The short answer is ‘it depends’. The longer answer is as follows.
It depends on whether the assessment has followed NICE guidelines and is Gold Standard.
The guidelines are that a child/adolescent ASD assessment should be carried out by an experienced multiagency team, consisting of a minimum of 2 professionals, and that recommendations should be made for the young person (whether a diagnosis is given or not) once they have been through the assessment pathway.
We are aware that at times a school or professional may suggest that a private ASD assessment will not be acknowledged by a setting, other health care professionals or a local authority. This is often due to misinformation. If an assessment has been done ‘badly’ e.g. not in accordance with NICE guidelines, then it is true, however if the Gold Standard approach has been followed then this is incorrect.
The National Autistic Society provides a helpful breakdown of professionals who may be involved in a multi-agency assessment (MAA). See parents and families (autism.org.uk)
The NAS also provide some other very helpful advice for example some helpful hints and tips for example how to broach the subject of Autism with others. See Broaching the subject (autism.org.uk)
The National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) also provides some very helpful information. See Autism in children | Health topics A to Z | CKS | NICE
At TCT we offer a team assessment for ASD, we like a minimum of 3 professionals to be involved in each case.
We are fortunate to have a team of experienced clinicians involved with our assessment process. The team is led by a paediatrician and is made up of speech and language therapists, a psychology team (including both clinical and educational psychologists) and has access to other professionals as well such as occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
Hopefully that is a quick and helpful summary answering the question ‘Will my child’s school accept a private ASD assessment diagnosis?’
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