Brain Sprout Clinic Assessments
Autism Assessments for Children and Adults
Explore patterns in communication, social connection, sensory experience and daily life.
Whole person approach
Flexible and Individualised
Comprehensive and Meaningful
Assessments for children, adolescents, and adults.
Neuroaffirming and Evidence Based Process.
Practical Reports and meaningful next steps.
Understanding the Assessment
Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that can influence how a person communicates, connects with others, processes information, develops interests and routines, and navigates everyday life.
Every autistic person is different. An autism assessment can help bring together different aspects of a person’s development, experiences, strengths and difficulties to develop a clearer understanding of them as a whole person.
There are many reasons someone may consider an autism assessment.
For children, questions may arise about development, communication, sensory experiences, play, relationships, learning or how they manage the demands of schooling.
For adults, assessment may follow years of feeling different, finding situations more effortful than they appear for others, recognising autistic traits in themselves, or wanting to better understand their experiences. Many adults seek out an assessment after their children have been diagnosed in the hopes of better understanding their family.
An assessment may explore areas such as:
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communication and social interaction
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friendships and relationships
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sensory experiences
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interests and passions
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routines and predictability
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flexibility and transitions
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emotional and sensory regulation
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masking or camouflaging
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learning, work and everyday functioning
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individual strengths and support needs.
An autism assessment involves bringing together information from multiple sources to understand the person's development, experiences and current functioning. This may include:
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developmental and clinical interviews
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questionnaires
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standardised assessment measures
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observation and interaction
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review of previous reports or records
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information from parents, caregivers, teachers or other people who know the person well
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consideration of other factors that may contribute to the person's presentation.
Where clinically appropriate, other members of our multidisciplinary team, including Speech Pathology and Social Work, may contribute to the assessment.
At Brain Sprout Clinic we use gold-standard autism assessment tools purposefully as part of a broader assessment process. Some of the tools we use are:
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Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2)
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Monteiro Interview Guidelines For Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS-2)
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Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
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Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI)
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Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (Vineland-3)
Cognitive and educational assessments can be added where clinically indicated or requested.
These assessments can provide a more detailed understanding of your child's learning profile. A cognitive assessment may assist in identifying intellectual disability or giftedness, while an educational assessment may assist in understanding how a child is progressing in their learning at school.
If you are unsure whether your child would benefit from additional assessment, your psychologist can discuss this with you.
The Assessment Process
Creating Space to Be Yourself
An autism assessment does not have to feel like a formal test. We aim to create a comfortable and flexible experience where you or your child can take breaks, move around, ask questions and participate in ways that feel natural.
For children, this might involve play, pictures, storytelling, puzzles, activities and conversations about their interests. For adults, it is often more conversational, exploring experiences such as relationships, communication, sensory preferences, routines, interests and everyday life.
There is no expectation to make eye contact, sit still or communicate in a particular way. You are welcome to take your shoes off, sit on the floor, or do whatever you need to feel comfortable. Depending on what is clinically appropriate, assessment components may take place at home, at school, in the community or via Telehealth, and can be completed in one day or across several appointments.
Most importantly, you do not need to prepare or feel like you need to perform for the assessment. We want to understand you or your child as authentically as possible.
