At Mandurah Autism Assessments, our diagnostic team is led by experienced clinicians Annika Ballantyne (Speech Pathologist) and Michelle Rhyder (Registered Psychologist).

We are committed to providing a supportive, neuro-affirming, and family-centred assessment experience. We understand that seeking an autism assessment can feel overwhelming, and our goal is to provide the kind of compassionate and respectful service we would want for our own families.

Having worked together for over five years conducting multidisciplinary autism assessments, we bring extensive clinical expertise alongside personal understanding. As neurodivergent mothers to neurodivergent daughters, we have developed a particular passion for supporting autistic girls and recognising the diverse ways autism can present across individuals.

Our Assessment Approach

At Mandurah Autism Assessments, we follow the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia published by Autism CRC, widely recognised as the gold standard for autism assessment in Australia.

By working together as a multidisciplinary diagnostic team, we are able to achieve high diagnostic confidence through a collaborative process that draws on both professions’ unique expertise. We use evidence-based assessment tools selected according to your child’s age, developmental profile, and individual presentation.

Assessment tools may include:

• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
• Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, Second Edition (MIGDAS-2).
• A comprehensive developmental and diagnostic parent interview informed by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).
• Additional profession-specific assessments where clinically indicated.

Following assessment, families receive detailed verbal feedback as well as a comprehensive written report outlining assessment findings, diagnostic conclusions, and individualised recommendations.

Why a Comprehensive Assessment Matters

Families often see only the appointment itself, however autism assessment involves many hours of work completed behind the scenes by experienced clinicians.

In addition to the face-to-face assessment, significant time is dedicated to reviewing developmental history, gathering information from parents and schools, scoring and interpreting assessment tools, clinical discussion between professionals, diagnostic formulation, and report writing.

By sharing this process across two clinicians with different areas of expertise, we are able to provide a thorough multidisciplinary assessment while making high-quality autism assessment more accessible for families.

What to Expect

Once you join our waitlist, our team will contact you when an appointment becomes available.

Prior to your assessment appointment, families are asked to complete a detailed questionnaire. This information forms an important part of the diagnostic process and allows our clinicians to begin building a comprehensive understanding of your child’s developmental history, strengths, and support needs before meeting with your family.

As part of this process, we may request:

• Detailed parent or caregiver questionnaires.
• School or daycare educator questionnaires.
• Previous reports from allied health professionals, paediatricians, or other relevant providers.
• Additional background information regarding your child’s developmental history.

The face-to-face assessment appointment is conducted over approximately two hours in the Mandurah Speech Pathology clinic and involves both child and parent participation.

Following the assessment appointment, our team completes scoring, clinical review, multidisciplinary discussion, diagnostic formulation, and report writing before providing families with detailed feedback and a comprehensive written report.

To join our waitlist, please complete this form.

Parent Paperwork

School/Daycare Paperwork

 If you would like further information about our autism assessments, please contact our team at mandurahautismassessments@gmail.com

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from:

• Paediatricians.
• Psychiatrists.

• Specially trained GPs
• Parents directly, with supporting information from another professional such as a GP, teacher, childcare educator, or allied health professional.

Please note: if you intend to claim a Medicare rebate for the assessment, a referral from a paediatrician is required.

How a Diagnosis Can Help Your Child Access Support 

A formal autism diagnosis can play an important role in helping families better understand their child while also supporting access to additional services when needed.

In Western Australia, an autism diagnosis may assist families in accessing school-based adjustments and, where appropriate, disability supports through the NDIS. The following guides provide an overview of some of the pathways families commonly explore following diagnosis.