Post 5 Years Assessment Team

NDS Post 5 Digital Referral*

• This can be completed by either a SENDCo or GP

*If you are unable to access the NDS Digital Referral Form, please email nds@nchc.nhs.uk  

Information from home

• Parent Observation Questionnaire

Information from school

• Teacher Observation Questionnaire

Information from a Specially Trained Professional

• i.e. SENDCo, Educational Psychologist or Specialist Teacher

Information from young person

• If the young person would like to include their own information, this will also be considered and is encouraged.

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These are the things we look at when considering whether to accept a referral:

When we are considering if an assessment for possible attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is needed, we are looking for the following characteristics which cannot be explained by other needs:

• Differences with attention, planning and organisation
• Increased energy/movement levels (including racing thoughts)
• Impulsivity (including decision making, risk taking or speech differences

There are 3 types of ADHD:

• ADHD (combined type)
• ADHD (inattentive type)
• ADHD (hyperactive/impulsive type)

For more information about what ADHD can look like, click here.

Please complete the following questionnaires:

• Teacher Observation Questionnaire (This should be completed by someone in school that knows your child well)
• Parent Observation Questionnaire (This should be completed by a parent or carer)

An NDS Self-Questionnaire can be completed by the young person if they wish to add additional information to support their referral. 

Once a referral has been accepted, a consent form will be sent home for someone with parental responsibility to sign.

Who has parental responsibility?

Mother: automatic

Father: if married to the mother either when baby is born or since

Unmarried father: if name appears on birth certificate (since 1/12/03) or legally acquired

Young person: if over the age of 16 years*

Others: if parental responsibility is legally acquired

Parental Responsibility Agreement: signed, properly witnessed and sent for registration to Principle Registry or the Family Division (High Court)

Residence Order: granted by the court

*Please note that young people under the age of 16 can give or refuse consent for assessment if considered competent to do so by clinicians with the Neurodevelopmental Service

We have clinics in the Children's Centre at Norwich Community Hospital (NCH), Thorpe Health Centre, West Pottergate Medical Practice, and St James Clinic in King's Lynn.

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You can find more information about the clinics in which we carry out assessments, including travel and parking information, on our location and travel information page. 

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Team members will spend time observing you/your child to learn about your/their strengths and needs. This may include assessments in clinic, at home or in school.

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Appointments will be child friendly, and we will work as flexibly as possible around you and your family.

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We will also request that questionnaires are filled in by parents and school and, when appropriate, by the young person themself as part of the assessment process. Help can be requested to fill in questionnaires by emailing nds@nchc.nhs.uk  

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All observations are made in line with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and diagnostic discussions are based on these criteria. The decision is a team decision and is not made by one profession alone.

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Every child will be discussed at a multi-professional panel meeting throughout their assessment and when a conclusion has been reached, you will be offered a feedback appointment with a member of the NDS team.

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You will receive written information including NDS reports following the feedback meeting.

ADHD assessment guide for young people

Autism assessment guide for young people

Cognitive assessment guide for young people

Occupational Therapy assessment guide for young people

QbTest assessment guide for young people

NDS clinicians also support the delivery of 'Puffins', a 4-week information group coordinated by Family Action and designed for caregivers of autistic children/young people. For more information about Puffins, please click here.

We are currently developing a 2-session information group for caregivers of children/young people with ADHD.

If a diagnosis is not given, the NDS will feedback the reasons and factors that have influenced this decision. You will still be provided with the assessment reports and a summary explaining the non-diagnosis. We are currently developing an information pack for young people who have not received a diagnosis. 

For children over the age of 6 years, the overall assessment period could take four to five years.

For children under the age of 6 years, the overall assessment period could take around three years.

If you are not happy with the waiting time for your child’s assessment, you can use the NHS Choice Framework (‘Right to Choose’) to choose another healthcare provider to carry out the assessment.

The Neurodevelopmental Service is an assessment-only team. Receiving a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder does not resolve any difficulties/differences that your child/young person may be experiencing and therefore alternative support needs to be explored regardless of whether a diagnosis is given.

Norfolk is working towards a needs-led culture rather than a diagnosis-led culture. Just being accepted for a neurodevelopmental assessment is sufficient to request reasonable adjustments within your education setting.

Please visit our useful resources page or the Just One Norfolk ND Digital Library for information about other services that can be accessed for support.

You do not need to have a formal diagnosis when applying for an EHCP. To apply for an EHCP, your child will need to have identified additional needs (please see the Norfolk SENDIASS website for more information).

A child can be on a waiting list or may not even be referred into the service before an application for an EHCP is made. Some young people start their assessment having already received an EHCP.

A diagnosis also does not necessarily mean that a young person will need an EHCP.

Please do let us know if you move out of Norfolk. If you move area before your child’s assessment has started you will be transferred to the team responsible for neurodevelopmental assessments in your new area. Some teams will honour the original referral date, but other teams will not.