We offer assessment of girls and boys between the ages of 5 – 18. Autism assessments are carried out by our team of specialist clinicians at our assessment centre based at the school.
Assessments are led by a Clinical Psychologist and Speech and Language Therapist who both specialise in and have many years of experience working with and assessing young people with social communication disorders.
Our assessment suite is both spacious and welcoming to help settle your child.
We allow plenty of time for your child to relax and we carefully consider their anxiety levels when assessing them.
Our clinicians are sensitive to the needs of the children and young people they assess and try their best to build rapport and trust to enable them to build a true picture of each child and to best understand their presenting needs.
The Assessment Process includes meeting with parent(s) or carers to obtain a detailed developmental history, this can take 2-3 hours. The assessment may include the child being observed in the school setting or at home if the child is currently out of school.
We use the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) as a key part of the assessment process. For this the child is invited to our assessment centre where they will undergo a series of play-based observational assessments.
The ADOS takes about an hour to administer. Additional assessments may be conducted dependent on the child’s presentation such as standardised speech and language therapy tests and sensory assessments carried out by our Occupational Therapist.
We aim to provide a thorough assessment of each child and produce a detailed report that summarises the assessment, its outcomes and most importantly offers advice and recommendations on how to help support and better understand the needs of the young person.
We talk through the findings of the assessment, and if appropriate give the diagnosis and provide opportunities for questions on the day.
COVID-19
Hand sanitiser and washing facilities are readily available and we ask that all visitors wash their hands upon arrival.
We ask that only one adult attends the clinic with the child to make social distancing easier.
We ask that upon arrival you remain in your car and wait to be collected and taken to the assessment suite.
Any equipment including toys are cleaned after use.
We are able to conduct part or all of the assessment online dependent on the age of the child and their presentation.
Social distancing rules will be observed in line with the current government guidance.
If our clinician(s) visit the family home they will sanitise their hands prior to entering the family home and will wear appropriate PPE where required or requested by the family.
Nature of business
Swalcliffe Park Services undertake autism assessments for children aged 5 – 18 years.
The clinic is based at Swalcliffe Park School, Swalcliffe, Banbury, OXON, OX15 5EP
Fees
The fee for an autism assessment is £2000. This includes the following:
Payment Terms
Assessments must be paid for in advance of the date of assessment. Please make payment by BACS.
Cancellation
We will not charge you for cancelling or moving appointments unless you give less than 48 hours notice.
Regulation
Dr Morrell is registered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Sue Moon is registered with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)
COVID-19
If you are unable to attend your appointment due to the enforcement of local lockdowns, if you are self-isolating or if the clinic has been forced to temporarily close, your assessment will be re-booked.
Dr Chris Morrell is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with an Honours Degree in Psychology, a Masters Degree in Health Psychology and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Universities of Coventry and Warwick.
He is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPS).
Dr Morrell has worked at Swalcliffe Park School for many years providing advice and consultation in his specialist area of autism. Dr Morrell has a lead role in the school’s Autism Assessment team and offers training on behalf of the school. Dr Morrell has delivered training and workshops at many schools and colleges in the West Midlands.
Prior to joining the team at Swalcliffe Park School, Dr Morrell worked for the NHS for nearly 15 years. The last 9 years were spent working for Child Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Worcestershire. In his time working for the NHS, Dr Morrell’s work focused specifically on assessing and supporting children and adolescents on the autistic spectrum and with learning difficulties and learning disabilities.
He has facilitated adolescent Asperger clinics, sibling groups, taken a lead role on the neurodevelopmental assessment team and was responsible for assessment and diagnosis of social communication conditions. He also took a lead role in developing an award-winning disability service within Worcestershire CAMHS.
Sue Moon qualified from Birmingham City University with a First Class Degree in Speech and Language Therapy in 2012. She is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and is a Member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
Since qualifying, Sue has specialised in working with children and young people with social communication difficulties including autism spectrum conditions. She has worked in mainstream schools and as an independent therapist with a particular interest in identifying and supporting girls with autism. Sue has seen first-hand the importance of the correct diagnosis and the significant impact on mental health that misdiagnosis or under-identification can have.
Sue has also worked as a Consultant Therapist to St Andrew Healthcare since 2015 as a member of their multi-disciplinary Adult Complex Autism Assessment Service. As part of this service Sue works with Psychologists and Psychiatrists to provide autism assessments for adults who also have a range of other difficulties, including mental health conditions or a history of offending.
Sue is on the Strategy Group of the Specialist Women with Autism Professionals Network (SWAP), an innovative group of Professionals working in female autism. This network includes a number of autistic adults and holds regular events which are designed to enable professionals to mix with autistic people in order to better understand the lived experience of people with autism, particularly around issues relating to assessment and diagnosis.
My assessment with Chris was a really positive experience and his report was really interesting for me to read, clearly explaining my difficulties and the areas in which I need support.
I found it very straight forward and Sue asked very clear questions.
Chris put my son at ease and it felt like he was playing normally.