What should I ask at the assessment feedback appointment?
A focused set of questions for understanding the conclusion, evidence, uncertainty, recommendations and next actions after assessment.
The short answer
Ask what question was assessed, which information the team used, what conclusion it reached and why. Ask which diagnostic criteria were or were not met, what alternative or coexisting explanations were considered, what remains uncertain and whether any information was missing. Then ask which recommendations apply now, who owns each referral or support action, how your child will receive the result, when the report arrives and how factual errors can be corrected. If you disagree, ask about review, another opinion and the service's complaints route without expecting the feedback clinician to resolve everything immediately.
What helps, in short
- Understand the conclusion and clinical reasoning before discussing every recommendation.
- Ask what sources, criteria, alternatives and uncertainties were considered.
- Turn recommendations into actions with owners and dates.
- Confirm the report, correction and review routes.
Feedback can contain too much information for one appointment. Put your questions in order: conclusion, reasoning, uncertainty, recommendations, then process.
Start with the conclusion
Ask:
- What question did the team assess?
- What conclusion did it reach?
- Which criteria were or were not met?
- What evidence was most important?
- How did you combine child, family, school and appointment information?
If the answer is diagnosis, ask what the diagnosis explains and what it does not. If there is no diagnosis, ask whether criteria were not met, evidence was insufficient, another explanation is more likely or review is advised.
Ask about alternatives and uncertainty
Use direct questions:
- Which alternative or coexisting conditions did you consider?
- Were they assessed or are they possibilities for another service?
- Did any sources conflict?
- Was important information missing?
- What remains uncertain?
- Would new information or change in presentation prompt review?
NICE says autism findings and the basis for conclusions should be explained even when diagnosis is not reached [2]. The NHS says a report should describe what was found, strengths, support needs and other conditions [1].
Turn recommendations into actions
For each recommendation, ask:
- What need does this address?
- Who can decide or provide it?
- Is a referral required?
- Who makes that referral?
- What can begin now?
- How will effect be reviewed?
The assessment team may recommend school provision it cannot order, or treatment that requires another clinical appointment. Write the correct owner beside every action.
Confirm the report and your child's feedback
Ask when the written report will arrive, who receives it, how factual errors can be corrected and who can answer later questions. Ask how the result will be explained to your child and whether they can have a separate, accessible conversation.
If you disagree, ask for the team's reasoning, review or another-opinion policy and complaints information. A second opinion is another clinical assessment, not a guaranteed new conclusion.
Ask whether the report contains information that should not be discussed in front of the child without preparation, and how the service can provide child-accessible feedback. Confirm who has already received the result.
If time runs out, ask where to send the remaining questions and when a response can be expected. Do not try to settle school provision, benefits and every treatment choice with a clinician who does not own those decisions.
After the appointment
Write the conclusion and actions in plain language while the conversation is fresh. When the report arrives, compare it with your notes and separate factual errors from questions about clinical judgement.
Share only what is needed for the next action. A school may need the findings and recommendations; an extended family member rarely needs the full developmental history.
Ask the child afterwards what they understood if they attended. Correct misunderstandings without making them sit through the whole meeting again, and tell them when the written report is expected.
If the conclusion is clinically uncertain, ask what the team will do rather than hearing "wait and see" as a complete plan. Clarify what new information, developmental change or further assessment would be relevant, who monitors it and when review occurs.
The guide on no diagnosis helps organise disagreement. If diagnosis is given, the first-months guide turns the report into priorities.
Leave with a short action list: finding, next action, owner and date. That matters more than remembering every sentence spoken in the room.
Sources
- NHS, Autism assessments
- NICE, Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis
Sources and further reading
- [1] NHS. Autism assessments. Page reviewed 6 May 2026 (accessed 4 August 2026).
- [2] NICE. Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis (accessed 4 August 2026).
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