Multi-disciplinary child-centred autism assessments and post-diagnostic
support in an award winning purpose-built centre
The Autism Assessment Process
Caudwell Children can provide:
- Fast and efficient Autism Spectrum Disorder assessments
- Self-funded or 80% charity-funded autism assessments
- Diagnostic feedback
- 12 months of post-diagnostic support
Two-day assessments are available for children aged between 4 and 11 years old and require a referral from a health, education or social care professional.
How we can help
Frequently Asked Questions
To track the progress of your application please contact our Family Services team on 0345 300 1348 or familyservices@caudwellchildren.com
We offer charity-funded (means-tested) autism assessments for eligible children and self-funded assessments for those who don’t meet the eligibility.
Children must be referred by a health, social care or education professional using the form on our website.
Once the referral has been clinically accepted, our applications team will get in contact with you to complete the financial application process. This can take up to 6 weeks from the initial referral, depending on the amount of applications we’ve received.
Day one of the assessment will be completed by telephone or video conferencing, but the family must attend the centre in Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme for their day two appointment.
At the moment we don’t assess for anything else other than autism. If during the child’s autism assessment we observe indicators that maybe suggestive of other diagnosis such as ADHD, we would recommend that parents/guardians discuss this further with their GP and or Paediatrician.
Our process involves collecting Financial information, information from home and school, and once all this has been returned, we conduct a risk assessment. Following approval after the risk assessment, appointments are usually in less than eight weeks.
We do not assess children younger than 4 years old or older than 11 years old. However, our Family Services team offer a signposting service to help you find other services which may be helpful.
Any health, social care or education professional that knows your child and has observed potential autism indicators that would benefit from an autism assessment can refer the child. We do not accept self/parental referrals. Your health, social care or educational professional will need to complete the form here: https://www.caudwellchildren.com/ccas-professionals/ You may also find our referral guide helpful: https://www.caudwellchildren.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CCAS-A5-Referral-Guide.pdf
Our centre is based in Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme. The full address is: Innovation Way, Caudwell International Children’s Centre Keele Science & Innovation Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 5NT. Day one of our assessment is completed via telephone or video conferencing software such as Zoom. Day two of the assessment is completed at Caudwell International Children’s Centre, on Keele Innovation and Science Park, located on Keele University in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Yes, as long as the referral is completed before the child’s 12th birthday.
Yes. The first day of assessment is completed by telephone or video conferencing software such as Zoom. Day two of the assessment requires the family to attend Caudwell International Children’s Centre on Keele Innovation and Science Park, located on Keele University in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Caudwell International Children’s Centre is the UK’s first purpose-built centre dedicated to autism. We are able to complete the assessment in two days as we have everything we need in one place, including our own in-house multi-disciplinary clinical team.
Key Benefits
Referral Guide
Download our referral guide for step-by-step guidance to get a referral to Caudwell Children’s autism service.
We are proud to be accredited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as well as deliver evidence-based practice in accordance with NICE guidelines and robust clinical governance.
Caudwell Children provides a multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre in Staffordshire.
The Centre is purpose-built for children with autism and other disabilities. Since its 2018 launch, Caudwell Children have been offering a multi-disciplinary autism assessment and diagnosis for young children between the ages of 4 and 11. With state-of-the-art facilities and an experienced team of clinical professionals, Caudwell Children can provide a rapid Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis that is either 100% charity (criteria-dependant, while funds raised by our team last) or self-funded.
Autism assessments take place at the Caudwell International Children’s Centre, which is designed to provide a calm and peaceful experience for children and their family.
The Centre includes a mixture of quiet zones, specialist facilities, sensory rooms and garden, which allow our clinical team to develop a comprehensive profile for each child during their assessment.