What is an informant?
If you’re preparing for an autism assessment, you’ll be asked to choose an informant to support the assessment process.
An informant is someone who helps your clinician understand how you experience the world, both now and in the past. They share their knowledge of you to give our clinical team a fuller picture of your strengths and differences, supporting a clinically robust autism assessment.
By nominating an informant, you are giving your consent for them to take part in your assessment.
Why an informant is helpful
Autism assessments look at both current experiences and early development. An informant can help by:
Sharing information about your childhood and developmental history
Offering another perspective on your strengths, differences, and daily experiences
Supporting the clinician to understand patterns over time
Please note:
👉 Your informant does not need to understand neurodiversity to take part. They simply need to know you well and be willing to share their observations honestly.
How to choose an informant?
Your informant should be someone who knows you well. Ideally, this is someone who knew you during childhood, but we understand this isn’t always possible.
Best option
Someone who knew you well during childhood, is older than you, and still has regular contact with you.
Examples: a parent or caregiver.
Good alternative
Someone who has known you well for at least three years, sees you regularly, and ideally has lived with you for an extended period.
Examples: a partner, sibling, or close friend.
If no suitable informant is available
You may act as your own informant. While having someone else is preferable where possible, we will never turn you away if you can’t find an informant.
If you act as your own informant, this usually means:
One session focused on your past and current experiences
One observation session
What does the informant need to do?
Informants are usually asked to take part in two elements of the assessment:
1. Informant Questionnaire
All informants are asked to complete a questionnaire. You can also ask more than one person to complete a questionnaire if that would be helpful.
The questionnaire includes questions about:
Early childhood and developmental milestones
Medical and school history
Social and emotional experiences
Current presentation
Who can complete an informant questionnaire:
A parent or caregiver
A partner
A close friend
A sibling
You (especially if you are your own informant)
If your informant did not know you in childhood, we’ll usually ask you to complete an informant questionnaire as well, to give your own perspective on early experiences.
You can download and send out up to three copies of the questionnaire if more than one person is suitable.
2. Informant Interview
Your informant will usually attend an online informant interview with a ProblemShared clinician.
What to expect:
The session lasts around three hours
It takes place online
It is a semi-structured interview
It often runs alongside your observation session, with a different clinician
Your informant’s role is to answer questions about your development, experiences, and daily life. You may attend the session if you wish, but this is optional.
How to complete the informant questionnaire?
Download the Informant Questionnaire from your client dashboard
Share it with your informant(s)
Ask them to complete it and send it back to you
Re-upload it to your client dashboard with your other pre-assessment forms
Please make sure the informant’s name and relationship to you are clearly written on the questionnaire.
How to ask someone to be your informant
Asking someone to be your informant can feel a bit daunting. These tips may help:
Pick a good moment: Choose a calm, private time when neither of you feels rushed
Learn about the process: Understanding the assessment will help you explain their role
Be clear about what’s involved: Let them know how important their input is
Give them time: They may need space to think about it — that’s okay
What if you're unsure or need support?
If you’re unsure who to choose, or if your situation is complicated, please get in touch as early as possible.
📧 Email: help@problemshared.net
The sooner you contact us, the more smoothly we can support you.
We’ll never turn you away for not having an informant, and we’ll always work with you to find the most inclusive and appropriate option.
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