Neuroaffirming Autism Assessment for Children and Young People

MIGDAS-2 stands for the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, second edition. In plain language, it is a structured conversation rather than a test. The clinician follows your child's lead, drawing on the sensory experiences, interests and activities that matter to them, and gently explores how they communicate, play and relate to others. Parents and carers are interviewed as well, so the assessment brings together your knowledge of your child with the clinician's observations.

Because MIGDAS-2 is built around the child's own interests and sensory preferences, it does not rely on a fixed set of props or scripted tasks. This makes it well suited to children who mask their difficulties, who present atypically, or who become anxious in unfamiliar, structured testing situations. Rather than producing a score, the MIGDAS-2 builds a qualitative, strengths-based picture of how your child communicates and experiences the world through their senses.

A neuroaffirming autism assessment starts from the view that being autistic is a difference in how a person thinks, communicates and experiences the world, not a deficit to be corrected. Our reports describe your child's strengths alongside the areas where they may need support, and we use respectful, identity aware language throughout.

We aim to make the process as comfortable as possible. Sessions are paced to suit your child, sensory needs are considered, and families are kept informed at each stage. Our goal is for your child to feel understood, and for you to leave the process with practical, individualised recommendations.

MIGDAS-2 is our preferred tool where it is suitable, but it is not the only instrument our psychology team draws on. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second edition (ADOS-2) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised (ADI-R) are also part of the team's toolkit and are used where they are clinically indicated. The ADOS-2 brings the strengths of a standardised, widely-recognised observation, and can be used alongside the MIGDAS-2 to give a fuller picture. The clinician selects the most appropriate combination of tools for your individual child, and will explain their reasoning to you. A comprehensive assessment may also include adaptive and cognitive measures, psychometric questionnaires, and information gathered from educators with your consent.

Because communication and language are central to how autistic children experience the world, families we see for autism assessment often also work with our speech pathology service for communication and language support.

We provide autism assessments for children and young people from approximately 2.5 years to 25 years of age. If you are unsure whether an assessment is the right step, our admin team can talk you through the options when you call.

• Initial psychology consultation. Every autism assessment begins with an initial consultation so the clinician can understand your child's history, strengths and needs, and recommend the most appropriate assessment plan.
• Assessment sessions. These may include the MIGDAS-2 interview with your child, a parent or carer interview, questionnaires, and, where indicated, additional standardised measures.
• Feedback session. The clinician meets with you to explain the findings in person and answer your questions.
• Comprehensive written report. You receive a formal report setting out the assessment, the outcome, and individualised recommendations. We aim to schedule feedback and provide reports within 10 business days after the final assessment session. Sometimes this can take longer if we need to compile or collate additional information, questionnaires and reports.

A comprehensive autism assessment report can support your family in several practical ways. It can be used as evidence when applying for or reviewing NDIS funding, and it can help schools understand your child and put reasonable adjustments in place. The report also offers specific recommendations about supports and next steps, whether or not a formal diagnosis is made.

Total assessment fees vary with the type of assessment, your child's age, and the presenting questions, so indicative fees are discussed at your initial consultation. Please note that there are no Medicare rebates for an autism assessment with a GP referral. Medicare rebates are available where the assessment is referred by a paediatrician, and our admin team can explain how this applies to your child when you call. The resulting report may also be used as evidence to support funding applications. You can read more about costs on our fees and referrals page.

To arrange an autism assessment for your child, please call Hunter Children's Clinics on 02 4072 1877. A GP referral is not required to book an initial psychology consultation, though it can be helpful. If you would like to understand how autism assessment tools compare before you book, our article on MIGDAS-2 and ADOS-2 explains the differences, and our article on the cost of an autism assessment covers fees and Medicare rebates. You may also be interested in our psychology services and our ADHD assessment and care for children. If you have heard about the new Thriving Kids programme and are wondering what it means for your family, our guide to Thriving Kids and the NDIS changes explains it in plain language.

You may also find our resources for families page helpful, including trusted Australian autism organisations and neurodiversity-affirming support services.

Our autism assessment team

Autism assessment at Hunter Children's Clinics is carried out by our psychology team, Grace Palmer and Samuel McLellan-Hall, with oversight from our paediatricians: Dr Robert Parry, Dr Neil Anderson, Dr Kristin Mansour, Dr Sally Quill, Dr Sabah Brown, Dr Nidhi Panicker and Dr Rakel Hansen.

What is the difference between MIGDAS-2 and ADOS-2?

Both are recognised tools that help inform an autism diagnosis, and the essence of the difference is what each one produces. The ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second edition) is a standardised, structured observation: the clinician guides the child through set activities and codes what they see, producing scores that can be compared across children. The MIGDAS-2 (Monteiro Interview Guidelines) is a qualitative, sensory-based framework: instead of a score, it builds a strengths-based description of how a child communicates, relates and experiences the world through their senses, drawing on the child, the family and, where relevant, teachers. One is standardised and quantitative; the other is individualised, qualitative and neurodiversity-affirming. Because it centres a child's sensory experience, the MIGDAS-2 can be especially helpful where a child masks their differences or presents atypically, which a structured observation alone can miss. The two are not rivals and can be used together. Neither diagnoses autism on its own; a diagnosis draws together many sources of information.

From what age can my child have an autism assessment?

We assess children and young people from approximately 2.5 years to 25 years of age. If you are not sure whether an assessment is appropriate for your child's age or stage, please call our admin team and they can talk it through with you.

Do I need a GP referral for an autism assessment?

A GP referral is not required to book an initial psychology consultation, although it can be helpful. Every autism assessment begins with an initial consultation, which allows the clinician to understand your child's needs and recommend the most appropriate assessment plan. Note that Medicare rebates for the assessment itself are only available where the assessment is referred by a paediatrician.

Does Medicare cover the cost of an autism assessment?

There are no Medicare rebates for an autism assessment with a GP referral. Medicare rebates are available where the assessment is referred by a paediatrician. The report that results from the assessment may also be used as evidence to support funding applications, including the NDIS. Indicative fees, and how rebates apply to your child, are discussed at your initial consultation.

How long until we receive the report?

We understand that families are often eager to learn the outcome. We aim to schedule the feedback session and provide the written report within 10 business days after the final assessment session. Sometimes this can take longer if we need to compile or collate additional information, questionnaires and reports.