Autism Child & Adolescent Assessment
Multidisciplinary autism assessment and diagnosis for children and adolescents.
A gold-standard autism assessment, built around your child
Autism looks different at five, nine and fifteen, and different again in a girl who has learned to mask, in a high-ability child whose difficulties have been hidden by academic success, or in a young person already struggling with anxiety, low mood or burnout. A 60-minute clinic visit cannot capture any of that honestly.
Our Child & Adolescent Autism Assessment is a full multidisciplinary (MDT) assessment. It is NICE-aligned, NDSIG-compliant, and the same pathway we deliver for NHS patients in Wales. It is led by Dr Karolina Szumanska-Ryt, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and Autism Lead, with clinical psychologists, a specialist educational psychologist, a speech and language therapist and (where indicated) our ADHD consultants.
We assess to understand your child, not to issue a label. Families leave with a clear diagnostic conclusion, a personalised formulation explaining how social communication, sensory processing, executive function, learning, emotion, family and school interact, a plan of reasonable adjustments, and a team that stays involved long after the report is written.
Who this assessment is for
- Children and adolescents aged 5–17 where autism is suspected by parents, school, a GP or CAMHS.
- Young people whose wellbeing, friendships or school experience does not match their apparent ability.
- High-ability children who "coped" in primary school and begin to struggle, mask, withdraw or burn out at secondary.
- Girls and non-binary young people whose presentation does not fit classic male-pattern autism and who are routinely missed.
- Children with possible co-occurring ADHD, anxiety, low mood, selective mutism, PDA-profile demand avoidance, eating difficulties, tic disorders, specific learning differences, developmental coordination difficulties or sleep disturbance.
- Families whose CAMHS wait has been long, or whose previous assessment produced a one-line answer with no usable formulation.
- Families preparing an EHCP application, a DSA application or a tribunal, where an MDT-standard report is almost always required.
What a gold-standard MDT assessment actually looks like
A robust child autism assessment has to show, from more than one source, that features are present from early development, pervasive across home, school and social life, affecting day-to-day functioning, and not better explained by another condition. That is why we actively screen for ADHD, anxiety, trauma, sensory and learning differences alongside autism.
We meet that standard by combining structured information from parents/carers, the young person themselves and school with a detailed neurodevelopmental history, direct trained observation of core autism features, and a consensus discussion across the full MDT before any conclusion is reached.
Our multidisciplinary team
- Dr Karolina Szumanska-Ryt, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and clinical lead. She owns the neurodevelopmental history, formulation, medical oversight and MDT consensus.
- Consultant Clinical Psychologists: observation, standardised assessment, strengths-and-needs formulation, post-diagnostic psychology.
- Speech and Language Therapist: pragmatic and social communication assessment, and communication-focused support after diagnosis.
- Specialist Educational Psychologist: school liaison, learning profile, reasonable adjustments and (where relevant) EHCP input.
- ADHD consultants: combined ADHD + autism assessment and, where needed, safe medication initiation with cardiology oversight.
This is a true MDT: at least two clinicians from different disciplines contribute, and the diagnosis is consensus-agreed before the report is written, not a single-clinician sign-off with an "MDT" label attached.
Strengths, needs and reasonable adjustments, not deficit labels
We have moved deliberately away from the deficit model. Children are not broken versions of neurotypical children. Reports are written around strengths, needs and struggles: what energises your child, what exhausts them, what they can do brilliantly, and what needs adjusting around them so they can thrive. The aim is to help them know themselves better, give parents and school a working model they can actually use, and put the reasonable adjustments in place that let your child fit in on their own terms rather than mask, withdraw or miss opportunities.
ADHD screening is built in, every time
ADHD and autism frequently co-occur, and each is missed when assessed alone. Every child we see for autism is actively screened for ADHD, and where indicators are present we extend the pathway to a combined assessment in the same team, avoiding months of waiting for a separate referral. If medication becomes part of the plan, titration and monitoring are delivered in-house with integrated cardiology where indicated.
We do not discharge your child after the report
Diagnosis is the start, not the finish. Every family has access to:
- Post-diagnostic psychology: adjustment, identity, anxiety and mood support, emotional-regulation and executive-function skills, unmasking and burnout recovery for older adolescents.
- Speech and language therapy: pragmatic and social communication, conversation and friendship skills, and work around demand avoidance or selective mutism where relevant.
- Specialist educational psychology: learning profile, reasonable adjustments for school, EHCP applications and appeals, direct liaison with SENCO and senior leadership.
- School, GP and CAMHS liaison: we coordinate with your child's school, GP, community paediatrics and CAMHS so the whole system moves in the same direction. If your child is already known to NHS services we work alongside them, not instead of them.
- ADHD pathway access: assessment, safe titration and long-term monitoring if co-occurring ADHD is identified.
- Transition to adult services: structured handover from age 16, to our adult pathways or to the young person's chosen provider.
How we adapt the pathway
Virtual or in-person; we adapt to the child. The observation stage runs online or in person at Harley Street. If your child cannot tolerate either (severe anxiety, school refusal, PDA-profile demand avoidance, sensory overload or communication needs that would make a structured observation unreliable), we adapt: home-based observation, a shorter observation split across visits, naturalistic video evidence reviewed by the MDT, or a school-weighted, informant-led pathway. The diagnostic standard does not change; the route to the evidence does.
Girls and high-masking young people. Internal distress, social exhaustion and the cost of "fitting in" are taken seriously. Masking-sensitive tools are built into the pathway, and the MDT interprets observation scores in context rather than mechanically.
Children already seen once and left without a plan. If a previous assessment was too short or too superficial to produce a usable formulation, we build on what is there, only re-collecting what is genuinely missing, rather than putting the family through it all again.
NICE guidelines and the evidence base
The pathway follows NICE CG128 (recognition, referral and diagnosis of autism in children and young people) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists NDSIG guidance on best-practice MDT assessment. We use validated, age-appropriate instruments: structured developmental history, standardised parent and teacher questionnaires (including the SRS-2 and SDQ), communication and language measures, and direct observational assessment of social communication and interaction. Where a safe consensus cannot be reached in a single visit, we say so, and schedule what is needed rather than force a conclusion.
The Eton Approach
Formulation, not labels
We assess to understand your child. A diagnostic code answers one question; a formulation explains how social communication, sensory profile, executive function, learning, emotion, family context and school environment interact, and what will actually help.
Strengths, needs, struggles, not deficits
We have deliberately moved away from the deficit model. Reports are written around what your child is good at, what they find harder, and what they need adjusted around them so they can thrive.
Empower, don't label
We want a young person to leave the assessment knowing themselves better, with language for their strengths and needs, and the confidence to make life choices based on passion and ability, not on what is simply "available" given their difficulties.
A true MDT, every time
Psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, speech and language therapist and specialist educational psychologist, with ADHD consultants and cardiology where relevant. Consensus diagnosis, not a single-clinician sign-off.
Always screen for ADHD
Every autism assessment includes active ADHD screening. Where indicators are present we can extend seamlessly into a combined neurodevelopmental assessment in the same team.
Adapt the pathway to the child
Observation can be online or in person, split across visits, or home-based where clinic-based observation is not tolerated. The standard of evidence stays the same; the route to it is built around your child.
Work with family, school, GP and CAMHS
We do not operate in isolation. We liaise directly with the school, the GP and (where already involved) CAMHS and community paediatrics, so the whole system around your child moves in the same direction.
Long-term support after diagnosis
Psychology, speech and language therapy, educational psychology, ADHD pathway access, and structured transition to adult services at 16+ are all part of the service. Not optional extras.
NHS-grade rigour, private-practice continuity
More than 800 neurodevelopmental assessments delivered for NHS Wales. The same pathway we deliver there is the pathway your child receives here.
Your Journey
Enquiry & Booking
A conversation with our coordinator to confirm the MDT pathway is right for your child, explain fees and timelines, and book Stage 1. Nothing is sent until we are sure the pathway fits.
Pre-Assessment Forms (Parent, Young Person, School, Carer)
Once booked, we send a targeted pack of pre-assessment forms, completed by the parent/carer, the young person themselves (where age-appropriate), school, and any other significant carer. These include a structured developmental and neurodevelopmental history, standardised parent and teacher questionnaires, a social communication measure, an ADHD screen, sensory profile and a school information form. We only collect what is genuinely needed; existing reports (EHCPs, Red Book, previous SALT/EP assessments, CAMHS letters) are reviewed first.
Observation (Virtual or In-Person, Adapted Where Needed)
A structured, trained observation of social communication, interaction, play and reciprocity. Delivered online or in person at Harley Street depending on what works for your child. If a standard observation is not possible (severe anxiety, school refusal, PDA-profile demand avoidance, sensory intolerance, communication needs) we adapt: home-based observation, naturalistic video evidence reviewed by the MDT, or school-weighted observation. The diagnostic standard does not change.
Neurodevelopmental History & Comprehensive Clinical Assessment
A longer clinical appointment led by Dr Karolina Szumanska-Ryt, exploring development from early life onward: milestones, early communication, play, sensory profile, school history, peer relationships, emotional regulation, mental health, sleep, and physical health. Active screening for co-occurring ADHD, anxiety, low mood, tic disorders and learning differences is built in.
MDT Consensus, Formulation & Feedback
The full MDT (psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, SLT and specialist educational psychologist) reviews the pre-assessment forms, the observation, the neurodevelopmental history and the clinical assessment together, and reaches a consensus diagnostic conclusion aligned with NICE guidelines. A strength-and-needs formulation is written, together with a concrete plan of reasonable adjustments. Feedback is delivered to family and young person together, in language designed to help them understand themselves better, not to label them.
Post-Diagnostic Support & Long-Term Care
Access to specialist psychology, speech and language therapy, educational psychology and (where indicated) ADHD assessment and treatment, all in one team. Direct liaison with school (SENCO, senior leadership), GP and CAMHS. Support with EHCP applications and reasonable-adjustment letters is included. At 16+, structured transition to adult ADHD and autism services so your child is not left without support at the most vulnerable point.
What to Expect
Before the assessment
You will speak with our coordinator to confirm the MDT pathway is right. We will tell you exactly which forms we need the parent(s), young person, school and any additional carer to complete, and which information we can draw from documents you already have (EHCP, previous SLT or educational psychology reports, CAMHS letters, community paediatric letters, Red Book). Nothing is sent twice.
Your child is a partner in the assessment
We involve children and adolescents in their own assessment at a level appropriate to their age. Teenagers are invited to speak for themselves about what they enjoy, what they find hard, what makes them feel safe or unsafe at school, and how they would like to be supported. Their voice directly shapes the formulation.
The observation
A trained observation of social communication and interaction, delivered online or in person, and adapted where a standard format is not tolerated. The observation is never the whole assessment; it is one source of evidence alongside developmental history, questionnaires, school input and direct clinical assessment. The MDT interprets it in context, particularly for high-masking children and young people.
The clinical assessment
A calm, unhurried conversation with Dr Karolina Szumanska-Ryt and (usually) the parent(s). We explore development, communication, sensory profile, executive function, emotional regulation, mood, sleep, school life and physical health. Every autism assessment includes an active ADHD screen.
The MDT consensus and feedback
The full team meets to review all the evidence before any diagnostic conclusion is reached. You then receive a feedback appointment and a written MDT report that meets the standard expected by NHS Shared Care, universities, Local Authorities (EHCPs) and tribunals. The report includes a strength-and-needs formulation, a personalised plan of reasonable adjustments, and our recommendations for school, home and any onward clinical work.
If your child is diagnosed
You receive the MDT report, a curated information pack for families and young people, and access to our in-house psychology, speech and language therapy, and educational psychology support. We write reasonable-adjustment letters and supporting letters for EHCPs at no extra cost.
If your child is not diagnosed
A "no" is still a useful outcome. We will explain clearly what we did and did not find, what might be a better frame for your child's experience (for example ADHD, developmental trauma, sensory processing differences, anxiety, a specific learning difference or a language disorder), and help you decide what to do next. We do not leave families stranded.
Our promise
No one-off label. No generic letter. A team that stays with your child through school, through transitions, and into adult life.
Our Clinicians
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Neurodiversity Trainer for Clinicians — supervision, training and clinical CPD
Fees & Pricing
Child & Adolescent Autism Multidisciplinary Assessment and Diagnosis
MDT assessment including observation of autism symptoms (session 1) and neurodevelopmental history and psychiatric assessment (session 2). Our specialist team is psychiatrist-led; your diagnosis is made by our team of psychiatrists, psychologists and speech and language therapists. Our pathway is designed to be adaptive to your child's strengths and needs, ensuring a high-quality assessment and minimising misdiagnosis in children with high levels of masking.
What's Included
- 2 separate clinical review
- MDT diagnosis including feedback from family and school
- Diagnosis report including your child's strengths and needs, and a clear reasonable adjustment plan for school
Children and Adolescent ADHD and Autism Combined assessment
A Consultant‑led combined ADHD and Autism assessment for under‑18s: parent, young person and school questionnaires, developmental history, direct clinical assessment with validated ADHD and Autism tools, careful evaluation for masking and high‑IQ compensation, an integrated report for GP, school/EHCP and CAMHS, and a feedback session with tailored recommendations.
What's Included
- Full Diagnostic Report including Neurodevelopmental & Collateral History
- Reasonable Adjustment and personalised plan for school
- Direct liaison with GP
Disclaimer A diagnosis is only made where clinical criteria are met; the fee covers the full assessment and report whether or not a diagnosis is confirmed. Medication, prescriptions, shared‑care agreements and follow‑up appointments are charged separately.