Since meeting Carla and the team at GAC, I have been very impressed with their dedication and support to not only the young person and their family, but to us as a school. The advice and support received has been very useful and has given us as a school many new strategies and ideas to implement. They are always on the end of the phone or an email, and nothing is too much trouble. It’s lovely to find a company who genuinely care and want the best outcomes for everyone. I will be recommending GAC to other families in school and look forward to working with them for many years to come.

In a world where we are the only advocates for our child, we now have a team of supportive professionals behind us too. GAC have not only helped us with obtaining a diagnosis for our son, helped him understand his own brain, but they’ve also helped with school support, applying for an EHCP and even given emotional support on the phone when things have felt particularly hard. As a family we have endless gratitude for the work of everyone in the team. I have already recommended their service to everyone I speak to, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to you too. 

We have used the Services of the Gloucestershire Assessment Centre (GAC) for our eldest son who was exhibiting neurodiverse qualities and behaviours, simply as we wanted to understand how we could best help him at home, during his childhood and empower/equip him when in adulthood. I cannot stress how pleased we are we engaged GAC. They were professional, supportive, empathetic, knowledgeable and able to give us a meaningful direction of travel. The subject of neurodiversity is hard enough to comprehend but magnified in the case of children as they are learning about the world and themselves at rapid pace! All the while, we parents, are adjusting too. GAC made this easier in respect of understanding our child’s needs and suggested numerous practical tools/methods/aides to help. As our son was relatively young when we first came to GAC (approx 6), we have been able to use our findings but practically and officially (as he obtained a clinical outcome of being neurodiverse), we have applied that and used in his educational setting. In summary, highly recommend! If in doubt, phone up/enquire and you’ll find the person/people you speak too, professional, supportive and empathetic. It’s worth a phone call, trust me!

I work in a school and have been amazed at the support given to the child, family and school from GAC. Following a diagnosis the report sent to schools is invaluable. It gives clear recommendations that are supportive to the child but also mindful to what a school may or may not be able to put in place. From start to finish the process felt collegiate and that we were all working together for a common goal. To ensure the best support and outcome for the young person in our care. I have been hugely impressed and look forward to working with them again in the future.

After years of surviving as parents, not being heard or understood by professionals, being judged and not being able to access support, the whole team at GAC have given us a new chapter in our family life. From the moment I made the initial call with the team administrators, Fiona and Vicky I felt safe and understood. The compassion, empathy and interest was present from the moment I made contact to now. The entire team have lived personal and professional experience around neurodivergence and this was so powerful in how we were able to engage, talk and be supported from that first conversation, asking questions, making sense of the journey we have been on, all embraced within a safe and caring working relationship with the team. Their approach to working with us as parents and our daughter was grounded in being human, seeing us as individuals and knowing us so well in a short space of time. Their engagement with our daughter was led by her interests and her presentation in a given time and space. The experience of the assessment process didn’t feel like a corporate task centred process, but one where the team were genuinely invested and we were taken into the next part of our life story in an informed and supported way. We learnt so much from the extensive expertise as professionals and people but also about ourselves as adults and parents to a child with neurodivergence. I can honestly say that every aspect of working with GAC has been positive and supportive. It really has been a transformative process and we cannot thank the whole team at GAC enough. It has had such a positive impact to enable us as parents and professionals to understand our daughters needs and how she experiences the world.

After years of surviving as parents, not being heard or understood by professionals, being judged and not being able to access support, the whole team at GAC have given us a new chapter in our family life. From the moment I made the initial call with the team administrators, Fiona and Vicky I felt safe and understood.  The compassion, empathy and interest was present from the moment I made contact to now. The entire team have lived personal and professional experience around neurodivergence and this was so powerful in how we were able to engage, talk and be supported from that first conversation, asking questions, making sense of the journey we have been on, all embraced within a safe and caring working relationship with the team.
Their approach to working with us as parents and our daughter was grounded in being human, seeing us as individuals and knowing us so well in a short space of time.  Their engagement with our daughter was led by her interests and her presentation in a given time and space.  The experience of the assessment process didn’t feel like a corporate task centred process, but one where the team were genuinely invested and we were taken into the next part of our life story in an informed and supported way.  We learnt so much from the extensive expertise as professionals and people but also about ourselves as adults and parents to a child with neurodivergence. I can honestly say that every aspect of working with GAC has been positive and supportive. It really has been a transformative process and we cannot thank the whole team at GAC enough. It has had such a positive impact to enable us as parents and professionals to understand our daughters needs and how she experiences the world.

I can highly recommend The GAC. My daughter has just completed her autism assessment, it has been a very thorough, detailed process of the highest quality. Carla and the team are true professionals and are kind and compassionate. The whole process, from initial contact with the administration staff through to our assessment appointments has been wonderful. We felt ‘heard’ for the first time and my daughter has felt ‘understood’ for the first time, after years of contact with professionals that had only served to cause her great stress. We are very grateful for the efficient, kind, professional care we all recieved from The GAC. Thank you.

Carla and the wider team have been amazing throughout the process, calming in what could be an anxious situation and drawing the information required out of all involved in a professional and yet light and friendly way. They are all clearly extremely knowledgeable and understanding of neurodivergence in women and girls. As a family, we feel the costs involved were excellent value for money in terms of the heightened personal understanding achieved and the difference this will make through education and working life for our daughter. Thank you all, highly recommended!

I cannot praise enough, Carla and the service we’ve received from GAC. It’s simply excellent. We took our son to a different independent ASD assessor when my son was 3 (as it was stated on their website that they can assess children this young). Unfortunately, my son did not reach a conclusive diagnosis because he was “too young” but his “difficulties will become more apparent as he gets older”. My sons needs are quite complex, and fast forward to just over a year later, I reached out to GAC as their ethos really spoke to me a parent. Carla is very knowledgeable, highly skilled and compassionate about her work. I felt listened to and for the first time, in a long time, I felt like my son was being seen for who he is, (loveable, cheeky, full of potential and desperately needing additional support). He now has his confirmed autism diagnosis and Carla’s recommendations moving forward, are practical with a caring approach. GAC’s assessments are thorough – they make sure that all i’s are dotted and all t’s are crossed, to ensure the best possible outcome for the child and their family. I cannot thank them enough – if you are looking for a private ASD, multi-disciplinary assessment team, you need look no further than GAC and I will recommend them to anyone! Thank you Carla, and thank you to the incredible team for the service you provide.

We could not be more grateful to everyone at The GAC for the support, professionalism, and care we received throughout our daughter’s autism and ADHD assessment process. From our first conversation with Carla, we felt listened to, understood and supported. Her openness and genuine understanding of our daughter immediately put us at ease and reassured us that we were in the right hands. The entire process was straightforward, well organised and communicated clearly every step of the way. Every professional we met was kind, compassionate and approachable, making what could have been a daunting experience feel calm, reassuring and manageable. A special thank you to Tori, whose gentle and caring approach helped our daughter feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible. We have also been incredibly impressed by the admin team, who consistently went above and beyond to help us. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble, and every interaction was met with warmth, efficiency and a genuine desire to support our family. The care, understanding and expertise shown by the entire team have made a huge difference to us. Thank you to everyone involved for helping us feel heard, understood and reassured at every stage. We have already recommended The GAC to others and will continue to do so without hesitation.