Making Assessment More Accessible: A New Partnership with The Owl Centre
We are pleased to share a new collaboration between Positive Support Group (PSG), as a provider of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and person-centred approaches for individuals with a support need, and The Owl Centre, a specialist provider of neurodevelopmental assessments.
Through this partnership, PSG can support individuals to access and engage with autism assessments provided by The Owl Centre, particularly where additional needs may make standard assessment formats difficult to navigate. Additionally, PSG may support people by signposting them to The Owl Centre where an assessment would be beneficial. In turn, The Owl Centre can refer individuals to PSG where behavioural or psychosocial support is needed following assessment, helping to ensure that individuals receive sustainable, holistic support. By bringing together complementary areas of expertise, the partnership creates a more joined-up pathway from assessment through to ongoing support.
This kind of joined-up pathway is especially important given the current challenges in accessing autism assessment. Across the UK, access to autism assessment is becoming increasingly challenging. Recent data suggests that over 200,000 people in England are currently waiting for an autism assessment, with the majority waiting longer than the recommended 13-week timeframe set by NICE.¹ For many individuals and families, this means long periods without clarity, understanding, or access to appropriate support.
Importantly, the challenge is not just about waiting times, it is also about accessibility. Individuals with autism and learning disabilities often face barriers in engaging with healthcare and assessment processes, including difficulties with communication, navigating systems, and attending or participating in appointments without appropriate support.² This means that, for some people, the issue is not just accessing an assessment, but being able to successfully engage with the process itself. Through this collaboration, PSG and The Owl Centre are able to respond to these challenges in a practical and meaningful way.
Jessica Aviles, Chief Clinical Officer at PSG, explained:
“Too often, people are excluded from assessment pathways because the process does not fit their needs. This collaboration is about changing that, making sure individuals can access assessments in a way that works for them, and that support does not stop at diagnosis but continues in a meaningful, person-centred way.”
By bringing together assessment and support in this way, the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to inclusion, ensuring that people with a support need are not excluded from services because systems are not designed with their needs in mind.
There are also some exciting developments to share. Jessica Aviles recently discussed this topic on The Owl Centre’s Hoots Who podcast, which is now live and available on their website and streaming platforms. The episode offers further insight into the collaboration and our shared approach to improving access to autism assessment and ongoing support.
🎧 Listen here: https://hootswho.podbean.com/e/understanding-behaviour-supporting-neurodivergent-individuals-with-compassion/
As this partnership develops, we look forward to continuing to strengthen connections between assessment and support, ensuring that more people can access services that work for them and are supported to live meaningful, fulfilling lives.
References
National Autistic Society, Autism assessment waiting times, 2023. Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/news/autism-assessment-waiting-times-8 (Accessed: March 2026).
Doherty, M. et al., ‘Barriers to healthcare and unmet needs in autistic adults: a cross sectional study’, BMJ Open, 2022, 12(2), e056904.
