Private ASD Assessments in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Cheshire

Gateway Psychology is a private psychology service based in Stoke-on-Trent, specialising in comprehensive ASD assessments for children and young people. Our assessments are carried out by fully qualified clinicians as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and provide a clear diagnostic outcome alongside tailored recommendations for treatment, support, or further assessment.

ASD Assessments at Gateway Psychology

We understand that waiting months, or even years, for an ASD assessment can be extremely stressful. At Gateway Psychology, we are able to offer reduced waiting times for children and young people, as well as a responsive turnaround for the assessment itself.

Our neurodevelopmental assessments are undertaken by highly-qualified Clinical Psychologists, who have a range of experience in addition to assessing for ASD. They will be able to provide an overview of what other issues may exist and can signpost to further support as required.

Our assessment approach

  • Face-to-face appointments

  • Child-friendly clinic space

  • Led by fully-qualified and regulated Clinical Psychologists

  • Follow national guidlines from NICE

  • Assessed using the best available tools

  • Multi-disciplinary team

  • Robust diagnostic conclusions

  • Assessment available for ages 5–18

How to make a referral

Please email referrals@gateway-psychology.co.uk or fill out the form below to make a referral for an ASD assessment. You do not need a GP referral to access our services. Please include any further information that may be helpful for us to know at this point.

We will provide you with a quote and information about payment.

What to expect during your assessment

Our Autism assessments are fully NICE guideline compliant that are comprised of several elements and will entail a multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis. This will include the following (your clinician may decide to use additional measures as appropriate on a case-by-case basis):

  • Clinical interview with parents/carers to establish a detailed developmental history using the ADI-R. Usually conducted by one of our experienced Clinical Psychologists who will lead the overall assessment.
    • The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (known at the ADI-R) is an interview completed with the parents or carers of the child. The interview obtains a developmental history of the child, as well as information about current presentation. The areas covered are relevant to autism and include: early milestones, language use, play, non-verbal communication, education, friendships, and interests and behaviours. This appointment takes place virtually, without the child or young person present.

  • Direct observational assessment of the child or young person in clinic using the ADOS-2. Completed by a different clinician, usually an experienced Speech & Language Therapist, or experienced Occupational Therapist.
    • The ADOS-2 or Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 allows observational data to be collected. Depending on the age and verbal ability of the child, they will be asked to complete a mix of play-based tasks and be asked questions. Older children and teenagers might find some of the activities childish; however, this is a standardised assessment that must be administered according to manual instructions. Parents and carers will not be asked into the room with the child and the clinician unless the child has very limited verbal skills or is very young.

  • School observation, or teacher interview using Gateway’s Autism Education Profile to ascertain information regarding social, language and restrictive/repetitive behaviours within the educational environment. Usually conducted by one of our experienced Assistant Psychologists
    • The purpose of this appointment is to see or hear about the child or young person in a different setting and alongside their peers. Where a child is home-schooled, or in other circumstances where a school visit is not feasible, an alternative observation will be agreed.

  • Multi-disciplinary team discussion will take place between all clinicians involved in the assessment to review the information that have been gathered. The information is considered alongside the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for autism and a conclusion reached about whether your child does or does not have autism.

  • A detailed assessment report that contains a summary of all the information gathered and the diagnostic outcome will be provided. If a diagnosis has been made, recommendations and support groups and websites will be detailed.

  • In addition, a feedback session of the findings can also be provided, the lead clinician for the assessment can meet with you to feedback the outcome of the assessment. This appointment takes place virtually and the clinician will explain the reasons for the diagnostic outcome and discuss recommendations with you.

FAQs

We offer ASD assessments for children and young people aged 5 to 18.

If your child is under 5, please speak to your GP, as assessments at this age need to be carried out by a paediatrician.

For young people over 18, we may still be able to help depending on individual circumstances. Please get in touch with us to discuss your situation further.

You do not need a GP letter or special referral to access our services. Please contact us about your situation, providing as much detail as possible. We will get back to you with more information about working with us.

Please note that if you think your sessions will be funded by your Local Authority, Regional Adoption Agency or another organisation, you will likely need to speak with them first.

We are a specialist child and young person psychology service. As such, we are unfortunately unable to undertake ASD assessments for adults.

We can assess children and young people for ASD up to the age of 18.

Please contact us for our most up-to-date pricing structure.

Yes, we can offer payment plans. Please contact us for further information.

We aim to reduce the ASD assessment waiting times as far as possible for children and young people. We aim to start the assessment within 6-8 weeks of receiving the “go ahead” from the parent/carer (or the person funding the assessment).

Our ASD assessments are undertaken by fully-qualified Clinical Psychologists, who are trained in undertaking neurodevelopmental assessments such as ASD. Our assessments follow the national NICE guidelines, and include a multi-disciplinary team.

It may be beneficial to check with your child’s school/GP/other organisation to understand if they will accept a private ASD assessment before making a referral to us.

Most appointments will take place at our specialist therapeutic venue in Stoke-on-Trent.

We do not see clients in their home or elsewhere.

We may offer virtual sessions if required or appropriate for the assessment.

A detailed report will be prepared summarising the child or young person’s developmental history and describing their current presentation in each of the key ASD areas.

This report will provide a diagnostic conclusion along with recommendations for treatment/management and further assessment.

Contact us to make an ASD assessment enquiry

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Enquiry form

Please use this form to get in touch with us about arranging a private ASD assessment for your child or young person.

Once we receive your enquiry, we’ll send you some screening tools to complete. These will help us determine whether an ASD assessment is appropriate.

To support us in processing your referral as quickly and thoroughly as possible, we kindly ask that you provide as much detail as you can.