Experts in ADHD & Autism
A boutique mental health clinic specialising in ADHD & Autism Spectrum Disorder in children and adults
What We Do
Experts in ADHD & Autism
Assessment & Treatment for
Children and Young People
Dr. Eleni Paliokosta
The over-arching ethos of Little Effra is in promoting the well-being of children from an early age. We know that the majority of adult mental illness has its origins in childhood and that early awareness and solutions are the best means for preventing mental health problems. Where problems have already manifested, we believe that early, accurate diagnosis and intervention are the best ways to limit on-going difficulties.
We offer comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health assessments specialising in ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders and behaviours/ disorders commonly associated with these life-long conditions. We work with hand-picked colleagues to tailor bespoke treatment packages and we are always happy to work with schools and local clinicians to enable optimal outcomes for your child. It can often be confusing for parents to select the appropriate assessment package, but we are happy to advise which assessment package is the most appropriate for your child to minimize cost to your family.
Assessment
We offer comprehensive diagnostic assessment packages using established diagnostic tools to ensure that all aspects of a child's psycho-social health are evaluated. We are committed to providing in-depth reports for professionals as well as thorough feed-back to families so that our knowledge can be widely disseminated to access support for your child.
This is an initial consultation organised by a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and we recommend it for all new cases in order to explore comprehensively and simultaneously mental health and developmental concerns. It is particularly suitable for a young person where Autism or ADHD is suspected but not diagnosed. The consultation takes 1 hour and is conducted by 2 professionals (the Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and another professional, Speech and Language Therapist or Clinical Psychologist) and will include a meeting with you and your child together and separately. At the end of the appointment, we will make a formulation and advise whether further specialist assessments are required. A report of the consultation will be shared after the appointment provide a formulation about the difficulties discussed and advice for next steps as appropriate.
This is suitable for children where ADHD is strongly suspected. This includes gold standard diagnostic tools, Conners scales, the Continuous Performance test (an objective computerised measure of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity delivered on Creyos platform) and comprehensive psychiatric assessment. The assessment takes up to 3.5 hours. Following the assessment you will receive a comprehensive report. The package includes a cognitive screening in collaboration with Creyos that can offer important information about the individual's profile. Please follow the link below for more information and a demo. This part of the assessment that is fully computerised can be offered remotely for children 11 and above and in clinic for children under the age of 11.
This is suitable for a young person where Autism is suspected but they have not previously been diagnosed with autism. Please note that we recommend an initial psychiatric consultation beforehand that takes 1 hour and is conducted by 2 professionals. If your child screens negative for autism, then we would not recommend proceeding to the full multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment. The full multi-disciplinary diagnostic assessment is according to the national guidelines and includes standardised diagnostic tools (ADI-R and ADOS-2), liaison with the school, a cognitive screening test in collaboration with Creyos, assessment of adaptive functioning (if indicated) , Sensory Profile assessment by an Occupational Therapist and feedback. It takes about 7 hours of direct contact that is partly remotely and partly in person and involves at least 3 clinicians with the relevant expertise as tailored for the needs of the young person. Following the assessment you will receive a comprehensive report illustrating the young person's profile, summarising the outcome of the assessment and providing recommendations for the young person, their parents and school. At times, we may not be able to conclude and we may recommend a school observation and/ or further cognitive testing which are not included in the price.
This is suitable for someone with an existing diagnosis of ADHD or autism. It takes up to 2 hours. This includes review of previous professional reports and a comprehensive review of current symptoms and impairment, including computerised Continuous Performance test when there is an existing diagnosis of ADHD, in order to make recommendations for ongoing support and treatment. Following the assessment you will receive a comprehensive report.
Child & Adolescent School Liaison Package
This includes school observation and liaison with teachers. Travel expenses are not included in the price and will be discussed individually based on school location.
The Effra clinic provides computerised cognitive screening in collaboration with Creyos. Please follow the link below for more information and a demo. The assessment is offered remotely for children 11 and above and in clinic for children under the age of 11. A full report alongside a psychological advice will be provided as part of the process.
We believe that treatment is a collaborative process with the family. Whilst we may have expertise in mental health, families are the experts on their children. Our treatment packages are designed to allow families to choose the best package of care for their child and family, and can involve a range of professionals and their therapies: psychiatry, psychology, educational psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy.
We offer comprehensive treatment packages for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, using our experience of leading an NHS national service to develop a bespoke, high quality service. We offer an individualised and evidence based package of care that could include medication, cognitive behavioural therapy or coaching.