- Conners 3rd Edition
- Autism Spectrum Rating Scale
- Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd Edition (for children and adults)
- Vineland
- Behaviour Assessment System Children or Adolescents (BASC-A)
Are you concerned that someone in your life may be developing differently from others their age? Perhaps you’ve noticed they’re not reaching certain cognitive or behavioural milestones and you’re unsure why. Our autism assessment in Melbourne can help provide clarity, understanding, and the right support for their needs.
Are you concerned that your child is developing differently from their peers? Perhaps you’re worried that they haven’t reached the cognitive milestones they should have? Let us help you identify what the issue may be with our autism assessment in Melbourne and help your child effectively manage to live with autism.
How to Know If Your Child Should Get Tested for Autism
As with other mental health conditions, there are many difficulties when it comes to diagnosing autism. Unfortunately, there is no easy ‘autism test’, with genetic testing and standard blood tests unable to provide the answers you are looking for, diagnosis involves comprehensive evaluation and a series of assessments.
As a parent, your job is to be aware of the early signs listed below and seek further help from a health professional if necessary. Early intervention is essential to provide your child with optimal support.
Diagnosis Starts with ‘Early Signs’
Although diagnosing autism takes time, symptoms will often be apparent in early childhood.
If you suspect that your child has autism, you are likely already aware of some of the following early signs:
A diagnostic assessment at Internal Sunshine involves a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of behaviour to determine whether your child meets the current DSM-5-TR criteria for a diagnosis of autism or if there are any other alternative explanations for your child’s behaviours and concerns such as Global Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability, Anxiety and or other environmental factors.
Internal Sunshine clinicians do this through structured interviews with parents, looking at questionnaire results, direct observation of behaviour, and standardised clinical assessment tools.
Sometimes, observations at childcare/school are necessary and often recommended to gather detailed information about your child’s behaviour in their natural environment.
Assessments are available at both of our Melbourne locations, including our Autism Assessment Malvern East and Autism Assessment Beaconsfield clinics, making it easier for families to access support close to home.
Children with Autism present with characteristic symptoms in most circumstances. To evaluate the symptoms and to differentiate them from other disorders (e.g., intellectual Disability, Genetic Disorders) our clinicians rely on multiple assessments including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS):
The ADOS is the most widely used psychological test to evaluate communication, social interaction, play and imaginative skills for children and adults suspected of having autism or other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The ADOS contains four separate tests, differentiated by children’s and adults’ developmental and language levels. It can be administered to children with no expressive or receptive language and it can be used for children and adults with fluent verbal skills.
Behavioural questionnaires are also used to obtain a detailed understanding of your child’s behavioural strengths and weaknesses. Tests used by our clinicians include:
Besides treating children to cope with autism successfully, we also provide care to adults living with the condition. Click Here for more information.
The following are some of the ways we help to make lasting, positive changes in our client’s lives:
Duration: 2hrs
Duration: 75 min
Who: Child only
Location: Any of our two clinics or Telehealth
Sometimes parents need to be in this session to ensure it runs smoothly
Duration: 50 min
Who: Child and parent
Location: Malvern east clinic
Duration: 6/7 hours and 50 min for feedback
Who: child and parent
Location: Any of our two clinics or Telehealth
Our team consists of highly qualified psychologists who specialise in adult behavioural health. We are dedicated to providing empathetic, thorough, and confidential assessments that respect your personal journey and strive to offer the most beneficial outcomes. Our autism assessments are available across Melbourne, with appointments offered at both our Malvern East and Beaconsfield locations, making it simple to access the support you need close to home.
Fill out the form below, and we will contact you as soon as possible to schedule your appointment. We offer flexible and after-hours appointments for assessments and counseling, with immediate slots available for both in-person and Telehealth sessions.
Looking forward to supporting your journey to wellness.
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