Autism & ADHD assessment for children and adolescents · Gold Coast A guideline-informed assessment where autism or ADHD is the question.
Neurodevelopmental assessment for children and adolescents, following the Australian national guideline for autism assessment and the Australian ADHD guideline. It draws on parents, school and direct assessment, and we work alongside your paediatrician or psychiatrist.
Paediatrician, psychiatrist or GP? Refer a child.
- Who this is for
- Children and adolescents from the preschool years to 18 for whom autism, ADHD or both have been raised by a parent, teacher, GP or paediatrician.
- What it can clarify
- Whether the developmental history, behaviour across settings and direct assessment fit autism, ADHD, another explanation, or a combination, and what support follows.
- What you receive
- A feedback discussion and a written report setting out the findings, any diagnosis supported, and recommendations for home, school and further support.
- Format
- A parent interview, a structured developmental interview, parent and teacher rating scales, direct assessment of your child, and a feedback appointment.
- Next step
- Request an assessment, or ask your paediatrician or psychiatrist to refer.
Autism and ADHD are not identified by a single test. They are understood from a developmental history, from how a child functions in more than one setting, and from direct assessment, weighed together.
Our assessment follows the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia and the Australian evidence-based clinical practice guideline for ADHD. Differences are described as differences, strengths are recorded alongside difficulties, and recommendations are about support and environment.
When it helps
When an autism or ADHD assessment helps
- Differences in social communication, play, flexibility or sensory responses have been noticed at home, in early childhood education or at school
- Inattention, impulsivity or overactivity is affecting learning or relationships in more than one setting
- A paediatrician, psychiatrist, GP or teacher has raised the question, an earlier assessment was inconclusive, or the picture has changed with age
- School adjustments, verification or an NDIS application need a formal assessment, or anxiety, learning difficulties or behaviour are complicating the picture
For children under about three where development in general is the question, our developmental assessment comes first. Where speech and language is the main concern, a speech pathologist can assess this directly and often contributes to an autism assessment. Medication decisions and medical review sit with your paediatrician or psychiatrist. For adults, see our adult ADHD assessment.
What is involved
What the assessment includes
A parent interview and developmental history. For autism questions, this includes a structured developmental interview with a caregiver about development and behaviour from infancy onwards. Standardised rating scales completed by parents and, with your consent, teachers. They cover social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviours, attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, executive function, anxiety and adaptive skills.
Direct assessment of your child: structured observation of social communication, interaction, play and flexibility, and standardised assessment of attention and executive function. Cognitive testing is included where it helps to interpret the picture. The findings are weighed against the diagnostic criteria and the alternatives that can look similar, including language disorder, anxiety, trauma, intellectual disability and learning disorders. A written report and a feedback appointment follow, and with your consent the report goes to your paediatrician, GP and school.
What to tell your child: describe the day simply, as time with someone who wants to understand how they think, learn and see things.
The diagnostic question
How a diagnosis is reached
Autism
The national guideline describes a comprehensive needs assessment, then a diagnostic evaluation led by a qualified practitioner who consults at least one other relevant practitioner. Where the presentation is complex or uncertain, a consensus team evaluation is recommended. Our clinical neuropsychologist leads the diagnostic evaluation, states a diagnostic opinion, and arranges a consensus evaluation where the guideline calls for one. Where a paediatrician or psychiatrist has referred the assessment under Medicare, our report goes to the referring doctor. They make the diagnosis and prepare the treatment and management plan.
ADHD
ADHD is diagnosed from a developmental history and evidence of impairing inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity across settings, with other explanations considered. Our assessment gathers the evidence from several informants and settings that the Australian guideline requires. It describes your child's attention and executive function profile, and states whether the criteria are met on that evidence. Treatment decisions, including medication, sit with your paediatrician or psychiatrist, who also provide the medical review.
Autism and ADHD frequently co-occur, and anxiety, language disorder, learning disorders and trauma can each resemble parts of either. The report states what the evidence supports, including where it does not support a diagnosis and what would help instead.
After the assessment
What the report is used for
- Evidence for school adjustments, which schools document under the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) without needing a diagnosis. Where special school enrolment is being considered, the standardised evidence Queensland's verification processes require
- The report your paediatrician or psychiatrist needs to confirm a diagnosis and, under the Medicare items, to prepare a treatment and management plan
- Evidence of functional impact for an NDIS access request
- Referral where indicated to speech pathology, occupational therapy or psychological therapy
- After a diagnosis, sessions for parents to understand it and plan support, and psychological therapy for the young person where it would help
Diagnostic evaluations are led by Dr Tiffany Gerlich, who holds endorsements in clinical neuropsychology and clinical psychology, two of the endorsements the national guideline recognises for leading an autism diagnostic evaluation. Elie Walsh, clinical neuropsychology registrar, works with her, and autism and ADHD assessment is a focus of Elie's work.
Cost & funding
Fees, referral and funding
Referral and fees
No referral is needed for a privately funded assessment. A referral from a consultant paediatrician or psychiatrist is required for Medicare rebates, and we can suggest how to arrange one. The assessment is quoted individually according to its scope, with a written estimate before booking and a booking fee credited to the total. See our fees and policies.
Medicare
Medicare rebates apply with a referral from a consultant paediatrician or psychiatrist for assessment of a possible complex neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism, or an eligible disability. They cover up to eight assessment services for a young person under 25, shared across the allied health professions involved, in person or by telehealth. Our report goes to the referring doctor, who makes the diagnosis and, once confirmed, can refer for up to 20 rebated treatment services. The items do not apply to ADHD without another neurodevelopmental condition.
NDIS
The NDIS does not usually fund assessment whose purpose is diagnosis. It may fund assessment that describes a participant's functional needs, and our reports describe functional impact so they can support an access request or plan review.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can you diagnose autism?
Yes. Our clinical neuropsychologist is qualified under the national guideline to lead a diagnostic evaluation, and states a diagnostic opinion in the report. Where the presentation is complex or uncertain, we arrange a consensus team evaluation with your paediatrician and other professionals.
Can you diagnose ADHD in my child?
The Australian ADHD guideline does not restrict diagnosis to a particular profession; only prescribing is restricted to medical practitioners. Our assessment gathers the multi-setting evidence the guideline requires and states whether the criteria are met. Treatment decisions, including medication, sit with your paediatrician or psychiatrist.
Do we need a paediatrician referral?
Not for a privately funded assessment. A referral from a consultant paediatrician or psychiatrist is required for the Medicare rebates that apply to autism and other complex neurodevelopmental assessments. It also means the doctor who will confirm the diagnosis and manage medical care is involved from the start.
How long does the assessment take?
Usually four to five appointments over several weeks: the parent interviews, one or two sessions with your child, and a feedback appointment, with rating scales completed in between.
What age can a child be assessed for autism?
Signs of autism can be recognised in the second year of life. An assessment can be reliable from around two to three years, when it draws on a developmental history, direct observation and information from more than one setting. For children under about three we usually begin with a developmental assessment and your paediatrician's review; older children and adolescents are assessed directly. It is never too late to be assessed.
For referrers
For paediatricians, psychiatrists and GPs
Our assessment provides the allied health component of a diagnostic work-up under the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia. It comprises the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), multi-informant standardised rating scales across settings, direct observation, and standardised assessment of attention, executive function and cognition where indicated, integrated against DSM-5-TR criteria and the differentials.
- Suspected autism at any age from the preschool years, including where the picture is complicated by language, anxiety or learning
- Suspected ADHD in children and adolescents, with multi-setting evidence and a cognitive profile to inform your diagnosis and treatment decisions
- Co-occurring or differential questions, and reports for NDIS access requests, school adjustments and verification
Medicare. With your referral as a consultant paediatrician or psychiatrist for a suspected complex neurodevelopmental disorder, Medicare rebates our assessment services. The items are 82000 and its telehealth equivalents: up to eight services across allied health disciplines, with your review after four. Our report returns to you to inform the diagnosis and the treatment and management plan, and treatment services are then rebated under item 82015. A GP referral alone does not attract these items for suspected autism, and they do not apply to ADHD without another neurodevelopmental condition. Refer through our referrer page, by fax or by email; every referral is acknowledged on receipt.
Request an assessment
Tell us your child's age, what has been noticed and whether a paediatrician is already involved. Our team and a psychologist review every enquiry, and we reply by email within two working days to confirm fit, funding options, the likely fee and the next available appointment.
Paediatrician, psychiatrist or GP? Refer a child · Phone enquiries are welcome during business hours on 0452 452 262; if we are with a client, please leave a message and we will call you back.
Request an assessment Book a 15-minute discovery callSources: Autism CRC, National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia; Australian ADHD Professionals Association, Australian evidence-based clinical practice guideline for ADHD; MBS Online, Complex neurodevelopmental disorder and eligible disability items; Rutter M, Le Couteur A, Lord C., Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).