Child Autism Assessment at Sea Spray Psychology

Alex offers Autism Assessment to verbally fluent children 6 and over

School observation

For primary school-aged clients, Alex will visit the school for an observation of the child in their classroom during a regular lesson. She will alsod have a discussion with the teacher.

The MIGDAS-2

We pride ourselves on being neuro-affirming here at Sea Spray Psychology, which is why we use neuro-affirming assessments wherever possible. Our Autism assessment of choice is the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition (MIGDAS-2). It is a sensory-based, conversational assessment tool that collects information using your child’s particular interests as a starting point. It explores your child’s strengths and differences and uses non-pathologising language. It includes a parent interview via telehealth, a teacher form, and the child interview, which will be done at school. While the MIGDAS-2 is not a standardised assessment tool, it does map on to the DSM-V-TR, the primary reference guide for diagnosing Autism.

ADHD Screener

Autism and ADHD frequently co-exist. As such, standardised ADHD screeners will be administered. For your child this will be the Child Behaviour Checklist, which is a broad evaluation of behavioural, emotional and social issues. There are parent and teacher forms, as well as a youth form for adolescents.

The ABAS-3

We also administer the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS-3). This is a standardised tool used to evaluate your child’s behaviour across three domains: Conceptual (communication, functional academics, self-direction), Social (leisure, social skills) and Practical (community use, home/school, health and safety, self-care, motor skills, and work for older respondents), elements of life that Autistic people often struggle with. While not neurofriendly, we can then look at your child’s patterns of strengths and support needs based on feedback from you and your child’s teacher, and devise strategies to support them. It is essential if an NDIS application is to be pursued.

The WISC-V

We administer a cognitive assessment when assessing children for Autism. You can read more about the WISC-V here.

The Report & Feedback session

Once we have all our information, we form an interpretation. We assemble this information and our interpretation into a comprehensive report, including evidence-based and achievable recommendations for home and school. A feedback session with be arranged with you and your child where they’re old enough. Occasionally people remember something additional or deem recommendations as non-achievable. In those cases, the report will be amended. The report can then be provided to the school, paediatrician, psychiatrist, or other relevant stakeholder/s depending on your child’s needs. A report specifically designed for an NDIS application can also be written, noting the language will be more deficits based.