Developmental and Autism Diagnostic Assessments

Being neurodivergent can make living in a largely neurotypical world challenging at times.

Greater understanding about your neurodevelopmental profile can assist others in recognising your strengths, unique qualities and identify supports.

Our assessment team provide comprehensive psychology and speech assessments to accurately identify any underlying developmental differences your child or adolescent may be experiencing.

We accept referrals for assessments for people of all genders. We are attentive to the care needed when assessing teenage girls and women, and gender-diverse people, who often go undiagnosed because their symptoms present more subtly to the more traditionally recognised characteristics of Autism Spectrum Conditions in males.

Our assessments come with written reports and feedback sessions. Our reports are easy to read and contain practical strategies.

The image below outlines the assessment process at The Kidd Clinic.

Pre-Assessment Consultation

What is it?

This is a 50-80 minute initial consultation which is required prior to all assessments at The Kidd Clinic. This allows the clinician to gather information about the client’s developmental history, discuss the assessment process with you, and answer any questions you may have.

Why do I need to have this first?

This appointment allows our clinicians to determine the most appropriate assessment/s and advise you about which assessment pathway to proceed with according to your goals.

Autism Assessment

What is it?

A comprehensive Autism assessment involves observations with the young person, collection of supportive information from multiple sources (e.g. school/daycare) and a parent interview addressing the DSM-V Autism Spectrum Disorder criteria. For children aged 12 and under it may be necessary for a Speech Pathologist to also be involved as part of the assessment process. The Kidd Clinic now provides this service and you will be advised if this is required following your pre-assessment consultation. The clinician conducting your pre-assessment consultation will recommend additional appointments with other medical/health professionals if necessary. Upon completion of the assessment, a comprehensive report will be provided and discussed during a feedback session.

Brief Psychological Assessment

What is it?

At times, a formal and lengthy assessment is not the most appropriate way forward. A Brief Psychological Assessment offers a flexible assessment approach that provides an outline of the client’s current strengths and difficulties and assists in the formulation of an ongoing plan. During the pre-assessment consultation, the clinician will suggest this option if they feel it will adequately address your goals and motivation for assessment. A Brief Psychological Assessment will always include a feedback session, report and a 50-minute assessment session. On top of this, there may be an additional assessment session and further measures.

Griffiths Developmental Assessment

What is it?

Griffiths III provides an overall measure of a child’s (1-6 years) development, as well as an individual profile of strengths and needs across five developmental domains:

Foundations of Learning – assesses critical aspects of learning such as problem solving and thinking skills during the early childhood years.
Language and Communication – measures overall language development, including expressive language, receptive language, and (to a lesser extent) use of language to communicate socially with others.
Eye and Hand Coordination – considers fine motor skills, manual dexterity and visual perception skills.
Personal–Social–Emotional – measures constructs relating to the child’s developing sense of self and growing independence, interactions with others, plus many aspects of emotional development.
Gross Motor - assesses postural control, balance and gross body coordination.

Adult Autism Assessments

What is it?

If you are seeking an Autism assessment, we accept self-referral and referrals from medical and other health professionals. The process starts with a pre-assessment consultation to discuss the reasons for seeking an assessment and making a collaborative decision to progress with a full assessment tailored to your individual circumstances.

An adult Autism diagnostic assessment involves 1 - 2 sessions addressing the DSM-V criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder using clinical interviews, questionnaires and in some cases, collecting additional information from someone who knows the person well. The assessor will also recommend additional appointments with other medical/health professionals, if necessary.

Upon completion of the assessment, a comprehensive report will be provided and discussed during a feedback session (usually 4-6 weeks following the assessment).

In order to make a formal diagnosis, our assessors are required to work within a medical model using the DSM-V criteria. However, we aim to provide an affirming assessment experience that focuses on understanding each person’s unique social communication needs, sensory processing differences, interests and regulation strategies. We have experience in affirming autistic identity for adults who may have previously been overlooked due to a more internalised presentation.