For further information please contact
Dr Caroline Clark,
Skylark Centre,
Ward L North,
Inverclyde Royal Hospital
Greenock
PA16 0XN
(01475) 505140
The Skylark Centre
Inverclyde
Useful addresses:
Scottish Autism
Head Office,
Hilton House,
Alloa Business Park,
Whins Road,
Alloa
FK10 3SA
(01259) 720044
www.scottishautism.org
ASD
CLINIC
National Autistic Society in Scotland
Central Chambers,
1st Floor, 109 Hope Street,
Glasgow
G2 6LL
(0141) 221 8090
www.nas.org.uk
Inverclyde N.A.S. Parent’s Support Group
Mrs Elaine Anderson
5 Wellyard Way,
Greenock,
PA16 0XG
(01475) 636382
www.nas-inverclyde.org.uk
Information for
Parents and Families
April 2013
What is ASD?
ASD stands for Autistic Spectrum
Disorder. The autistic spectrum is
used to describe a wide range of
difficulties with social relationships,
communication and imagination, and
includes Autism and Asperger’s
Syndrome. It is a lifelong condition,
which is more common in boys, and is
thought to affect around 1% of the
population in the UK.
Why is a diagnosis important?
A diagnosis is important as it means
the correct information can be given to
the people involved with a child (e.g.
parents, teachers) to make sure they
are aware of the child’s difficulties and
know how best to help them.
Where is the clinic held?
The clinic is normally held in the
Skylark Child Development Centre,
based within Ward L North in
Inverclyde Royal Hospital
Occasionally, there are special
circumstances when we can hold the
clinic elsewhere
How will my child be diagnosed?
The Inverclyde ASD Diagnostic Team
is made up of a small group of
professionals with a special interest in
ASD, including Paediatricians and
Speech and Language Therapists.
A Psychologist with a special interest
in ASD may also be involved.
One of the team will meet with you
before the clinic to gather information
about your child, to find out who else
should be asked for information, and to
let you know more about the
assessment. A Speech and Language
assessment will also be arranged.
At the clinic, you will meet the team
who will discuss some of the issues
with you in more detail before spending
some time assessing your child
through play situations and
conversation. Each assessment is
slightly different because each child is
different, but there will be no
unpleasant tests.
You will be at the clinic for the whole
morning but at the end, we will let you
know if we think your child has ASD or
not, and our Specialist Social Worker
will be available for support and
information.
What happens next?
The clinic’s main purpose is to provide
a formal assessment for ASD. It is
important that the information about
your child reaches the people who are
providing their education and care to
ensure that the correct supports are
put in place.