Is an Autism Assessment Right for My Child?

If you’re unsure whether an autism assessment with RocketEd is the right next step, the checklist below might help you decide.

About the Child of Young Person (these must be ‘yes’ to proceed)

• Is the child or young person under 18 years of age?

• Can they attend our rooms in North London (N3) for the face-to-face (ADOS2) part of the assessment?

Core Characteristics of Autism

The list below, based on information from the National Autistic Society (NAS), outlines core characteristics of autism. These can present differently from person-to-person and are sometimes masked or misunderstood. Therefore, if you answer ‘Yes’ to some but not all of the questions below, an autism assessment may still be appropriate.

• Do they find it difficult to join in with others, or show limited interest in what others are doing or saying?

• Do they tend to communicate in a very direct or literal way, sometimes missing social subtleties such as tone or humour?

• Do they find it hard to interpret social cues — for example, understanding when someone is joking, teasing, or being unkind?

• Do they find it difficult to imagine experiences they haven’t had, or to recognise how others might be feeling?

• Do they have a strong sense of rules or fairness and find it hard when expectations are unclear or change unexpectedly?

• Do they rely on routines or predictable patterns, and become distressed when these change?

• Do they repeat certain movements or sounds when excited, anxious or concentrating (for example, hand-flapping or repeating phrases)?

• Do they have very focused or intense interests that they return to frequently?

• Do they show sensory differences — for example, being unusually sensitive to sound, touch, light, smell or movement, or seeking out sensory input?

• Have these characteristics been noticed since early childhood?

• Are they present in more than one setting (i.e. home and school)?