Diagnostic assessments for Autism
Getting an autism diagnosis requires a detailed assessment.
How do I get a diagnostic assessment for a child or young person?
If a child is under 5 and showing signs of autism, a health or education professional (school or pre-school staff) should refer to the local Community Paediatrician in the first instance.
Professionals may refer directly to the Denbighshire Early years Neurodevelopment Team for consideration of diagnostic assessment, bearing in mind that the child needs to be under a community paediatrician for the referral to be considered.
Children’s diagnostic assessments are usually the responsibility of the North Wales NHS Neurodevelopmental Service (external website). The school or a GP can refer a school-aged child showing signs of autism to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). CAMHS screen the referral, and where appropriate, will forward on to the neurodevelopmental team for a referral decision.
Children under 5 years of age can be referred to a local Community Paediatrician by their school or a Health professional. Speak to them about your concerns and how your child can be referred.
When asking for an assessment for a child or young person, it's important to think about how:
- an autism diagnosis might affect the child or young person for whom you are responsible
- a diagnosis of autism can help some children and their families to understand them better
- a diagnosis can have an impact on a Childs’ sense of identity
Cerebra, a charity that help children and young people with brain conditions, have created a factsheet to provide information and useful resources to parents in Wales who suspect their child may have autism.
Cerebra: Autism assessments and diagnosis in Wales (external website)
I am an adult, how do I get a diagnostic assessment for myself?
For adults in Denbighshire, the North Wales Integrated Autism Service (NWIAS) offers diagnostic assessments to most people aged 18 or over.
Find out how to get an Autism diagnostic assessment from NWIAS (external website)
NWIAS also provide:
- Support to help autistic people to understand their diagnosis of autism.
- Drop in sessions for autistic people, their families and professionals
- Resources, advice and support to autistic people and their families, (including parent carers of autistic children).
- Regular Understanding Autism courses for people recently diagnosed as autistic.
The Integrated Autism Service does not offer diagnostic assessments to people already supported by a learning disability team or a community mental health service. In these circumstances, the learning disability team or community mental health service should arrange a diagnostic assessment.
How autism is diagnosed
You can read the guidelines that professionals follow when they are carrying out a diagnostic assessment for autism on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website: