Private Online Autism Services for Children
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can affect each child differently. The right diagnosis means your family can move forward with confidence, knowing your child can access the expert support they need to thrive.
Our online clinical autism assessments for kids are available UK-wide for children aged 7+ where clinically appropriate.
We’re with you every step of the way
How a child autism online assessment works
To be able to help your child in the most positive way, we first need to fully understand their neurodevelopmental makeup and needs. Our specialist team will conduct a thorough, expert online autism assessment to ascertain if your child is or is not autistic.
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1
Screening
If you feel that your child may be autistic, our free online screening process will give clarity and insight. It will be carried out by our psychology team, led by a consultant clinical psychologist. If the results are indicative of autism, we’ll recommend a full diagnostic online assessment to give a definitive answer.
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2
Information Gathering - school/pre-school report
We ask your child’s school to fill in a report form and an online screening questionnaire, so we can understand their behaviour in different social settings. This helps our clinical team with their assessment and to better understand your child’s strengths and needs. If your child is home-schooled, don’t worry, this won’t affect the assessment. We will ask for a report from another suitable professional, or someone outside of the home who knows your child well.
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Multi-disciplinary assessment
The online assessment brings together the expertise of three clinicians, including either a paediatrician or child and adolescent psychiatrist, along with two of the following: clinical psychologist, speech and language therapist, or occupational therapist. On the assessment day, we will work with your child in a playful way to observe their behaviour, using the ‘gold standard’ ADOS-informed clinical observation. This also includes a thorough review of your child’s development from your perspective, plus a school report that we’ll obtain from their teacher (or another suitable professional). Our team will then discuss all findings and present these to you, along with the outcome, immediately after the assessment is complete.
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4
Diagnostic Report
Working closely together, our team will produce a comprehensive report providing a clear and detailed breakdown of the assessment. The outcome will be straightforward and easy to understand, and the report can be shared with your child’s school to support a positive and informed conversation about the diagnosis. As our assessments are fully NICE compliant, you can be reassured that our diagnostic reports are recognised and accepted by both the NHS and education systems.
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5
Support
Following your adolescent or child’s online autism assessment, whether they are diagnosed or not, our expert team will guide you on what support options are available to you at Psicon. These include therapeutic support packages provided by expert clinical psychologists within our children’s wellbeing service.
Understanding Child Autism
Cherishing unique minds
Every child's mind is unique. Some children are neurodivergent, which means their neurological functions are different to neurotypical children. An autism assessment helps understand your child's unique way of experiencing the world.
However, these neurological differences can cause significant challenges when not identified or properly supported. Through careful assessment, we can provide age-appropriate strategies, support and therapies to help your child thrive with confidence, comfort and joy.
We offer online child autism assessments, UK-wide for children aged 7 and over where clinically appropriate.
Autism Signs
Your child may be experiencing…
Although there are many things that autistic people share, every person’s brain is unique, so autism can be experienced in different ways.
Sensory sensitivities
Sensory sensitivities
Autistic children can be very sensitive (hyper-sensitive) or have low levels of sensitivity (hypo-sensitive) to certain senses. This can mean they avoid some foods, clothes, noises, or smells or seek them out in a way that can interfere with daily life. A simple hug can cause huge discomfort for an autistic child because of how it physically feels to be touched or in very close proximity to another person. As it’s not always easy for younger children to articulate this, it can become very challenging for parents to understand a child’s sensory needs. Having a diagnosis can begin a more informed conversation around those needs and help the young person to stay regulated and happy.
Problems with your mood
Problems with your mood
Compared to the general or neurotypical population, a significantly higher proportion of autistic people suffer with their mental health. Autism itself doesn’t cause mental health problems, but living in a world that isn’t designed for you can make life really difficult and exhausting. Over time, many suffer and might need support. Once a person can identify as autistic, it enables those offering support to better understand who they are working with and adapt their approach accordingly.
Being misunderstood at work
Being misunderstood at work
Not all workplaces understand neurodivergence well enough to make sure their environment supports autistic people. This may simply be because they don’t have the right information, but it can leave autistic people feeling de-skilled, disempowered and undervalued. Being able to formally identify as autistic can be very helpful at work. It means employers can start to think about what reasonable adjustments might be needed to help that person, so they can reach their potential and contribute fully.
Difficulties in relationships
Difficulties in relationships
Autistic people often find relationships difficult, as it’s not always possible to ‘tune-in’ to other people’s needs or have their own needs fully understood. Partners or friends can become frustrated and have expectations that are hard to meet when a person is neurodivergent. Autistic individuals can experience stress and low mood, and as you might expect, relationship difficulties can be a significant contributing factor.
Testimonials
Here's what our patients have to say
We've helped thousands of patients over the years, and here are some of their thoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to answer your questions
Taking the first steps to understanding why your child feels different, unhappy, or is struggling takes courage. We’re here to help you make sure you find the right support for your child and your family.
Our assessments fully comply with NICE guidelines, and we use the highest quality and well-regarded clinical model within our service. Importantly, the child will be seen by a doctor (paediatrician or psychiatrist) as part of the assessment, which isn't always the case with private assessments. We are also a trusted NHS provider and often support different NHS Trusts and ICBs with waiting lists. This means a diagnosis made by our service should be accepted by the NHS and schools/colleges.
Having assessed thousands of children for autism, we are used to seeing it present in many different ways. Our assessments are designed to take masking and camouflaging into account – especially in females. Our team are very well trained in understanding the female presentation of autism and are aware that traits and symptoms can be trickier to see.
Our team are very experienced in working with young people and understand that an assessment is often a stressful experience for all the family. They will do their very best to put the young person and the whole family at ease and are very skilled at engaging the most shy and anxious children. In the worst case, if the child cannot engage in the session, we will either work with what they are able to do or offer another appointment.
We always take the school’s observations into account, as this is an integral part of the assessment. To diagnose autism, it must be clear in multiple environments. As school is very structured, it is often a great place to be able to see it. However, if school does not report any observations of autistic traits, it does not mean there will be no diagnosis, as there can be other reasons for this. Autistic children can be ‘model’ students as they follow rules very well and quietly get on with their work. They can mask and make it seem like all is well but then have a ‘meltdown’ as soon as they get home. Our team are very familiar with this and will take everything into account when assessing.
Whilst the assessment process and diagnostic criteria are the same across the gender spectrum, it is true that autistic girls can present very differently to autistic boys. The criteria on which a diagnosis is made is largely known to be associated with symptoms in boys and men, and this can mean that girls who are autistic may go undiagnosed. Boys often present their symptoms in a more obvious or ‘stereotypical’ way, whereas girls may have more subtle traits. This is because they often learn how to hide their symptoms (mask) in order to fit in with their peers. Having assessed thousands of children for autism, we are used to seeing it present in many different ways. Our assessments are designed to take masking and camouflaging into account – especially in girls. Our team are very well trained in understanding the female presentation of autism and that traits and symptoms can be trickier to see.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference present from early childhood, although it can become more noticeable during adolescence due to changing social expectations, relationships, and demands at school.
Teenagers may become increasingly aware of feeling socially different, having distinct communication styles, or facing difficulties in managing routines and sensory sensitivities. If you believe your teenager relates strongly to these experiences, a professional assessment by a multidisciplinary team specialising in autism can help you understand these differences better and offer tailored support.
Eyebrow
We're with you at every step
Every child's mind is unique. Many children and teenagers are neurodivergent. And while these unique ways of seeing the world can bring daily challenges, we believe that with gentle understanding, expert support and early autism assessment, every child can flourish. That's why we provide private online autism diagnosic assessments specifically for children and teenagers.
Please note that you are submitting an enquiry for Psicon’s private online service, where the assessment is self-funded. If you are seeking an NHS-funded referral or wish to access the ‘Right to Choose’ pathway, please click here and request a referral through your GP.