When to seek an assessment
Timing
Timing is important as you think about when to seek an assessment.
You need to feel ready to have the assessment. This can be about being emotionally ready or simply having the time to go through the process and reflect upon the assessment outcome.
There are key changes (or transitions) that we can experience in life. Some are expected, at key times of life, and others have less certainty as to when they may occur.
Expected transitions can include moving from primary school to secondary school, leaving school, starting higher education or a new job, retirement. Other changes may include marriage, divorce or starting a family.
The timing of an autism assessment can be particularly important with a number of these transitions. For example, a student moving into the next phase of their education may benefit from knowing if they are autistic, in order to seek support in the new setting, or in making accommodations within formal exams.
It may be that you want to venture into a new job opportunity, and you would like your employer to understand you and be able to make accommodations based on your preferences.
As such, where there is an important transition coming up, timing can feel even more important.
Availability For Autism Assessments
We are proud of our availability for autism assessments, and therefore can assess within a short time frame. Our turnaround time from assessment to report is a matter of weeks. As such we can work in an efficient way to assess and communicate the assessment outcome, within a time window that is supportive, and most helpful for you and your transitions.
Medication and assessments: One key area which we encourage everyone to consider when thinking about when to seek an assessment is that of medication you may currently be taking.
Some medication, not all, when starting them can have a temporary impact on your concentration or the side effects may make you feel not yourself. Medications specifically around the treatment of mental health or ADHD may fall into this group.
It can help the accuracy of some parts of the autism assessment process if you are stabilised on your medication and therefore not experiencing significant side effects.
As such, we may suggest a short delay before seeking your autism assessment to allow time for your medication side effects to have lessened. Your GP or other clinician can guide you on the time frame for this process. If you would like to discuss the possible timing of your assessment with us, please get in touch.