Get an autism assessment for your child

The Child Development Service provides free autism assessments for children who live in the ACT.

To get an autism assessment, a paediatrician or paediatric psychiatrist must:

• check if your child needs an autism assessment
• refer your child to us before they turn 12.

If your child does not have a paediatrician or paediatric psychiatrist, your family doctor can refer you to:

• a private paediatrician
• a community paediatrician or child health service.

Get a referral

Talk to your child’s paediatrician or paediatric psychiatrist about your concerns.

If they decide to refer your child to us for an autism assessment, they must send us:

• a referral letter
• information to support the referral.

What the referral must include

Your paediatrician or paediatric psychiatrist must include:

• their medical assessment
• information about your child’s cognitive functioning
• a hearing assessment.

Medical assessment

The medical assessment will describe why your child should have an autism assessment. It will include:

• concerns about your child’s development
• signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

Information about your child’s cognitive functioning

Depending on your child’s age, this may include:

• a formal developmental or cognitive assessment
• academic information.

Hearing assessment

You can get a hearing assessment at:

• Canberra Health Services Children's Hearing Service
• Canberra Health Services Audiology
• Hearing Australia
• a private audiologist.

Send us the referral

Your paediatrician or paediatric psychiatrist should send us the referral with the supporting assessments.

They can either email it to child.development@act.gov.au or refer a child online.

Refer a child for an autism assessment

When we get the referral

We will write to you to let you know if we have accepted the referral.

If we accept the referral, we will add your child to the autism assessment waiting list.

How we assess autism

Our psychologists use common assessment tools which may include:

• a detailed developmental history and family history
• an Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R)
• an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2nd Edition (ADOS-2)
• information from school, childcare, playgroup and home environments
• a review of paediatric, medical and academic records.

After your child’s assessment

You will get:

• a written summary of the assessment
• information about where to go for more help and support.

Find autism information and support

Contact us