Evelina assessment, what to expect

[Mumonthebrink2025]

My daughter has been given an appointment at evelina after her ASD assesment was declined and I asked for a second opinion. The lady on the phone said it will be a three hour appointment with a variety of specialists including an OT, a speech and language therapist and others.

Has anyone had similar and can talk me through what to expect- for example will they make a diagnosis that day and look at all possible diagnosis'?

I'm trying to remember - I think it was quite a long time. 2 to 3 months maybe? As I said, in both cases there were complicating factors with genetic conditions. In both cases the DC did eventually get an ASD diagnosis. I seem to remember the consultants called the parents to tell them, rather than it coming via a letter.

If you've been waiting 5 weeks, I think there would be no harm in trying to call to see if there's an update. Sometimes consultants might be off sick/on leave etc but then at least you know.

The waiting is awful isn't it? Best of luck.

Thanks so much. Yes, we are also 'complicated' which will be a contributing factor (and why we ended up there) - the appointment also overran because of the number of assessments they did. The psychologist wanted to speak to his school which will be slowing things down.

It's helpful to know it's not an unusual amount of time to be waiting though. I'll give them a call next week.

Now you mention it, I remember now that is another reason why it took so long - the consultant wanted to speak to their schools. In one case, frustratingly, it took the consultant ages to actually speak to the Senco and class teacher. I think consultants don't work every day so they have very small windows to get these kind of things done.

I'm sure you're going to do this anyway but I would also check with your DC's school to see if the consultant has actually been in touch or not (obviously appreciate the holidays won't be helping).

If there's a particular reason why you need to know sooner rather than later (e.g. you're applying for an ASD resourced unit, which was actually the case with one of my friends), then I would definitely flag that with the consultant's secretary when you call.

Thanks - he's already in a special school (one of the only ones locally that takes without an autism diagnosis) and is happy there so there's no real rush.

He had an awful placement last year at another school which would have been great to avoid - his current school has only recently opened. I did speak to them before Easter and they said they hadn't heard anything, but I know they are drowning in parental requests for tours and official consults, so could be easily missed.

I feel you both, totally.
.I just left a thread today in the section (SN Teens) for other moms who are concerned about going through the examination and getting a diagnosis. I already wrote there.
... I feel your pain completely. But as a specialist who has worked for 25 years with developmental, sensory, and behavioral disabilities, I want to say something crucial: A visual conclusion is not a clinical reality.
It is impossible to conclude that a child is autistic based on one or two factors. Not every nonverbal three-year-old has ASD. Not every child who "stims" is autistic—sometimes it is simply sensory overstimulation. Conversely, being "open" doesn't mean a child isn't on the spectrum.
I see specialists judging purely visually—like seeing a teenage girl wipe a table every two minutes and immediately labeling her "autistic" without seeing the OCD underneath. This is extremely wrong! To correctly help a child, we need careful, long-term analysis, but not just a one-time, 2-3-hour diagnostic, where a child, under stress and in unfamiliar surroundings, usually won't demonstrate anything they know or can do. More often, they'll present a completely different clinical picture, one that doesn't correspond at all to their personality.
Dr. Liubov Linichenko