Autism (Children and Adolescents)

Autism Assessment (Children and Adolescents)
At Berkeley Psychiatrists Autism assessments for children and young people are conducted in accordance with the NICE guidelines. Prior to the assessment the parent(s) will be sent an ASD (Autism) screening pack for their child or adolescent, to be completed by themselves and another screening pack will be sent to be completed by a teacher at the patient's school. Both screening packs will need to be returned to Berkeley Psychiatrists at least 48 hours before the appointment. This assessment can be conducted virtually or in person.

ADIr /ADOS Informed assessments for Young People (age +6) ADIr will be conducted with parents via a parent interview with review of the young person. The Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R) is a comprehensive interview that provides a thorough assessment of individuals suspected of having autism or other autism spectrum disorders. The ADI-R has proven highly useful for formal diagnosis as well as treatment and educational planning. Composed of 93 items, the ADI-R focuses on three functional domains: Language/Communication, Reciprocal Social Interactions, and Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Behaviours and Interests. The ADI-R has proven very effective in differentiating autism from other developmental disorders and in assessing syndrome boundaries, identifying new subgroups, and quantifying autism symptomatology. Extensive use of the ADI-R in the international research community has provided strong evidence of the reliability and validity of its categorical results.

If the ADIr is not clear enough due to other comorbidities, an ADOS informed assessment will be provided. ADOS informed assessment is a semi-structured assessment of communication, social interaction, and imaginative use of materials that is undertaken with young people as part of an assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The version of the assessment used is dependent on the young person’s language ability. The assessment can take between 2 to 4 hours. Dr Radha Kandeth is trained in both ADI-R and ADOS and has been conducting ASD assessments for children and adolescents for over 20 years.