Type of service: Assessment, Diagnostic services

Website: https://www.thenationalpsychologyclinic.co.uk/

The National Psychology Clinic provides a range of multidisciplinary team (MDT) services for adults with suspected autism or who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition, and their families. 

We undertake MDT adult autism diagnostic assessments, following the good practice guidelines suggested by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). We tailor the assessment (for example, the duration of each appointment), according to the preferences and needs of people we see. The assessment comprises:

• an initial phone call to understand a bit more about reasons for the referral and to provide more information about the assessment and answer any questions about this;
• a clinical interview (a discussion) – this involves talking about topics including current difficulties, childhood development, education and occupation, friendships and social interaction, health, strengths and preferences;
• the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) – this is a specialist assessment of autism that involves some chatting and some structured tasks and games;
• the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R) – this is a specialist assessment that focuses on early childhood history and development, and is completed with a parent or someone who knew the person well as a child;
• some questionnaires about current difficulties;
• a summary conversation to discuss the assessment conclusions and recommendations; 
• a comprehensive report; and 
• a follow up appointment to discuss the report and recommendations.

We accept self-referrals and referrals from health professionals, clinical commissioners, prisons and forensic services and via solicitors for medico-legal purposes. 

We also provide consultation and supervision for staff teams. 

Aimed at: Adult

Gender: All genders

Referral Sources: NHS and Private

Specialisms: Exclusively autism specific

Other specialisms: Has autism-specific elements, Staff and volunteers get autism awareness training

Registrations and professional qualifications: All of our clinicians are HCPC registered Clinical Psychologists or BABCP accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapists.

Approaches and tools used: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS); Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R); Psychometric tests if needed, for example to assess processing style, attention, or learning ability