Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessments
Private Autism Assessments
For Children and Young People Aged 2 to 19
At Sphere, we offer private, multi-disciplinary Autism assessments for those aged 2 to 19. All our ASD assessments are carried out by a team of clinicians led by a Consultant Paediatrician, using the same gold-standard tools as the NHS and in line with NICE Guidelines, but without the long waiting lists.
If you feel your child may have autism, contact us today to discuss how we can help them get the right support.
How do I refer for an Autism Assessment?
If you have any questions, or if you'd like to make a referral, just send us a message. We'll answer any queries you have, and send you a copy of the referral form.​
Following this, our clinical team conduct a free screening to confirm an Autism assessment with Sphere is the service for you. We will then book your assessments in for the first available date - this is often within 8 weeks.
How does an ASD Assessment work?
When we book your referral in, we'll also send a number of questionnaires out to you and your child's school or nursery. These help us get a well-rounded picture of how your child is doing in different settings, and what their strengths and differences are.
​Two of our multidisciplinary team will then carry out a face-to-face ADOS assessment with your child, while our Consultant Paediatrician will meet with you for an Autism-focused General Developmental Assessment.
In rare cases where there isn't enough information to make a clinical decision, we may recommend an additional assessment, like an extra parent interview or a school observation, so we can get a better understanding of your child.
What happens after the assessment?
After the appointments have been completed, and the questionnaires have been analysed, the clinical team will review all the information gathered, and will then provide feedback to let you know the assessment outcome. Whether or not a diagnosis of Autism is given, we hope to help you better understand your child's strengths and difficulties, and we will always give recommendations for support and/or further investigations that will help them to reach their potential.
In most cases, we're able to provide feedback on the same day as your final assessment appointment, and this can be done either face-to-face or as a video appointment, to suit you.
The clinical team will then send you a comprehensive written report which details the referral information, the assessment process and findings, any diagnoses which have been given, and recommendations for support. With your consent, we also send this to your GP and your child's school or nursery, so they can provide appropriate support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong neuro-developmental condition that affects how people communicate and interact with the world. Autism is a spectrum condition, which means that all people on the autism spectrum share certain characteristics with one another, but these vary from one person to another. The term Asperger's Syndrome was used in the past to identify some people on the autism spectrum. These days, however, we no longer use the term Asperger's when making a diagnosis. Instead, we use the terms Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when making a medical diagnosis and in the reports we produce. At times, you may also hear us use the term Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), which has the same meaning as ASD but is now often used as a preferred neurodivergent-affirming term.
Why is a diagnosis important?
As a parent, a diagnosis means you can focus on the right tools to best support your child or young person. You can then also confidently advocate for them and put the right systems in place to make life that little bit easier for them and for you. As a child or young person, an autism diagnosis means that things often finally start to make more sense. Rather than constantly questioning why they find certain situations so tricky, they are empowered to focus on the right strategies to help them manage better and grow into their best selves. For younger children, it will mean they avoid that questioning right from the start and will get the support and care they need to thrive.
How robust is a Sphere assessment? Will schools/the NHS recognise it?
At Sphere, we go above and beyond clinical best practice guidelines for autism assessments. Our multi-disciplinary approach gives us a truly comprehensive picture of what is going on for your child or young person and is in fact often more in-depth than the assessments currently carried out by the NHS. We use ‘Gold Standard’ tools recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and NHS England, such as the ADOS-2 test and GARS-3 questionnaires. We believe that this is the most robust route to take for an accurate autism diagnosis. Due to this, there is no reason the NHS and your child's nursery, school, or college shouldn't accept a diagnosis from Sphere.
How much does an assessment cost?
Our multi-disciplinary assessments cost £2,650. This includes the sending and scoring of questionnaires to family and school/nursery; the ADOS assessment with the child/young person, conducted by two memnbers of our multi-disciplinary team; the General Developmental history appointment with parents conducted by our Consultant Community Paediatrician; a feedback session after the assessment with the clinical team; and the comprehensive written report sent to you following the assessment. In the event that we need to carry out a school observation, this is charged separately. In the last 12 months, however, we have not needed to do this for any of our Autism assessments.
What's involved in the assessment appointments?
There are two main appointments in the Autism assessment; an ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2) and a General Developmental history. The ADOS is a structured play-based observation that assesses your child’s social communication and interaction skills with an unfamiliar adult. This will be completed with two clinicians (usually a Psychologist and a Speech and Language Therapist). For young children, parents typically remain in the room; older children and young people are usually able to complete the assessment independently. The General Developmental history appointment allows our Consultant Paediatrician to get a detailed, autism-focused history of the child or young person's development. The child or young person will typically be present for some or all of the appointment to allow for direct clinical observation as well. Our Consultant will meet with you all, look at your child's medical and developmental history, and carry out a medical examination to gain an understanding of their presentation throughout their life so far.
Why is a Multi-Disciplinary Assessment with a Paediatrician important?
The NICE guidelines recommend that a Paediatrician or Psychiatrist form part of the autism assessment team. Paediatricians specialise in the health and development of children and their role is to obtain a detailed developmental history. The developmental history covers behavioural patterns but also a medical history, including prenatal, perinatal and family history, past and current health conditions and a physical examination. This allows the Paediatrician to consider other diagnoses or conditions that may coexist with autism. Additionally, by performing a general physical examination, they can look specifically for features that may point to an underlying genetic condition. This is important for getting the diagnosis right, because some children with autism may have other existing conditions that are associated with autism or that may look like autism.
I think my child is masking. Will the assessment pick up their differences?
Many children with ASD, but particularly girls, learn to mask in order to fit in. We are all skilled in identifying social communication differences, and even children and young people that use a high level of masking usually present with subtle, but noticeable differences that the assessment tools we use will bring to light.
What happens if my child does not get a diagnosis?
Not all children or young people who come for an assessment with us will receive a diagnosis of autism, but whatever the outcome, we will always help you better understand your child's strengths and differences, and make appropriate recommendations to support them.
What support do you offer after the diagnosis?
After the assessment, we will confirm if a diagnosis of autism has been given, and make recommendations for appropriate support to help your child achieve their full potential, both at home and at school/college. If any further assessments or ongoing support is recommended, we will also help you find the most relevant local services to provide this.
I'm a teenager referring myself for an assessment. How does this work?
From 16 years of age, you are able to sign your own referral form - even if your parent/carer signs it, you will need to sign it too. Where appropriate, we will liaise directly with you throughout the assessment process. Following the assessment, we will send you a personalised letter fully explaining the outcome assessment. Assessment fees apply, so please do discuss making a referral with your parent/carer.