Yes, we have skilled psychologists who can assess and diagnose at both our Aberfeldie (VIC, 3040) and Belmont, Geelong (VIC, 3216) locations.

It takes approximately 12-16 hours for the psychologist to conduct the assessment sessions and write a comprehensive report. This means that our psychologists dedicate regularly scheduled time into their calendars just for autism assessments across the year. Rather than keep a waitlist, we are able to book in clients continuously throughout the year. The lead time for the next available appointment varies. Please see our waitlist page for up-to-date lead times. As we predominately work with children, we tend to use School Terms (1-4 across the year) to denote wait periods.

Our Autism Assessment package includes a 2-hour parent session, 2-hour child observation session, parent/guardian/teacher questionnaires and a comprehensive report and feedback session.

At the parent/guardian session, parents/guardians will be invited to attend a 2-hour session with the psychologist, either face-to-face or via zoom. The psychologist will ask questions relating to your child's developmental history, social communication, relationship and family history and school and/or pre-school history. The psychologist will also ask about your child's sensory behaviours, interests and hobbies, thinking patterns and emotional responses. Some questions may not appear relevant to your child but remember we are trying to get a broad picture of who your child is, whilst also asking specific questions to explore your child's neurotype.

After your appointments are secured, you will receive some questionnaires to complete ahead of your parent session. This helps to get your mind thinking about the behaviours you notice from your child and will help you to prepare for the session. If it helps you, you can bring with you any observations you have made or previous reports etc. It is the psychologist's role to guide you and ask the questions they need to help their clinical decision making. If you are not sure about an answer, that's completely fine. The psychologist will provide an avenue to provide further information following the parent session if you remember something important after the session.

During the child session, our psychologists will administer an activity-based or sensory-based interview to observe your child's behaviour and communication. Depending on the age and level of insight of your child, this may include the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and/or the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS). Our psychologists are neuroaffirming in their approach and will aim to build rapport with your child and make them comfortable so that the assessment is a positive experience. If you require the use of a specific tool (for diagnostic purposes), please let us know. We find that children often have some insight into their own differences and offer a unique perspective on how they experience the world around them. Whilst we observe their interactions and behaviour to assess their neurotype, we also give children an opportunity to provide their own insights. The parent session provides an opportunity for you to discuss this further with the psychologist before they meet your child.

Depending on the age of your child, the psychologist will often aim to assess your child independently at some point during the 2-hour session. As social communication is a key part of the observation, it can be important for the psychologist to observe your child's interactions (with you and an unfamiliar adult), which may be different if the parent/guardian is always present. If are child is not comfortable int he room without their parent/guardian, then the psychologist can adapt the session for the parent/guardian to remain. At the parent/guardian session, the psychologist will talk to you about how your child separates and offer guidance on how you can participate in the session if necessary.

It can be tricky to know how to prepare your child about the assessment. The language you use might depend on your child's age and level of insight. We generally say something like "everyone thinks a little differently about things. Today, is just about finding out more about how YOU think about things." You can chat more about this with your psychologist at the parent session.

Our autism assessment reports are very comprehensive. They will include a detailed summary from the parent session, a detailed summary of observations from the child session, a write-up of questionnaires from teachers and parents and a summary of any additional assessment included.

Yes, our psychologists always consider alternate and co-morbid diagnosis when we conduct our assessments at Mind & Seek. If you would like us to formally assess for ADHD at the same time, this can be added on and will save the cost and time of an additional assessment. If you child is not yet at school, then depending on your child's presentation, we may only be able to screen for ADHD traits rather than provide a formal diagnosis. If your psychologist believes that ADHD may be co-occurring, then they may recommend additional assessment time or questionnaires during the process.

Our Autism Assessment package is $2600. For a further breakdown of our fees, please see our Assessment fee schedule.

It typically takes between 6-8 weeks from the child assessment session to write the comprehensive report. If you have a tighter timeframe, please let us know when you book in so that we can see if we can accommodate your needs. The 1-hour feedback session provides an opportunity for the psychologist to go over the findings in the report, provide recommendations and discuss next steps.

The best way to book an assessment is to use our waitlist form. Our reception team will then contact you to offer available times. If you have questions, you can contact us on 0452 526 463 or reception@mindandseek.com.au