Katy Ludlow can act as a point of contact for organising the logistics of your appointments. As Katy has undergone CRB clearance and has a formal qualification in Early Years Education, she can also provide play opportunities for your child(ren) while you are discussing a person’s developmental history with me.
Your involvement in our comprehensive assessment process means that you will be engaged in planning the assessment, will know in advance what is being offered and at what cost, and will be offered opportunities to learn about scientific ways of understanding development and behaviour. Our reports are designed to help you to make sense of the psychological assessment information, and to identify appropriate sources of further information and support.
A typical “care pathway” would involve the following sequence of steps:
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the client (if adult) or a family member contacts Peter or Katy to discuss a possible assessment;
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Peter or Katy take details, such as: what question(s) the family wish to be answered through an assessment, how old the client is, what the client’s understanding of an assessment might be, what previous assessments have taken place, and what supports and services are currently in place;
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if the assessment request is appropriate for our expertise, Peter/Katy provide information on the services available, timescales, and costs (if the assessment request is not appropriate for us, we will try to provide details of alternative services which may be helpful);
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if the client/family member wishes to go ahead, Peter usually sends some questionnaires to family members and relevant others, and discusses possible assessment dates
the family attends an initial appointment. The client usually completes some standardised tests of verbal and non-verbal ability;
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the next step is to obtain a detailed developmental history, usually by interviewing a parent (of a child) or partner (of an adult). Depending on how far the family is travelling, we may have arranged to keep a whole day free, so that the testing, interview and initial feedback can take place on the same day;
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Peter usually arranges to send a written summary of the session by the evening of the same day. A much more detailed draft report is then prepared, summarising information from questionnaires, observations, tests, interview, and any other sources available;
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families are invited to comment on the draft report, prior to attending a follow-up appointment, to discuss the findings and their implications in more detail;
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once the report has been amended and approved, it can be circulated to an agreed list as a basis for a shared psychological understanding of the client’s strengths and needs.
Further clinical follow-up may be negotiated according to your family’s needs. Please see details under Clinical Assessment and Clinical Follow-up.
Outcomes & Feedback
During 2009, we welcomed families to South Park from Lincolnshire, Hull, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Clinic sessions were provided on weekdays and at weekends, during mornings, afternoons and evenings to suit. For the families currently living abroad, we were able to ensure that the assessment processes (including feedback appointments and report writing), were completed within the time that the families were holidaying in the UK. Feedback sessions involved parents, young adults, children, siblings, grandparents and teachers. Peter also travelled to Kent and to Scotland to undertake clinical diagnostic assessments during 2009.
“I am very satisfied with the report. You have grouped things together in a...
“I just wanted to write again to say how grateful I am to you for taking ...
“The report is very thorough and it explains everything so it's easy for ...
“We are extremely grateful for the care and attention you took in ...
“Thank you so much for all the help and advice you have given me/us....
“I have taken the time to reflect upon what autism is all about and what ...
“I would like to say that the report is very clear and accurate …
Fees for Diagnostic Services
A standard diagnostic assessment package takes approximately 16 hours of professional time. This includes face-to-face contacts (testing – around 75 – 90 minutes; interview 4 – 6 hours; follow-up 2 – 3 hours); preparing, administering and scoring questionnaires and tests; and drafting, amending and circulating a detailed report.
Diagnostic assessments are charged at £60.00 per hour, and the standard package is therefore charged as £960.00 (16 hours x £60.00 per hour).
Please note that if the assessment process takes longer than the estimated 16 hours, there is no additional charge. Families are asked to pay 50% of the estimated fee at the first appointment, and 50% at follow-up. Payment can be made by cheque to “Spectrum Psychology Ltd”, or by bank transfer (payment details are included on our invoices).
I am registered with some private medical insurance schemes. Families wishing to use their private medical insurance to cover or part-cover a diagnostic assessment should contact Peter/Katy first to check if their insurer is one that Spectrum Psychology Ltd currently deals with. If yes, then the family should contact the insurer for details of what services and fees are covered.
I am willing to travel to other parts of the UK if circumstances prevent a family from travelling to Lincolnshire. Travel and accommodation costs will be estimated in advance, and added to the standard package fee for a diagnostic assessment.
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