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Some of our Clients
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Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference. Autistic children vary widely in how they communicate, interact, learn, play and experience sensory information. An assessment explores your child’s individual characteristics, strengths, daily functioning and support needs.
Families may seek an assessment when there are questions about development, communication, social interaction, behaviour, sensory experiences or participation at home, school or in the community. An assessment may help explain your child’s experiences and guide practical recommendations, whether or not it results in an autism diagnosis.
What can an autism assessment clarify?
An assessment can build a clearer picture of your child’s strengths, differences, daily functioning and support needs. It may help families and educators understand your child’s experiences, identify helpful adjustments and make informed decisions about appropriate supports.
What does the assessment involve?
The process is tailored to the child and may include a developmental history, interviews or questionnaires, direct interaction and observation, and information from relevant people such as parents, carers and teachers. With consent, information may also be gathered from other professionals or settings. No single questionnaire or assessment tool determines the outcome.
What happens after the assessment?
The psychologist brings the available information together, explains the findings and provides a written report with practical recommendations. Recommendations should reflect your child’s strengths, needs and circumstances. Support can be considered according to need, regardless of whether the assessment results in a diagnosis.
The assessment is individualised to your child’s age, communication style, circumstances and support needs. It considers strengths as well as areas where additional understanding, adjustments or support may be helpful.
A comprehensive assessment may draw on developmental history, parent or carer perspectives, teacher information, clinical observation and standardised assessment tools. The exact components depend on the referral question and your child’s circumstances.
Following the assessment, findings are discussed with the family and documented in a report. Recommendations may relate to home, education, healthcare or community participation and should be tailored to your child’s identified strengths and support needs.
An autism assessment is planned around the child and the questions being explored. The process may include:
The exact process varies according to your child’s age, communication needs and circumstances. To discuss whether an autism assessment may be appropriate, contact the Quirky Kid Clinic or learn more about our child assessment services.
We commonly use the following tools for a variety of purposes and age groups when completing this kind of assessment.
ADOS-2 is a standardised, semi-structured observation for people aged 12 months through adulthood. A child psychologist trained in ADOS-2 selects one of five modules based on age and expressive language. The observation can contribute to a broader autism assessment, but its scores cannot establish a diagnosis on their own.
Vineland-3 is a standardised measure of adaptive behaviour for people from birth to 90+ years, with teacher forms for ages 3 to 21. It explores everyday communication, daily living and socialisation skills. Results may contribute to a broader assessment but do not establish a diagnosis on their own.
ADI-R is a standardised interview with a parent, caregiver or other informed person about development and current behaviour. It explores communication, social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours. The interview may contribute to a broader autism assessment but cannot establish a diagnosis on its own.
MIGDAS-2 is a sensory-based, qualitative interview process for people aged 3 to 99. It gathers information from the individual and, where relevant, parents, carers and teachers across sensory experiences, communication and social-emotional patterns. Findings may contribute to a broader autism assessment but do not determine diagnosis alone.
Quirky Kid® would not be the company it is today without our talented, inspring and highly professional team that is as equally committed to the mental health and wellbeing of children as we are.
Our clinic provides psychological assessments and personalised treatment plans to support your child's needs. Our experienced psychologists gather detailed information to explore diagnoses and deliver effective interventions.
Each assessment results in a comprehensive report with background information, medical history, observations, and practical recommendations.
Our treatment plans address specific challenges and promote overall well-being.
Complete the form to schedule an assessment or treatment plan for your child.
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