"My son’s smile as she gave him his diagnosis is a look I hope to remember forever. A mix of pride, relief and even some excitement. It was beautiful."

“I can't thank you [clinic manager, Dr David Bentley] enough. Firstly, for your time, compassion and kindness to me and secondly, for Dr Gloria's insight, charm, sensitivity, gentleness and empathy with all of us this morning when she assessed our son. There's a lot to take on board but her warmth and tact made it a wonderful and positive experience. My son’s smile as she gave him his diagnosis is a look I hope to remember forever. A mix of pride, relief and even some excitement. It was beautiful. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the entire team. Paul Young [assistant psychologist] was just fantastic with us all too.”

Mother of a 10 year old boy diagnosed with ASD

"I refer to the day you assessed my daughter as the most important day in her life. Since then remarkable progress has been made with her."

“Your report changed the approach we have taken to my daughter. It was instrumental in professionals’ adjusting their approach. I refer to the day you assessed her as the most important day in my daughter's life. Since then remarkable progress has been made with her.”

Father of a 16 year old girl diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"I'm pleased to confirm we won our appeal to the LA and the assessment report from Dr Dura-Vila was referenced throughout the appeal and made a huge difference to the outcome."

“Firstly, please can you pass on our sincere thanks to Dr Dura-Vila again for all her support. I'm pleased to confirm we won our appeal to the LA and the assessment report from Dr Dura-Vila was referenced throughout the appeal and made a huge difference to the outcome. We are extremely grateful with all the help and support Dr Gloria and the team have given us in understanding our son’s difficulties and how best to support him.”

Parents of a 13 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA and ADHD

"Your warmth, energy, unwavering passion and compassion… you're inspirational!"

“I have really appreciated your warmth, energy, unwavering passion and compassion for working with the autistic children and their families… you always bring such warmth into the room… you're inspirational”

Highly Specialist Systemic Psychotherapist who refers children for ASD assessments

"Thanks so much David (clinic manager). The report is great."

‘Thanks so much David (clinic manager). The report is great. Thanks for all of your help and patience throughout. Please also send my thanks to Gloria and her wonderful teams of psychologists too. You have all made this process as easy and enjoyable as possible and I'm sure with the diagnosis and amazing report we have a much stronger chance of getting my son the support, understanding and education he deserves to enable him to thrive.”

Mother of a 13 year-old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA and ADHD

“Dear Dr Dura-Vila, I would just like to thank you so much for the assessment. You have changed my life completely.”

“Dear Dr Dura-Vila, I would just like to thank you so much for the assessment. You have changed my life completely.”

21 year old woman diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Having the formal diagnosis and Dr Dura-Vila's personalised report has made all the difference to our lives."

“Our daughter has been doing much better since your assessment. We have educated ourselves on ASD and PDA and are using techniques that are more effective. We have also passed on the report findings and recommendations to school and they have begun to put in place some support for her [and] referred her to an educational psychologist and occupational therapist. Having the formal diagnosis and Dr Dura-Vila's personalised report has made all the difference to our lives. I would be grateful if you could let Dr Dura-Vila know.” (email sent to clinic manager)

Parents of a 5 year old girl diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"You are making an enormous difference to our lives. Forever grateful."

“I wanted to thank you, David (clinic manager) for making space for me, right from the first chat with you and to all the team, and to thank Dr Gloria, for your knowledge, experience and tenderness. You are an amazing team and no doubt you will do the same thing to other kids because you are all so kind. You are making an enormous difference to our lives. Forever grateful."

Mother of a 3 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Dr Gloria opened our eyes even more to the wonders of our son!"

“We want to thank Dr Dura-Vila for the assessment on Saturday which went very well (email sent to the clinic manager). Dr Gloria opened our eyes even more to the wonders of our son!”

Parents of a 10 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"As Dr Dura-Vila ‘prescribed’ [after sharing the diagnosis], we celebrated my son’s amazing brain having McDonalds for tea and watching a Pokemon film at my son’s request."

“Thank you very much for the assessment on Saturday. As Dr Dura-Vila ‘prescribed’, we celebrated his amazing brain having McDonalds for tea and watching a Pokemon film at my son’s request. We toasted his amazing brain!”

Mother of an 11 year old trans-boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Our daughter gave a very impressive presentation to her classmates about her ASD experiences using Dr Dura-Vila’s Harry Potter analogy of being 'sorted' into the Autism House."

“Our daughter is really engaging with her diagnosis and gave a very impressive presentation to her classmates about her ASD experiences. She continues to use Dr Dura-Vila’s Harry Potter analogy of being 'sorted' into the Autism House [Dr Dura-Vila often uses this analogy when giving an Autism diagnosis to the Harry Potter fans]. We are so proud of her!”

Mother of a 13 year old girl diagnosed with ASD who is a Harry Potter fan

"Dr Gloria’s extensive report will be invaluable in supporting our son now and in the future."

“Many thanks to you, Dr Gloria and your team, for this extensive report which will prove invaluable in supporting our son now and in the future.”

Parents of a 12 year old boy diagnosed with ASD

"You are a great blessing to us!"

“Thank you Dr Dura-Vila again for the wonderful work you and your whole team did with our daughter. You are a great blessing to us!”

Father of a 21 year old woman

"Thank you for Dr Gloria’s and her team’s compassion and flexibility during the assessment process."

“Many thanks for the report. Please extend our huge thanks to Dr Gloria and her team for such a comprehensive report and for their compassion and flexibility during the assessment process”

Mother of 11 year old girl diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Dr Dura-Vila’s helpful feedback session following the assessment is going to be very useful in finding the right school for our son."

“I am writing to thank Dr Dura-Vila for making the assessment on Saturday a relaxing and enjoyable experience for our son. He really enjoyed talking to ‘the scientists’. I would also like to thank Dr Dura-Vila for the helpful feedback session following the assessment which is going to be very useful in finding the right school for our son.”

Mother of a 9 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA and ADHD

"I am so grateful to have come into contact with you"

"I just want to say a real heartfelt 'thank you' again for everything. I honestly really appreciated how positive the whole assessment process was; 

in a strange way I walked away feeling proud of my son and not in any way that there is anything wrong with him. Just hearing such nice words you've used to describe him has made me so happy: it's been a while since anyone just complimented him or said such nice and positive things.

I'm a lot more able to be calm and not show any frustration these days, it's been a learning curve over the years but since meeting you I've improved a lot also.

 I want to say thank you for believing, also - you were the first person I met that did. You should really be aware of just how valued parents like us find you. 

I am so grateful to have come into contact with you and can't ever express how truly in awe I am of you."

Craig McCormack – father of a 9 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"I cannot thank you enough"

"I cannot thank you enough for yesterday [daughter's Autism assessment]. You have been wonderful! It is such a relief to be understood. I will be forever grateful for this."

Mother of a 16 year old girl diagnosed with ASD

"Thank you again for all your kindness and reactivity"

"You left such a great impression on us [after the Autism assessment]. You have given all of us a great deal of faith that the system isn't irretrievably broken after all! 

Thank you again for all your kindness and reactivity. Thanks for all the hard work you put into the report too. 

She seems in good spirits and you have already shed a light on a lot of things."

Stepmother of a 25 year old girl diagnosed with ASD

"Eternal and unwavering gratitude"

"I cannot ever express my eternal and unwavering."

Father of a 2 year old boy diagnosed with ASD

"The ASD and PDA assessment was a really positive experience for us all!"

"I just wanted to thank Dr Dura -Vila for the appointment we had on Sunday my son keeps talking about it. It was a really positive experience for us all!"

Mother of a 5 year old boy diagnosed with ASD and PDA (assessment done online)

"How impressed we were with their professionalism, genuine concern and care"

"My husband and I would like to relay to Dr Gloria and her team how impressed we were with their professionalism, genuine concern and care and for ensuring that our son would feel comfortable during the assessment. He really enjoyed the time during the assessment and it had a positive effect on him which was also evident by his calm behaviour at home with his siblings. We and the school look forward to working along with Dr Gloria to help him reach his full potential."

Mother of a 13 year old boy diagnosed with ASD

"Really amazing report"

"The report is an impressively detailed and narrative description of the observations, it's a really amazing report, and so informative."

Mother of a 12 year old boy diagnosed with ASD and PDA

"You are the best!"

"I couldn't wish for a better doctor. You are the best!"

10 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA, these words were written on a lovely picture drawn by him

"The passion you have for your work really does show!"

"Congratulations on your nomination [Autism Professional Awards Finalist 2019]. What a great achievement and acknowledgement of your hard work. 

The passion you have for your work really does show!"

Parents of a 6 year old boy diagnosed with ASD and ADHD

"Your observations and suggestions made a lot of sense and were very helpful"

"We were really grateful for the report you sent after meeting with our son and us. When I read it, I felt relieved and delighted that finally someone has understood him! 

Your observations and suggestions made a lot of sense and were very helpful."

Parents of a 13 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA and ADHD

"We cannot begin to thank you for what you have done for our daughter"

"We cannot begin to thank you for what you have done for our daughter. Your kindness and efficiency in the diagnostic process made it so much easier for her. 

And while exhausted (as you suggested she would be after the assessment!) I think she is feeling positive about the future. 

Having an answer after a nightmare year is a huge relief for us as parents. And knowing that her future isn't as bleak as she anticipated will give her strength to recover."

Parents of an 18 year old girl diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Exactly what we have been asking"

"We are very pleased with the content (of the Autism diagnostic report) and feel it depicts exactly what we have been asking of the school for many years."

Parents of a 10 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"Extremely helpful"

"Many thanks for your time on Friday [consultation for parents]. We found it extremely helpful. We very much value your help."

Parents of a 12 year old boy diagnosed with ASD

"Our son enjoyed the assessment!"

""I wanted you to know how much our son enjoyed the assessment!"

Mother of a 9 year old boy diagnosed with ASD with PDA

"So grateful"

"It was really good to meet you and finally be on the same wave length as another professional. 

We (the family and the school) have been through so much to get to this point. I am so grateful I found you!"

Headteacher of an 11 year old girl diagnosed with ASD with PDA