Autism Assessment
How Do Autism Assessments Work?
Autism Assessments for Children
In Western Australia, an Autism Assessment is conducted in three main stages.
1. If you, your GP, your family nurse or your child’s school notice signs of possible autism, they will ask you to see your GP. Your GP will then refer you to a paediatrician for consultation.
2. Your paediatrician may then do one of the following things:
a. Consider medical or therapeutic intervention and request a review in a few months to see if your child’s presentation has changed. This is often a process followed if other factors are being considered that may “look like autism”.
b. Refer you to a multidisciplinary assessment team for a comprehensive assessment.
3. Your child undergoes the assessment process.
Autism Assessments for Adults
Assessment for autism is a little different. A referral from a GP or Psychiatrists is not required; the assessment can typically be completed by a Registered Psychologist with specific training in this area.
Who Conducts an Autism Assessment?
Typically, the professionals who will be conducting your autism assessment are:
A psychologist; and
A speech pathologist
Autism Diagnostic Assessment for Adults & Adolescents (16+)
Our Psychologists as PsychWest follow best practice clinical guidelines for autism assessment. You do not necessarily need a GP or Psychiatrist referral initially, but you will need to attend a GP appointment for a medical review.
What does an adult autism assessment involve?
Clinical interview with the person who may be autistic to determine relevant developmental, psychosocial and medical history
A semi-structured standardised assessment of the adult’s communication skills, social interactions and behaviours
Clinical interview with spouse, partner, parent or another family member who knows the client well for collateral information (if applicable)
Formal testing of adaptive skills may also be conducted if required (eg, for access to funding or services)
Comprehensive feedback regarding assessment results including production of comprehensive report which addresses the diagnostic criteria
How much does it cost?
The full fee is $2350.00 Please note: payment must be made prior to the assessment starting. There is no Medicare rebate for adult autism assessment.
How many sessions are involved?
Session 1: Consult and background information gathering - 1 hour.
Session 2: ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) – adult version 2 hours (client and or caregiver present). This will depend on the client.
Session 3: ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic interview) or structured – 1 hour- 1.5 hours.
Session 4: Feedback session and formal report provided.
If you need a combined assessment for ADHD and Autism, click here.
At PsychWest, we have clinicians who are trained to provide diagnostic assessment of autism in children aged 6-16.
What does a child autism assessment involve?
Clinical interview with the parents/caregiver of the child to determine relevant developmental, psychosocial and medical history plus standardised questionnaires
Structured assessment to determine communication skills, social interactions and behaviours
Video observations of the child’s communication, social skills and behaviours
How much does it cost?
The full fee is $3100. Please note: payment must be made prior to the assessment starting. There are no rebates available from Medicare or NDIS.
How many sessions are involved?
The assessment schedule may change based on the presentation. However, the amount of client-contact sessions usually looks like:
Session 1: Two-hour clinical interview (parent/s present only) – 2 hours
Session 2: Structured assessment to determine communication skills, social interactions and behaviours. (child and parent present) – 1 hour
Session 3: Cognitive assessment (child present) – 2 hours
Session 4: Feedback session (parent/s present only) and formal report provided – 1 hour
If you need a combined assessment for ADHD and Autism, click here.
Autism Diagnostic Assessment for Children
Fees
Payment is to be made upfront to the practice prior to the assessments. The initial fee incorporates ADI-R, ADOS-2, WISC-V (if applicable), report writing and feedback session.
Additional fees may be charged if other things are needed to finalise the assessment, such as consultation with an external practitioner (e.g. Speech Pathologist / Occupational Therapist / Paediatrician). Or extra reports or information is provided that needs to be taken into account for the final report. This would be discussed with you at your appointment.
Cancellations
24hrs business notice is required for cancellations, otherwise the practice will need to charge the fee associated with that portion of the assessment.
If clinicians cancel / reschedule any portion of the assessment process, the client will not be charged additional fees for sessions already paid for.
Report Writing
Reports are written in conjunction with the DSM-V criteria for autism spectrum disorder and the Autism CRC National Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Diagnostic reports may be inconclusive and need additional information from other allied health practitioners (Speech Pathologists / Occupational Therapists / Paediatricians), especially in more complex circumstances where information is needed to rule out.
Telehealth Consults
ADI-R can be administered via telehealth if this is preferred for the client. Video call is preferred but phone call can be utilised if appropriate.
ADOS-2 and WISC-V cannot be administered over telehealth; these must be face-to-face.
The adult version of the ADOS-2 can be administered over telehealth (video call necessary).
Looking for an Autism Assessment in Perth?
Psychwest has psychologists available who are experienced in providing autism assessments in Perth.
To find out more about organising your autism assessment, we welcome you to get in touch with our team today to find the best psychologist for them, discuss fees and rebates, and book a session.