Autism Assessments
Thorough, neurodiversity-affirming autism assessments for children and teenagers across Melbourne, pairing standardised diagnostic evaluation with a compassionate approach focused on understanding your child’s unique strengths.
Understanding your child’s unique profile starts with having the right support.
School-aged children estimated to be on the autism spectrum today
of autistic individuals report needing support with cognitive activity tasks
Autistic students receive support from dedicated school counsellors or staff
of autistic students access specialised tuition to assist learning needs
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) 2022
Understanding your child more clearly
An autism assessment is not a search for what might be wrong with your child. Autism is a natural variation in how a person experiences the world, takes in information and connects with other people.
An assessment gives that difference a name, and with it an explanation for things you may have been puzzling over for years. The relief can sit in the understanding itself: the day can stop feeling like a series of unexplained struggles and start to make sense.
What follows is support shaped around who your child already is, rather than an attempt to make them somebody else.
When parents wonder
Parents usually arrive with a collection of small observations rather than one clear concern. Your child might find back-and-forth conversation hard work, take language literally, or prefer two close friendships to a wide circle. Routines may matter enormously, with real distress when they change. Interests may run especially deep. Sound, light, texture or taste might be overwhelming one day and sought out the next. Some children are noticed early. Others hold themselves together all day at school and then unravel at home, and are only now running out of room. You do not need to be certain before you get in touch.
Parents usually arrive with a collection of small observations rather than one clear concern. Your child might find back-and-forth conversation hard work, take language literally, or prefer two close friendships to a wide circle.
Routines may matter enormously, with real distress when they change. Interests may run especially deep. Sound, light, texture or taste might be overwhelming one day and sought out the next.
Some children are noticed early. Others hold themselves together all day at school and then unravel at home, and are only now running out of room. You do not need to be certain before you get in touch.
How assessment works
We begin with a conversation about your child’s development, health and history, and about what prompted you to call. Assessment then involves direct time with your child, alongside structured questionnaires completed by you and, with your consent, by their school. We may also ask to observe your child in the classroom, where that would add something useful. Appointments are paced around your child rather than a timetable, with breaks whenever they are needed, and we will tell you beforehand exactly what each one involves. Nothing is sprung on your child. You will know exactly where we are up to at every stage.
We begin with a conversation about your child’s development, health and history, and about what prompted you to call. Assessment then involves direct time with your child, alongside structured questionnaires completed by you and, with your consent, by their school.
We may also ask to observe your child in the classroom, where that would add something useful.
Appointments are paced around your child rather than a timetable, with breaks whenever they are needed, and we will tell you beforehand exactly what each one involves. Nothing is sprung on your child. You will know exactly where we are up to at every stage.
What you receive
We always talk the findings through with you in person before anything is written up, so the report holds no surprises.
You then receive a written report setting out what we found, what it means, and what would help, in language you can hand to a school without translating it first. Where a diagnosis is made, we explain what it does and does not mean for your child.
Where one is not, the report still describes how your child learns and what supports them. We also talk about what comes next, including funding pathways and any further assessment that might be useful.
How We Help You
Reach out by phone or our online enquiry form. We’ll have a brief chat to understand your child’s needs and answer any initial questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral before booking an assessment?
No. You can contact us and book directly.
A referral from your GP or paediatrician can matter for some funding pathways, so it’s worth asking us before your first appointment if that’s relevant to you.
Is an assessment covered by Medicare?
An assessment with us is a private service, so the assessment itself is paid for by your family.
One thing worth knowing, because it’s the most common mix-up we hear: a Mental Health Care Plan doesn’t cover assessment. That plan is for therapy sessions. Some appointments around an assessment may attract a rebate depending on your circumstances, so ask us when you get in touch and we’ll be clear with you about what you’ll pay before you commit to anything.
What ages do you assess?
We assess children and teenagers up to age eighteen. The way an assessment runs changes considerably across that range — a young child and a sixteen-year-old need very different appointments, and we plan accordingly.
If your child is very young, get in touch and we’ll talk honestly about whether now is the right time or whether it’s better to wait a little.
How long does the whole process take?
It varies with your child’s age and what else is going on. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe for appointments and for the written report when you book, rather than a general estimate that may not hold for your family.
Who carries out the assessment?
What actually happens on the day?
Time with your child, structured activities suited to their age, and conversation with you. We use MIGDAS-2, an approach built around understanding how your child experiences the world rather than testing them against a checklist — much of it is conversation and shared activity, and children generally find it a good deal less clinical than they expect. Your child is told beforehand what to expect, in words that suit them. Breaks happen whenever they’re needed.
How do I explain this to my child?
My child copes at school and falls apart at home. Will that be missed?
What if the answer is no?
Then you still get something useful. A report that says autism isn’t the explanation will describe what your child does find hard, why, and what helps — and will usually point to what to look at next. No assessment ends with nothing.
Can you speak with my child's school?
Yes, with your consent. Schools see a side of a child that home doesn’t, and their input strengthens an assessment considerably. Where it would help, we can also observe in the classroom.
Do you offer telehealth?
Parent conversations work well by video. The assessment sessions with your child are generally best done in the room, where we can see how your child responds to the space and the materials. We’ll talk through what mix suits your family.
Can the report be used for NDIS or school support?
Our reports are written to be used — clearly enough for a school to act on, and detailed enough to support a funding application. Tell us at the start what you’re hoping to use the report for and we’ll make sure it covers what’s needed. We work with NDIS participants whose plans are self-managed or plan-managed.
How soon could we be seen?
Get in touch and we’ll tell you what’s actually available rather than a general answer. Availability moves through the year, so it’s always worth asking.
What happens after the report?
That’s your decision, and there’s no obligation to continue with us. Some families want time to absorb it. Others move straight to support at home or school. We can talk through what’s likely to help, and we’re here if you’d like to come back later.
Let's start the Conversation
- For urgent support, please contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. This form isn't monitored 24/7.
- Melbourne & Mornington Peninsula
- Telehealth Available Australia-Wide
- 1300 233 211
- Send us a message via form
