FAQ
What do Cornwall Autism do?
We offer private ASD and Neurodevelopmental assessments to children over the age of 4 years, young people and adults. Assessments are carried out by two or more registered professionals with extensive experience in Autism and broader Neurodevelopmental assessments, with multidisciplinary discussions once all the information has been gathered by the team. We can carry assessments out on-line or face-to-face.
What will happen when I contact you?
We will gather information from you and either your child’s school (or other professional who has worked with your child if they are not in education) or a family member to determine if an autism assessment from Cornwall Autism would be appropriate for you or your child. If you decide to go ahead with the assessment, we will then arrange times with you for the assessment sessions.
Can you guarantee that a client will receive a diagnosis following assessment?
We cannot guarantee a diagnosis. We will use our clinical skills to carry out the assessment. If we do not feel that the threshold for a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder has been met, we will discuss this with you in the feedback meeting and will make recommendations based on an individual’s strengths and needs.
Whether the difficulties either you, or your child are experiencing are the result of living with ASD or due to another presenting difficulty, understanding more about this and having support to consider how best to manage and cope with it can be helpful in moving towards their values and life goals. Regardless, as to whether the threshold for a diagnosis of autism is met or not, a report can be provided detailing their strengths and needs and recommendations for support.
How do you store my information?
We take privacy very seriously and will store your information in line with GDPR guidelines – see our Privacy Policy.
How do I know that that the clinician’s involved in my child’s assessment are qualified?
Mary, Oni, Lisa W, Jo, Sophie, Gemma, Charlotte, Lucy, Jane, Sanjida, Kerensa and Lisa T are all registered professionals: you can check their professional registration by entering their surname and profession on the HCPC website (Check the Register and find a registered health and care professional | (hcpc-uk.org)), the General Medical Council (Home – GMC (gmc-uk.org), or the NMC website Search the register – The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk)
Is a private assessment recognised by Health and Education?
Here in Cornwall, a private assessment is recognised if it meets certain criteria, including being carried out by 2 registered clinicians from different backgrounds and following recognised diagnostic criteria (e.g. DSM5), standards that we easily meet. We are well known in Cornwall and have had no issues with our assessments and outcomes being recognised. Once you have received a report from Cornwall Autism confirming your a diagnosis, you can distribute the report e.g. to your GP or child’s school so they can update their records. We will send the diagnostic report to the local diagnostic service so they too can update their records.
How is Autism Diagnosed?
An Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team of professionals who are highly skilled and experienced in carrying out diagnostic assessments. There are 3 components to the assessment:
- An assessment/observation of the individual
- A detailed interview with a parent/guardian/family who can provide information about the child’s current presentation and developmental history.
- Contextual information from another source, for example the child’s school, health professional or another setting.
- The assessment should include the use of standardised assessments, for example the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), ADI (Autism Diagnostic Interview), the Social Responsiveness Scale – 2 (SRS-2).
How long is your waiting list?
Generally, once our screening has been completed we are booking clients for around 2 months time. We would recommend contacting us for a more accurate idea of waiting times as this is subject to change depending on demand.
