I’m currently in the process of using RTN for a combined ASD and ADHD assessment for my son.
I looked through different options and found them listed on a local autism webpage (i actually found Neurodiversity Training International over the site and didn’t book directly with RTN).
So far they’ve made an ok impression. I didn’t hear back for over a week at first but then Katie got in touch with me and offered different payment plans before she would send out any online assessment.
They offer different payment plans depending on if you book just an ADHD or ASD assessment (3 months) or a combined assessment (5 months).
They won’t send out any assessment forms before you haven’t paid the first rate, you have to pay the second before the assessment with a psychologist and the last before they send out the report. So the whole process can take up to 5 months (depending on what you choose) but you also have an option to pay it all in one go. The deposit is non refundable and you still have to pay the first rate before they do anything.
After I paid the first rate they quite quickly sent out an online mental health and general health assessment, they asked for my son’s Summary Care Record from the GP, and a written statement from school.
After I watched tonight’s BBC Panorama I’m a little bit hesitant to continue though. I started a pre-assessment for ADHD with the NHS (for myself) a few months/years ago and they asked me quite a lot of questions about my childhood, if I experienced any trauma (a traumatic experience can produce similar symptoms to ADHD; they have to rule it out first and it should be part of the assessment), etc which was several pages long. But, according to my GP that was mainly to decide who needs to be assessed more urgently.
RTN asked a few yes/no questions but nothing in depth. Maybe that will still be assessed with the psychologist, who knows.
A few plus points and red flags I found:
Positives:
- once they got in touch speedy replies
- Listed on a local website for autism assessments (genuine I assume?!)
- Neurodiversity Training international, who recommend them, has a 5 star rating on fb and generally looks genuine and legit
- Neurodiversity Training International released a statement today that they trust RTN’s assessment method and wouldn’t recommend it if they’re not thinking they’re good https://www.neurodiversity-training.net/get-a-diagnosis
- Neurodiversity Training mention RTN operate on an NHS Gold standard and follow NICE (another standard)
- Many of the Psychologists/assessors employed by RTN have an NHS and/or CAMHS background (thanks Ecosia search)
- Most of the staff who work there have a psychology/counselling background, even the management (according to their LinkedIn profiles; implying they know what they are talking about)
- Apparently they don’t prescribe meds (so no fear of them extra cashing in on that)
Red flags
- I can only find superficial blah blah about their assessment process (no mention of how many hours it takes) on RTN’s own website
- No reviews anywhere to be found (it’s a fairly new company (2021) so maybe that’s why)
- Testimonials only on their own website and only with initials (difficult to know if made by real people or real although they appear to be real)
- No entry on Google, fb or trustpilot (as a new company I would expect they would want to be seen and rated if their services are good, but no reviews)
- Company address dodgy (looks like a bought address, might make sense if people work virtually though)
- online assessment was a bit sparse (as mentioned before, no deep questions about condition but might come later in the assessment with the expert)
If I hadn’t already started it and paid my first rate, I probably would be more reluctant to use them. But now that I’m in the process, I’ll see what comes out of it. My main intention is that it helps my son with school (if he has any of the conditions).
Neurodiversity Training state on their website that different local areas want different methods of assessment and to check with them. A friend of mine who’s got two kids on the spectrum and worked with autistic people said that some of her friends went for a private assessment and it did not help for school, so I would double check with health care services and school (if it is for school).
If you can wait, I would wait until you get more feedback about them. I’ll keep posting about any updates.