Would anyone be so kind....

[TalesOfTheUnexpected]

...to provide links (if there are any, on here or anywhere else) as to what to expect when a child is assessed for autism please?

Bit of background:

• got twin non-id boys who never hit normal milestones
• both have ocular albinism (don't see well, can't be corrected)
• both have learning difficulties and attend a special needs school. They are both "statemented"
• one twin was "different" to the other in his behaviour and was recommended 2 years ago for assessment for autism
• said twin then got leukaemia so autism assessment was put on the back burner

Now he's a lot better (still having chemo though), I have been told he CAN now be officially assessed for autism.

What are the tests like? Is it a long process? I did ask the Paediatrician but tbh we couldn't talk as my boy was just whinging constantly and upset at the change in his routine (i.e. having to go somewhere different, see someone he didn't know).

Thanks if anyone can help. If not, I'll try to dig around the web myself when the school hols end!

my dd has been assessed for asd, we had to answer lots of questions about pregnancy, birth, milestones, behaviour, etc, then had tests on pictures, numbers, memory, puzzles, they also spoke to teachers about concerns. now we are awaiting full dx,
my dd was dx 3 times with asd but was withdrawn every time, we moved county and camhs say she def has asd but we have to go through process of dx again

Yes, it's observations of game-like tests and questionnaires mostly. My DS was quite young, though. May be different tests for older DC. How old are your DT? Can you google ADOS which is a standard test?

Hope he's doing well, BTW. One of DS3's friends had leukaemia at 5 and you wouldn't know now he's 9.

Thanks for the replies. In trying to give you as much info as possible in my OP, I forgot his age! He is 6, will be 7 in December. However, his learning difficulties mean he cannot read/write or solve puzzles. He responds to almost every unfamiliar question with "I don't know" or "stop talking now", then he shuts his eyes and puts his fingers in his ears.

I'll Google the ADOS test.

There will be others whose DC were DX at that age who will know better. My DS was 3, but it's still a series of tests that involve observing him performing tasks that will seem like games. Hope your googling is successful. There may be some old posts on here that are helpful, maybe try searching ADOS on MN advanced search?

They won't be complex puzzles, more like how he plays with toys, pretend play like using a toy phone and the like.