach depending on the information received – this is where the Paediatrician would provide a review after several months after receiving updated information about the characteristics your child may be experiencing. 

The Paediatrician will make a decision about whether the criteria is met for a diagnosis of Autism based on all of the information that has been gathered and share this decision with you and your child. If a diagnosis is not offered, signposting to other organisations will be shared.

Autism assessment for Children aged 5-19 

When you come for your assessment, you will be asked to wait in the waiting area with your parent. The clinician will call your name and you will be  invited into the assessment room. Your parent/carer will wait for you in the waiting area. One of our clinicians may have a quick chat with your parent/carer, just to confirm the assessment process. If you are over 16 and choose to attend the appointment alone, this is fine, however please be aware that for your appointment with the paediatrician, you will need to attend with someone who knows you well (preferably a parent) who will be able to provide a developmental history about what you were like as a young child. 

You will be asked to complete an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule -2 [ADOS-2. This is a standardised assessment of communication, social interaction, and creative use of objects. Different variations are available for the ADOS-2 meaning it can be used for individuals with varying developmental and language levels. 

Activities vary in the ADOS-2 but the assessment usually includes a puzzle, looking at a picture and a book, play and talking based interactions. The activities vary depending on the child’s level of language and development – for example a teenager who can use complex language will not be asked to do the same activities as a 4 year old with language difficulties. These activities allow the examiner to observe how the young person interacts and communicates during the session and are designed to offer your child the best opportunity to share their experiences and engage in activities in their own way.  

Often there are two clinicians in the room for an assessment. One will lead the assessment and activities, whilst the other will observe and take notes. 

Once the assessment is completed, the clinician will show you back to your parent and you will be free to leave. In most cases you will not receive an outcome after the ADOS-2, this will be discussed at the appointment with your Community Paediatrician. The ADOS-2 is not a diagnostic tool on its own – the clinicians who have completed your assessment will write a report and share this with your Paediatrician who will consider it alongside a developmental history. The Paediatrician may decide that they need more information before they can conclude an assessment – this could include a school observation or conversation with other professionals. 

When a decision is made about whether the criteria is met for a diagnosis of Autism this will be shared with you and your child. If a diagnosis is not offered, signposting to other organisations will be shared.

Complex Autism and Assessments for Children aged 6-19

Some children may have experienced challenges in their life which could be considered as traumatic and may have a lasting impact on a child’s wellbeing. Some children may have also experienced mental health challenges which could be having an impact on their wellbeing and ability and lifestyle. In these cases, the clinical team may decide that your assessment needs to involve a Clinical Psychologist. A Clinical Psychologist is skilled at looking at traumatic experiences and mental health difficulties alongside possible Autism or ADHD and decide whether there is a diagnosis to be made, or whether the difficulties experienced are in the context of mental health or trauma. Not all children and young people will need this type of assessment. 

If you are invited for an appointment with our Clinical Psychologist and another specialist clinician, parents will be asked to complete a developmental and trauma history whilst the young person will be asked to complete an ADOS-2 assessment.

The developmental history will look at early childhood development, the traumatic experiences or mental health difficulties the young person as experienced as well as how this is impacting day-to-day life. 

An ADOS-2 is a standardised assessment of communication, social interaction, and creative use of objects. Different variations are available for the ADOS-2 meaning it can be used for individuals with varying developmental and language levels. 

Activities vary in the ADOS-2 but the assessment usually includes a puzzle, looking at a picture and a book, play and talking based interactions. The activities vary depending on the child’s level of language and development – for example a teenager who can use complex language will not be asked to do the same activities as a 4 year old with language difficulties. These activities allow the examiner to observe how the young person interacts and communicates during the session and are designed to offer your child the best opportunity to share their experiences and engage in activities in their own way.  

 Due to the nature of these assessments they can often take up to two hours. If the clinicians are able to offer an outcome on the day, they will however in some cases further information and assessments are required to ensure that all relevant information is considered. This is so if a diagnosis is offered, it is the best explanation for the young person’s differences. If a diagnosis is not offered, signposting to other organisations will be shared.