Private Autism Evaluations By Expert Psychologists Near Me

Autism Evaluations and Autism Diagnostic Assessments

Our expert psychologists carry out autism diagnostic assessments for both adults and children across the uk and internationally online and in person in London, Birmingham, and Nottinghamshire.

Autism also is known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a life long developmental disorder which severely affects social interaction, language development, communication, processing information and issues engaging in an everyday environment. Currently, autism affects around 700,000 people but 2.8 million if including the family members of those with the disability. Symptoms show after the first three years of birth. For further clarification, autism is not an illness or disease but rather, a neurodevelopmental condition hence it is categorised by a set of repetitive behaviours because the brains of Autistic people are wired differently, and it cannot be cured. Commonly, people with ASD usually have a co-morbidity (more than one) mental health disorder such as anxiety, depression, dyslexia or ADHD. The way Autistic people perceive the world through their five senses does not allow them to cope with elements of society in which cases may require institutional care. To find out more about autism, click the link

Autism Diagnostic Assessments

Find Out More About Autism:

• Autism and The Law and Courts
• Autism and Education
• Autism and Employment
• Workplace Autism Assessments

Autism Symptoms

What Are the Symptoms of Autism?

People with autism generally have impairments in their social interaction, which are identified early in their childhood. They cannot perceive others which embodies itself in their non-verbal communications with others, affecting their ability to make friends and can cause them to suffer from isolation and depression if they cannot have a few to improve their quality of life.

Verbal communication is also a daily struggle with a third of autistic people being unable to develop natural speech, including delayed onset babbling, less responsiveness and gestures which do not follow the flow of their speech. They also show problems with imaginative play, developing symbols into language.

The third characteristic which defines this disorder is repetitive and restricted behaviours which fall under the categories of stereotyped behaviour, compulsive behaviours, sameness, ritualistic behaviour and self-injury. Find out more about Autism Symptoms.

Autism Spectrum

What is the Autism Spectrum?

As previously mentioned, autism is a spectrum which means that there is a range of severity to the extent that some people may have a slight disability in social interaction or may need a carer to help with everyday tasks because of the difficulty to function normally. The range of disorders fall under the title Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) for mental health disorders but referred as Autism Spectrum Disorders, and all bring issues with behaviour and social communication.

What is High Functioning Autism?

This term is an informal diagnosis used for people who can do the typical day to day tasks such as speaking, read and write, eating and getting dressed. These people can live independently and are usually indistinguishable from everyone else.

People with high functioning disposition struggle with social interaction, much like the other types. They might get anxious in social situations primarily because of their inability to read social cues to the point where they will shut down. Therefore, these people struggle to make friends. High functioning autistic people like to follow a routine to the extent where their repetitive habits may seem weird of eccentric to others. Their performance in academia and a profession can vary. They can be high achievers or underachievers, but their social skills still prove as a disadvantage.

What is Asperger’s Syndrome?

Asperger’s syndrome is characterised by a pattern of symptoms rather than a single symptom. As is it a milder form, these people usually have close if not normal levels of intelligence and language skills, but their unique obsession around one topic defines their disorder and the behaviours which they engage in are linear and repetitive. The symptoms for this disorder include impairments in social interaction such as a lack of emotional reciprocity, poor non-verbal communication (eye contact, gestures, body language) and selective mutism which is not speaking to most people but speaking to a few intensely on a topic which they enjoy.

What is Rett’s Syndrome?

Rett's is a rare and severe neurological disorder, mainly affecting girls between 6 to 18 months of age. The leading cause for this disorder is a genetic mutation on the MECP2 gene. The symptoms vary in severity through stages, but they include: slowed growth because the brain does not grow properly resulting in a smaller head, loss of hand movement so they rub or wring their hands together, loss of language skills so they can develop social anxiety, poor muscle control and coordination and respiratory problems which can cause seizures and hyperventilation. Find out more on Rett’s Syndrome

What is Pervasive Developmental Disorder?

PDD is often confused with PDD-NOS which stands for Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, as PDD is a separate disorder. People with PDD have the set of symptoms someone on the spectrum would have such as avoiding eye contact, inability to express themselves through language, a high or flat-pitched tone of voice, repetitive behaviour patterns like tapping, hair twirling or foot tapping and struggle with regulating emotion leading to emotional breakdowns, anxiety or aggressive tantrums.

What is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder?

CCD, also referred to Regressive autism, Heller’s syndrome or disintegrative psychosis, is a rare condition with only 1.7 out of 100,000 cases affected. It is a severe or sudden reversal in language, social function and motor skills. Children between the ages of 2 to 10, who had shown healthy development lose skills such as self-care, receptive and expressive language skills, play skills, motor skills and control over their bowel and bladder. This condition also shows repetitive behaviour and interest patterns.