Gold Standard Psychological Assessments provides specialist autism and ADHD assessments for children, young people and adults across Manchester and the surrounding areas. Its multidisciplinary, neuro-affirming approach brings together experienced UK clinicians, with in-person appointments in Prestwich alongside online appointments, and its focus is on understanding the whole person, not simply reaching a diagnosis.
In person in Prestwich and online
In Greater Manchester, in-person assessments take place at Prestwich Holistic Centre on Mather Avenue, a welcoming and comfortable clinic that offers a calm, private setting for children, young people and adults attending assessment appointments. The service welcomes people from across Manchester and Greater Manchester, including Prestwich, Whitefield, Bury, Salford, Middleton, Radcliffe, Rochdale and nearby communities.
In-person appointments sit alongside online appointments, so that different parts of the assessment can be completed in the way that suits each individual and family. Face-to-face assessments are there for those who prefer or need an in-person service, including children, individuals with disabilities for whom an in-person appointment is more accessible, and adults who simply prefer to be assessed in person.
During an in-person appointment, one of the consultants stays with the person throughout the assessment, while other members of the multidisciplinary team join remotely online, which brings in a wider range of clinical expertise without several professionals being in the room.
Looking at the whole person
The work is formulation-led and neuro-affirming, looking beyond diagnostic criteria to understand each person’s individual profile, strengths, needs and experiences. The multidisciplinary team includes experienced psychologists, psychiatrists and other specialist clinicians, its pathways are aligned with NICE guidance, and its assessments are built on internationally recognised frameworks and diagnostic criteria.
Neurodivergence can present differently across different ages, environments and stages of life, and the approach is particularly sensitive to people whose differences may have been missed, masked or misunderstood. Those supported include young children where developmental differences are emerging, children and young people navigating school, friendships and identity, adults identified later in life, people with complex or co-occurring needs and individuals whose autism or ADHD may previously have been overlooked. Many people, particularly women, girls and those who have spent years adapting to fit in, present in ways that standard assessments can miss, and the clinicians receive specialist training in identifying high-masking presentations of autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent profiles.
Autism, ADHD and combined assessments
An adult autism assessment brings together a clinical interview, a developmental history interview, an ADOS assessment, a psychiatric evaluation, a multidisciplinary team meeting and a feedback session. In the child and adolescent pathway, the developmental history is gathered through an interview with parents or caregivers, and the team also liaises with the education provider.
ADHD assessments follow current NICE guidelines. For adults they include a review of self-report and informant questionnaires, a structured DIVA-5 diagnostic interview, a consultation with a Consultant Psychiatrist, a multidisciplinary clinical meeting, a comprehensive diagnostic report and a feedback appointment. The child and adolescent pathway adds a clinical interview with the child, a structured Young DIVA interview with parents or caregivers and, where possible, information shared by the education provider.
A combined assessment evaluates both conditions within a single pathway, through a DIVA-5 interview and developmental history overview, an ADOS assessment, a psychiatric evaluation, a multidisciplinary team meeting and a feedback meeting. Traits of one condition can mask or offset traits of the other, so every assessment is approached with the combined presentation in mind from the outset. The clinic is particularly passionate about working with women who feel they may have been overlooked or misjudged by previous clinicians, or whose traits were never identified in childhood.
A psychiatrist in every assessment
A Consultant Psychiatrist is part of every autism, ADHD and combined assessment, so that complex presentations are considered from a medical perspective and differential diagnoses are explored. Autism and ADHD often coexist with one another and with other conditions such as anxiety, depression or OCD, and the psychiatric evaluation is included as standard to see the fuller picture rather than a single condition in isolation.
The psychiatrists’ role is not simply to recommend medication. They consider the individual as a whole, and recommendations can draw on psychological interventions, psychoeducation, practical or environmental adjustments and lifestyle factors, alongside medication where it is clinically indicated. Prescribing sits with a GP rather than with the psychiatrists directly, and the clinic works in partnership with private GPs who are able to prescribe.
Once the information has been gathered, the clinicians involved meet to review the findings together, so that different professional perspectives are considered before diagnostic conclusions are reached. With the person’s knowledge, an assessment may be recorded so that it can be reviewed by team members who were not present, and the recording is securely deleted after that review.
Reports, feedback and school support
The written report brings together the information gathered during the assessment, with diagnostic conclusions and individualised recommendations, and it can be shared with healthcare professionals, educational providers or employers if the person chooses to do so. Feedback is clear and jargon-free, with time to ask questions and recommendations for work, education, healthcare or simply for understanding oneself better.
For families, assessments can be used as evidence for both school SEN support and Education, Health and Care Plan applications. Wherever possible, the child’s school setting is taken into account and input from school staff is welcomed, so that the picture reflects how needs show up day to day, not only in a clinic room.
Support beyond diagnosis
A diagnosis is treated as the beginning of better support rather than the end of the process. Through the Beyond Diagnosis service, the team can continue working with people after their assessment on turning recommendations into practical change, in areas such as workplace adjustments, education support, advocacy, family guidance and access to appropriate services.
A Beyond Diagnosis Consultation includes a 60-minute consultation, the review and prioritisation of recommendations, a personalised next-steps action plan and a 30-minute follow-up. Advocacy Plus offers more hands-on support for up to eight weeks, which might involve helping a school understand and accommodate a child’s neurodevelopmental needs or supporting an adult to communicate reasonable adjustments to their employer. Ongoing Advocacy runs for up to 12 weeks, for situations that involve several conversations, different professionals or gradual changes.
A wider service across the UK and Spain
The organisation’s foundations lie in Dubai, where Dr Rachael Phillips, Clinical Director and Partner, and Olivia Izzo, Managing Director and Partner, met while working together and found a shared passion for doing things differently. Manchester sits alongside Berkshire, Liverpool and London among its UK locations, with Malaga and Marbella in Spain.
Beyond assessment, the team offers therapy, coaching and consultation for children, young people, adults, families and organisations, which can be accessed after an assessment or diagnosis or independently at any stage. These services include individual psychotherapy, psychiatric consultation, speech and language therapy, educational psychology, neurodiversity coaching and human behaviour and workplace coaching. Dyslexia and dyscalculia assessments are also available.
In Prestwich, that work centres on autism and ADHD assessment for children, young people and adults from across Greater Manchester, with in-person and online appointments and support that can continue once the assessment is complete.
More information about Gold Standard Psychological Assessments is available on its website, www.goldstandardpsychologicalassessments.com, and on its social media channels, Instagram and Facebook.
Address: 2B Mather Avenue, Prestwich, Manchester M25 0LA