Specific learning difficulties assessments for children

You can access services at ProblemShared from the age of 7 years.

We do not currently offer neurodevelopmental assessments for children below the age of 7. It is our responsibility to ensure safe and comfortable environments for our clients and practitioners, and to ensure we deliver accurate assessments that clients can trust.  

For autism assessments, research has shown that children under the age of 7 respond more effectively to play-based autism observation assessments, which cannot practically be hosted online.

With this in mind, and in the interest of creating comfortable environments for our clients and giving their practitioners the best chance of producing an accurate diagnosis, we do not offer online assessments for children under the age of 7.

We’ve broken down our autism assessment process into steps to make it a bit easier to understand. Here's what you can expect from your journey.

1. Enrolment

First, you/your child need to be referred to our service by your GP. Once this has happened, the individual seeking an assessment (or the parent/caregiver of children and young people) will be sent some digital forms to complete before the assessment can take place. In the case of assessments for children, their education provider (school, college etc.) will also need to complete a digital form known as a Neurodevelopmental School Feedback Questionnaire.

Ahead of your/your child’s autism assessment, a form will also be sent to your nominated 'informant'. An informant is a person appointed by you who knows you/your child very well. Your informant should be able to describe any potential signs of autism that you displayed in your early years, or that you display currently, and how this impacts your functioning. In a child or young person’s case, the informant can be their parent/caregiver.

These digital forms are designed to provide your clinician with contextual information about any challenges you may be facing, enabling them to spend more time discussing what is important to you during your actual assessment.

Once you have submitted these completed forms to us, you will be added to our wait list for an assessment. Please note that we cannot add you to our wait list until all pre-assessment forms have been received.

2. Assessment

Autism Assessment & Informant Interview (60-120 mins) - these are two separate interviews, or in the case of a child or young person being assessed, there will be the assessment with the child or young person , and then the informant interview without the child or young person. The diagnostic outcome follows in a separate meeting.

3. Report

Within 4-6 weeks of your assessment, you will receive a detailed written report complete with recommendations, resources and information about next steps.

4. Post-diagnostic care
Following the completion of your online assessment, you will receive your diagnosis, and you will be invited to consider your post-diagnostic support options.

ProblemShared can deliver post-diagnostic care to our clients who are diagnosed as autistic if these services are supported by their NHS service, university, or insurance provider.

The whole assessment process can vary in duration from client to client, but typically it lasts between 2 and 4 months, from your enrolment into our service all the way through to receiving your diagnostic report.

Before your/your child’s autism assessment can take place, there are several digital forms that you need to complete. The forms should be filled out by the individual seeking a diagnosis and other people relevant to the assessment process. These people include an appointed individual known as an 'informant', who can provide further information to clinicians that will contribute to an assessment outcome, or in the case of children, their teacher or school representative.

There are many helpful resources to guide you/your child through the process, including support articles and videos that explain how to complete your digital forms, who to choose as your informant, and how to navigate your assessment sessions with confidence.

To be eligible for our service you must have access to an internet connection in a private place.

You must also have access to a laptop or computer with a working webcam, and be willing to have your camera on for the duration of your assessment sessions.

Please note that a tablet which is at least 10” in size and can be propped up and used hands-free can also be used to access the service, but handheld devices such as mobile phones cannot. This is because our clinicians need to see enough of your face and torso throughout the assessment in order to make an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, a mobile phone screen does not facilitate this effectively. Furthermore, notifications pinging through on a mobile phone can be distracting and interrupt the assessment.

If you require accessibility support, please reach out to a member of our team explaining the nature of your requirements. We endeavour to make our service as inclusive as possible, and will do everything in our power to ensure you feel confident and comfortable throughout your journey.

If you are 16 years old and do not wish for your parent or caregiver to be present or play a part in your assessment process, we would need to assess your capacity to make decisions regarding your care for yourself.  

If you are deemed to be Gillick competent, we would be able to proceed without your parent or caregiver's involvement.

However, we would always encourage you to discuss your healthcare with your parent or caregiver and involve them where possible.

Please be aware that we ask for an informant to provide additional information as part of the assessment process, and this is usually a parent or caregiver with specific knowledge of your early years and development. Not having this information may mean that it is not possible to conclude your assessment.

'Gillick competence' refers to a young person under the age of 16 with the capacity and maturity to make any relevant decision, particularly regarding medical treatment.  

Children who are 16 years old and over can be expected to have capacity to consent to treatment. Children who are younger than this may be mature enough to decide for themselves and not want their parents involved, which will require us to consider whether they are Gillick competent.

As part of our pre-assessment process, we look at any pre-existing conditions a client might have and ensure that these would not impact our ability to assess for autism in an online environment.  

If at any point during the assessment the clinician feels that there may be other explanations for behaviours reported or observed, this would be taken to a multi-disciplinary meeting, and a plan would be formulated about the required next steps before a diagnosis would be given.

Your clinician will aim to give you/your child the outcome of your assessment either at the end of your assessment, or later the same day.

In some more complex cases, this is not possible. If this applies to you/your child, your clinician will explain the reasoning to you, and a further follow-up call will be made to give you the outcome at another time.

Within 4-6 weeks of your assessment, you/your child will receive your full diagnostic report, which will clearly show the reasons for our decision about a diagnosis or non-diagnosis. You will also be given some recommendations for support.

If 6 weeks have passed and you have not received your report, please contact help@problemshared.net.

After completing your online assessment, you/your child will receive your diagnosis and will be invited to consider your post-diagnostic support options, including our psychoeducation group sessions and our Education Navigation programme.

Our psychoeducation group sessions are a safe space where parents can learn about their child's diagnosis and what it means for them, in the company of experienced practitioners and other parents embarking on a similar journey. We do not currently offer psychoeducation sessions for child-age clients.

Clients between the ages of 7 to 19 years old, as well as higher education students up to the age of 22, can access our Education Navigation support program, if they are not also in full-time employment. The program is designed to optimise the learning experience within your or your child’s educational setting, and identify support options in your local area.

If you require additional mental health support at any stage of your journey, you/your child will be eligible to be referred to the ProblemShared talk therapy service.

ProblemShared aims to provide the tools to those who are newly diagnosed with autism to understand their own identity and navigate life following a diagnosis.

Our psychoeducation groups are part of your post-diagnostic support, and are an opportunity to process your emotional response to your diagnosis in a safe, structured environment.

There are 4 weekly 90-minute sessions which allow the opportunity for reflection, discussion and collaboration.

The sessions are grouped by age (parents of children aged 7-12 years, parents of adolescents aged 13-17 years, adults aged 18+), with 8-10 people per group. They cover various topics and are supplemented with other materials, such as webinars, reading materials and signposting to trusted sources of further information. We do not currently offer psychoeducation sessions for child-age clients.

Yes. There are many helpful articles and videos available in the Resources section of your client dashboard, and on the ProblemShared website, to support you ahead of your/your child’s assessment.

You will receive an email with the details of your/your child’s assessment sessions, including the date and time of each one, and the necessary links to meet your clinician online. You will also be able to see the details of each upcoming assessment session on your ProblemShared client dashboard.