Pre-diagnosis Support
A guide for parents and carers
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If your child is autistic, getting a diagnosis, and a better understanding of their needs, is a positive thing. Screening tests exist but are not an alternative to proper assessment and diagnosis.
This section explains how to get your child referred for an autism diagnosis.
We understand that this can be a worrying time, but there is help and support available. We are also available to help you find local support.
Is it autism?
Autism presents in different ways in different people, but for a diagnosis to be made, a person will usually be assessed as having persistent differences with social communication and social interaction and focused, potentially repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests. These differences will have been apparent since childhood and will have affected their daily life.
Children can be diagnosed as autistic when very young, sometimes from the age of two. However, not everyone is diagnosed early. It’s quite common for children to get a diagnosis when they are older, or even as an adult, especially if they do not have learning disabilities.
Some of the main signs that a child may be autistic include:
- preferring for solo or independent play
- performing activities in a repetitive way, for example, always playing the same game in the same way, or repeatedly lining toys up in a special order
- Preferring routine and doing something in the same way
- emerging differences in social interaction and communication
- Behaviour including biting, pinching, kicking, pica (putting inedible items in the mouth), or behaviour that causes harm to themselves
Read more about diagnostic criteria.
Getting a referral
You might be worried about getting a diagnosis for your child. Although this is a personal choice, a diagnosis can be a relief and help both you and the school staff to fully understand your child’s needs and support them. Your child may also benefit from being able to meet autistic peers.
Even if you are uncertain about getting a diagnosis, it is advisable to ask for a referral as you may have to wait a long time for an appointment. In this way, you are not delaying the process while deciding.
Contact your GP or health visitor
Make an appointment with your GP (or health visitor for young children). Bring a list of behaviours and characteristics that make you think your child could be autistic. You might want to write a behaviour diary ahead of any appointments after the referral.
Some online tools or smartphone apps claim to screen for autism. These tools are problematic as many factors affect children’s development and other sensory, physical and mental health conditions which require specialist investigation. Therefore, these tools are not an alternative to assessment and diagnosis.
For school-age children, it can be helpful to make an appointment with the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or Learning Support Teacher to share your observations and findings. Teachers and other staff may have also noticed similar behaviours and characteristics that you can discuss with your GP and/or in your child’s diagnostic assessment.
Your child should have a multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment by a team of professionals. The team could include a paediatrician, a speech and language therapist and a specialist psychologist.
If your child is referred to an individual professional, it’s important that they are experienced in diagnosing autism
It may be that your local authorities may not accept the results of private diagnoses. Some local authorities insist on an NHS diagnosis before they provide services to you and your child. Therefore, we suggest that you stay on the waiting list for an NHS assessment even if you also decide to get a private one.
- Read our diagnostic assessment guide
- Find diagnostic services in our Autism Services Directory.
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