Multi-disciplinary private assessment
Assessment and Diagnosis for autism in children and adults
The Toby Henderson Trust offer private autism assessments for children, young people and adults. We are also commissioned by CCGs in a number of North Eastern localities and the Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) to undertake assessment and diagnosis for autism in children and adults. This is over a range of locations ie: Newcastle/Gateshead, South Tyneside and Northumberland.
We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, who have been working within the field of autism for over 20 years, the last 8 of which have been heavily invested in assessment and diagnostic work.
PLEASE NOTE: We are able to accept new referrals for private assessments to start from January 2025 onwards.
The Toby Henderson Trust’s clinical team consists of staff who are experienced and skilled in the assessment and diagnostic process.
The team members include a Consultant Community Paediatrician, a Practitioner Psychologist, Autism Nurse Consultants, Specialist Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists, Autism Nurse Practitioners and the Autism Service Manager and Play Specialist.
A number of the clinicians also have teaching qualifications and are registered nurses.
The Toby Henderson Trust have a clear and transparent assessment pathway. Dependent upon the age and functioning of the individual this consists of the following:
FOR A CHILD / YOUNG PERSON
If you decide that you would like to proceed with an autism assessment for your child, we will send out a standardised screener and mental health and social care assessment. The cost for this triage service is £100 and is non refundable (This cost is in addition to the cost of the assessment). These should be completed and returned, along with the payment for £100.00.
Upon returning the forms they will be reviewed by one of the clinical team members to ensure that this is the correct pathway for your child. One of our team will then contact you to explain the outcome of the review and whether we are able to proceed to the next stage of our autism assessment pathway. Please click here for details of child/young person private assessment information.
A complete Neurodevelopmental History will be taken from parents / carers, gaining comprehensive information about the individual from pregnancy and birth up to present day and current concerns. Advice is also sought from school about their education and social / emotional presentation. For a child up to 11 years old, a Play Based Observation is also completed using a set of activities, toys and social interaction. For a young person aged between 12 and 18 years, the play based observation is omitted but is substituted by an ADOS-2 examination (details of which are outlined below). Please note for further details of the Under 5s assessment, please click here.
The findings and reports gleaned from the above are then taken to a Multi Disciplinary Team Meeting for consideration where the diagnostic outcome and decision will be agreed.
Should further clarity be required at this point, one additional element can be carried out, an ADOS-2. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) is an individually administered task based assessment, which is semi-structured and can provide a standardised measure for a person’s social communication skills.
The ADOS was designed to contribute to a clinical diagnosis but not to provide a diagnosis in it’s own right.
The ADOS consists of five separate modules. Each module is designed to provide lots of opportunities for the person to demonstrate their ability to communicate clearly, relate socially and to use imagination and creativity to engage in tasks.
The most appropriate module for the individual is selected on the basis of their language.
The fee for an assessment for Children and Young People aged 5+ is £2,028 which includes a £500 non refundable deposit.
FOR AN ADULT
If you decide that you would like to proceed with an autism assessment, we will send out a standardised screener and mental health and social care assessment. The cost for this triage service is £100 and is non refundable (This cost is in addition to the cost of the assessment). These should be completed and returned, along with the payment for £100.00. Upon returning the forms they will be reviewed by one of the clinical team members to ensure that this is the correct pathway for you. One of our team will then contact you to explain the outcome of the review and whether we are able to proceed to the next stage of our autism assessment pathway. Please click here for details of adult private assessment information.
In the case of adult assessments, the pathway consists simply of the Developmental History, ADOS-2 and MDT, where the clinical team meet to review and discuss the information we have in line with the diagnostic criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (edition 5) known more commonly as DSM-5 for autism.
The fee for an assessment for Adults 18+ is £1,944.00 which includes a £500 non refundable deposit.
Well considered diagnostic decisions are made by the team and the outcome is shared with the parents, carers / client, as well as their GP (and schools/ educational setting where appropriate). All reports are made available to the client(s), for them to share if they so wish. The reports are their property.
Our diagnostic pathway and process usually takes an average of 10 – 12 weeks for children (but may be more timely). Historically, adult assessments do tend to take less time.
If you would like further information about this and to enable us to monitor the requests we get, please complete the form below and a member of the Team will be in contact with you.
PLEASE NOTE – Recently we have had families contact us and tell us that they have been expecting emails from us but they have not been received in their Inbox. We seem to be having more problems like this so please could we ask that if you are expecting an email from us – please always check your spam or Junk Inbox. Often our emails can be found there rather than in your direct Inbox.
Feedback
“I want to say thank you to the team at The Toby Henderson Trust. I know some people have reservations about private assessments but I couldn’t be more pleased with my experiences using your service. The warmth and compassion I was shown, as well as the level of communication I received (via face to face appointments, responsiveness to emails, and phone calls) I’ll always be thankful for. The time and space that you’re able to give to people who use your service really helps you to shine, in my opinion. I got a sense that you really care about those you support, and about each other”.
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“I just want to say a huge thank you to you and everyone involved for how quickly we’ve received this diagnosis. I believe my first contact with yourselves was on the 7th December, making it exactly 6 weeks from my initial enquiry to obtaining the diagnosis. Factor into that the Christmas period and that shortens the time it has really taken. I can’t thank you all enough. My wish was to have a diagnosis in place prior to starting High School in September, so our daughter would receive the emotional support she needed, to adapt to what will feel like a massive change. You all made my wish come true and with it, great peace of mind for September. She has taken the diagnosis in her stride and doesn’t seem fazed at all. We did prepare her for this possible outcome and thankfully that has appeared to have paid off. With so many bad and/or difficult customer experiences with organisations these days, having what has been a flawless service is very welcome but sadly seems to be very much out of the ordinary. Dealing with you has been like a breath of fresh air and what my understanding of customer service should be. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts”.
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“So pleased we received my daughter’s diagnosis today. No more uncertainty for her and she can begin to embrace her true self. I also just want to say all the years I’ve been on this journey, with both children and myself and it’s been many. I have never come across a service or people who are so supportive, nurturing and inclusive”.
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“Firstly, I’d like to start off by saying thank you to all involved at TTHT for making the path to diagnosis a smooth and accessible process. NHS waiting lists are so long , the services you offer are a lifeline. My son really enjoyed the play assessment (and he was hoping he would have to go back for more!) and all the staff involved from start to finish have been so helpful and approachable.
Honestly can’t thank you all enough. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster day! (Still a shock even when you’re kind of expecting it!). You all made us feel so welcome and at ease – it’s very obvious you’re passionate about what you do.
I think this has to be the best money we’ve ever spent (the relief of knowing the outcome so quickly!) and the fact that you have made it accessible to families with very reasonable costs and plans is just amazing.
Everyone we have dealt with has been lovely from beginning to end”.
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“We have been amazed with the efficient staff, their expertise and their knowledge. From the first email and phone calls to enquire about an assessment for our daughter up until the diagnosis we were 100% comfortable and relaxed at all stages of the process, this is down to the caring and welcoming staff.
The team work hard to get a quick turnaround after the assessment stage and this has been much quicker than we expected. If you’re a parent or carer and just have a gut feeling that your child may be neurodivergent then get in touch with TTHT. One of the most important things to us was just to be understood by the brilliant team after years of our daughter masking.
Thank-you so much”.
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“Well what can I say, my son was accepted into a school that can provide him with the proper help, support and understanding that he requires. He started today after being at home for the past 4 months! I truly believe that this would not have been possible without his diagnosis of Autism as it was extra supporting evidence that was vital for his admission. Having a diagnosis has enabled not only my son but other family members to understand him, and more importantly for him to feel free to express himself without judgement. We know it is only the start and that there are always going to be tough days ahead, but this truly means onwards and upwards for us as a family. Toby Henderson and all of your staff, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The process from start to finish was easy, our son even found the assessment enjoyable! It is invaluable to have the evidence to support his needs through the detailed report which has been passed onto teachers and other people who help him. Thank you! “
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“It was amazing, really positive, so quick and thorough.
You were so detailed, took a lot of time with us and it was all reflected in the report and you just got it.
It’s been so positive, so quick, everyone’s been so friendly”