Gold-Standard Autism assessments for children and adolescents
in Wimbledon, Epsom, and online.
Understanding your child’s unique Brain
At Sage Psychology, we believe that Autism is not a "fault" in the brain’s wiring, but a different kind of operating system. Research shows that the Autistic brain processes information differently, allowing them to see incredible detail, as well as creating intensity. By understanding how your child’s brain is uniquely wired, we can move away from trying to manage behaviors, and put some strategies in place to address their core needs. Here are some of the core differences in the Autistic brain, and what they mean.
Information is processed through the prefrontal cortex
In a neurotypical brain, social cues are processed automatically. In the Autistic brain, these signals are often rerouted through the Prefrontal Cortex, which is the seat of logic.
What this can look like in autism:
May miss social cues that seem clear to others, until they learn manually that certain facial expressions, gestures, and body language are associated with specific meaning.
Often won’t know what is expected of them socially unless they are told explicitly.
Older children can become astutely accurate in analysing subtle changes in social cues of people they know well.
Tendency to take things at face value and miss sarcasm.
Communication tends to be direct and blunt.
Intense exhaustion after social situations, especially where masking is high.
Pattern Recognition is a superpower
Research shows the Autistic brain features intense local hyper-connectivity in the sensory regions. This means that the brain captures and processes more detailed data within these specific areas. The result is that the autistic brain is hard-wired to recognise patterns.
What this can look like in autism:
Highly detail-oriented; spots subtle details others miss.
Tend to ask very astute questions, and always seeking to understand how things work.
Tendency to be good at solving logical problems. Maths is often a strength, and puzzle solving or musical sequencing can come easily.
Young children repeat the same sequence in play over and over again.
Emotions run quickly
The Amygdala is the brain's alarm system. In Autistic children, this alarm can be hyper-reactive. Because they process so much sensory and logical data, the brain can quickly perceive a small change or a sensory "clash" as a major threat.
What this can look like in autism:
Intense emotional outbursts.
Can be difficult to comfort once upset.
Gets very fixated on something that upsets them, and will loop repeatedly to the point of exhaustion.
Reasoning can be difficult in the moment, but afterwards, reasoning can be helpful.
Hyperarousal and overthinking
Because the Autistic brain is constantly busy with pattern recognition and sensory processing, it can stay in a state of hyper-arousal, and find it very difficult to switch off.
What this can look like in autism:
Difficulty falling asleep.
Vivid dreams, sometimes disturbing.
Lots of questions, especially at night.
Even when the body is tired, the brain is still scanning and interpreting information.
Tends to revisit the same questions repeatedly if they haven’t found a satisfactory answer.
Switching attention is a real challenge
In many Autistic children, the brain's executive function works differently. Executive functioning is the ability to start, stop, and switching tasks. This makes transitions much more difficult.
What this can look like in autism:
The child can appear rigid or stubborn.
Being asked to change tasks before they are ready can lead to a meltdown.
Not knowing what to expect can be overwhelming.
An unexpected change in plans can be a trigger.
Monotropism and deep interests
The Autistic brain tends to channel its energy into a few high-intensity interests rather than spreading it across many surface-level topics.
What this can look like in autism:
Excellent recall of detail and facts.
Interests can be intense and feel obsessive.
Likes to engage with others over their interests, but less engaging over other topics.
Will watch the same film or read the same books repeatedly.
Will have a wide collection of items related to their interests.
Getting an assessment isn’t about the diagnosis. It is about increasing your understanding of the nuances of your brain. Once you have a better understanding of how your brain is wired, how you process information, and how you experience the world, you are better equipped to implement some bespoke strategies that can help you support your challenges and play to your strengths.
The Sensory filter is reduced
In a non-autistic brain, the Thalamus acts as a filter in a process called corticothalamic gating, where it filters out what sensory information can be ignored, and what information is important. MRIs on autistic brains have shown that this filter is reduced, which means more sensory information gets through the gate to the cerebral cortex.
What this can look like in Autism:
Can be sensory seeking in some areas and sensory avoidant in others.
Clothing can be very uncomfortable.
Can have strong food aversions, and distinct preference for certain food textures.
Public or crowded places can be overwhelming - younger children may becomes distressed when shopping and hide under the table at parties.
Strong sense of smell.
May avoid touching certain textures, or specifically seek others.
Hair brushing can be painful.
Bottom-up Processing
While neurotypical brains "fill in the gaps" using prior expectations, the Autistic brain builds its understanding from the ground up, starting with raw data first before making any conclusions.
What this can look like in autism:
Often has to be given direct and explicit instructions.
Struggles with vague or generic instructions that require them to assume anything.
Young children will play with parts of a toy rather than the whole thing. For example, they may be fascinated by spinning the wheel of a car rather than pretending to drive the car on a track.
Often unsure what a question is asking in tests, and will get stuck on finding the “correct answer”.
Tendency to struggle with making inferences in subjects like English and History.
What does a good quality assessment for Autism Entail?
A Gold-Standard Assessment for Autism will integrate the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines used by the NHS to ensure every assessment is clinically rigorous. Because Autism often overlaps with other conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or trauma, we move beyond a simple checklist to perform a deep, bottom-up investigation. This process ensures your diagnosis is accurate, robust, and meets the highest medical standards recognised by healthcare professionals.
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Meeting the diagnostic criteria
This is guided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health Disorders (DSM-V). We go through the criteria in meticulous detail to determine whether the markers of Autism are present. These include differences in communication patterns, as well as restricted or repetitive interests or behaviours.
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evidence of symptoms across multiple contexts.
Autism is a neurological blueprint, meaning it is present everywhere. We look at how you experience environments you are comfortable in versus those you are uncomfortable in. We typically consider work or school, home life, and relationships as the broad contexts for our investigation.
04
A multidisciplinary perspective
This is a core requirement of the NICE guidelines. A high-quality assessment involves more than one professional to provide a comprehensive view. We have a HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist on every case, and always validate our diagnostic findings as a team.
06
Measuring functional impairment
The DSM-V states that the symptoms must cause “clinical significant impairment” in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. This is where high masking becomes relevant. High achievers with Autism can look very functional, so a good assessment will look beyond what yoyu appear to be achieving, and see the hidden signs of an inner cost. We often see a high prevalence of burnout, exhaustion, and sensory overload in high masking Autism, which can go easily unnoticed by others.
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A comprehensive action plan
NICE guidelines recommend a "comprehensive report" and a "documented profile" of your unique strengths and needs across social, educational, and occupational settings. A quality assessment must include an individualised support plan. We include actionable recommendations for workplace reasonable adjustments and sensory management, ensuring your diagnosis is a foundational tool for building a sustainable, neuro-affirming life.
05
A thorough differential diagnosis
DSM-V criteria state that in order to be diagnosed with Autism, we have to show that the symptoms cannot be better accounted for by another condition. Because Autism can overlap with other conditions, we have to consider the whole picture and look at all possibilities related to mental health, with C-PTSD, ADHD, OCD, and anxiety having high levels of overlap. (Note that if you are only being assessed for Autism, we won’t make a diagnosis of ADHD, but we will recommend further assessment if flags come up.)
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Evidence of Symptoms since childhood.
We go through your developmental history in detail. While some adults have "masked" their traits for years, the neurological roots are always present from the beginning. This distinguishes Autism from other mental health conditions that often emerge later in life.
Use of validated clinical tools
NICE guidelines state that no single tool is adequate to diagnose Autism, but that the use of validated tools should be chosen to confirm clinical findings from a detailed clinical interview. We use a unique selection of Gold-standard tools that we determine on a case-by-case basis, including the ADOS-2, ADI-R, and ACIA. These tools provide an objective framework to support our clinical findings.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
01
Book your first appointment and pay £300. We send you some screening questionnaires and spend an hour with you, in order to make sure that an Autism assessment in right for you.
02
If an Autism assessment is not right for you, we will give you feedback about what we think your difficulties are related to, and suggest a pathway forward. If you don’t proceed, we give you a summary letter.
03
If you proceed with the full assessment, we send you the rest of the questionnaires to be completed. You will complete most of them, and we will ask a parent or a close friend/partner/relative to complete one form.
04
We book you in for another 2 hour appointment (this can be in person or online), and then we ask you to attend an hour long in-person appointment to complete an ADOS-2.
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Our team meets and collates all of the information we have gathered to make an evidence-based diagnostic conclusion and write a detailed report. This normally takes 3-4 weeks.
06
Once the report is complete, the lead practitioner on the case will book a feedback session with you, where we will go through the outcome of the assessment, and talk through specific recommendations.
What will it cost?
First Appointment (1 hour) £300
This forms the first part of an assessment. It ensures that an Autism assessment is right for you. The fee is payable upfront, and deductible against the total fee for an assessment if you proceed with us.
AUTISM Assessment £2000
ADHD and AUTISM combined online/in person £2800
These costs are all-inclusive and there are no hidden costs.
Our Assessment team
Our team are all HCPC registered, highly specialist, and work in a neuro-affirming way.
Dianne Everitt
Clinical Psychologist
Kelly Berry
Counseling Psychologist
Stephanie Ford
Counseling Psychologist
NICE guidelines state that Autism assessments (for children) should include the following:
detailed questions about parent's or carer's concerns and, if appropriate, the child's or young person's concerns
details of the child's or young person's experiences of home life, education and social care
a developmental history, focusing on developmental and behavioural features consistent with ICD-11 or DSM-5 criteria (consider using an autism-specific tool to gather this information)
assessment (through interaction with and observation of the child or young person) of social and communication skills and behaviours, focusing on features consistent with ICD-11 or DSM-5 criteria (consider using an autism-specific tool to gather this information)
a medical history, including prenatal, perinatal and family history, and past and current health conditions
a physical examination (you will be referred to your GP for this)
consideration of the differential diagnosis
systematic assessment for conditions that may coexist with autism
development of a profile of the child's or young person's strengths, skills, impairments and needs that can be used to create a needs-based management plan, taking into account family and educational context.
communication of assessment findings to the parent or carer and, if appropriate, the child or young person.
We are proud to say
we meet all of the above criteria
In all of our Autism assessments in Wimbledon and Epsom, we follow the guidelines set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Our Gold-Standard assessments are rigorous, regulated, ethical, and widely accepted by the NHS and across the UK.
We also support individuals seeking Autism assessments from nearby areas including Kingston-upon-Thames, Morden, Mitcham, Roehampton, Putney, Sutton, Esher, Chessington, Banstead, and Leatherhead.
Post-Diagnostic Support
Once a diagnosis of ASC has been made, you may require therapeutic support.
Our team of psychologists in Wimbledon and Epsom and online across the UK, work closely with ASC and are able to offer therapy after the assessment.
If a diagnosis is not made, we will go through the overall picture of your mental health with you, and explain why the diagnostic criteria were not met.
Autism in High achievers (&Women/Girls)
High achievers are particularly good at masking, and can work effectively to come across at neurotypical. The hidden cost of this is mental health.
Trying to mould into a neurotypical world when you have Autistic traits can lead to frequent cycles of burnout, health difficulties, and chronic mental and emotional overwhelm.
Our Psychologists understand the nuances of Autism in high achievers, and are excellent at seeing past masking strategies. Our specialist autism assessments in Wimbledon and Epsom can provide a clear diagnosis and valuable insights, empowering high achievers with the understanding and support needed to thrive.
Unsure if an assessment is right for you?
Book a free chat and we will gladly guide you.
