Neurodiversity explained
Common traits of autism and ADHD
How do I refer?
All children under the age of five will need to be seen by our Community Paediatrics Team first. If appropriate, your child's paediatrician will then refer you to the Neurodevelopmental Service for further assessment. This is to ensure a thorough medical assessment is completed and available to NDS staff when they meet with you.
A referral to the Community Paediatrics Team can be made by your child's GP, Health Visitor, Speech and Language Therapist, or School Nurse.
These are the things we look at when considering whether to accept a referral:
Autism
When we are considering if an assessment of possible autism is required, we are looking for further information within the following areas at home and school which cannot be explained by other needs:
- Differences within social interaction and communication, such as differences in reciprocity, initiation, and response to interactions
- Differences with relationships, including friendships
- Differences in the use of non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, gestures, eye contact
- Preference for routines and focused interests
- Repetitive behaviours, such as language or movements
- Sensory differences
For more information about what autism can look like, click here.
For support while your child waits for assessment, click here for useful resources or visit the Just One Norfolk ND Digital Library.
Questionnaires
Before the referral, we request that the following questionnaires are filled in by parents and school as part of the assessment process. Help can be requested to fill in questionnaires by emailing nds@nchc.hs.uk
1a. Early Years Observation Questionnaire
If your child is in nursery, an Early Years Observation Questionnaire can be completed by your child's early years setting (nursery/pre-school).
OR
1b. Teacher Observation Questionnaire (TOQ)
If your child is in school, a TOQ can be completed by your child's class teacher or SENDCo.
2. Parent Observation Questionnaire (POQ)
To completed by a child's parent/caregiver.
* If your is home-schooled or out of school, detailed information from parents (plus any other information from other professionals relating to neurodevelopmental difficulties/differences) will be considered.
Early Developmental History
As part of the assessment, members of the team will spend time with you discussing your child's early life and development. This may be a questionnaire, clinic appointment, a home visit or a video call.
It may be helpful for you to gather or prepare information in advance of this appointment. This may include information about your child's milestones, early development and life events.
Assessments with your Child
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.
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.
Team members will spend time observing and getting to know your child to learn about their strengths and needs. This may include assessments in clinic, at home or in school.
Appointments will be child friendly, and we will work as flexibly as possible around you and your family.
Multidisciplinary Team Meeting
Every child will be discussed at a multi-professional panel meeting throughout their assessment.
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.
Feedback Appointment
When a diagnostic decision has been reached by the team, you will be offered a feedback appointment with a member of the NDS team. You will receive written information including NDS reports following the feedback meeting.
Assessments
Below are some of the assessments your child may need. Your child may only need one or two of these assessments. Some children will need several.
A variety of other types of assessment may be carried out, so please contact us on 01553 668712 or email us at nds@nchc.nhs.uk for more information.
Assessment guides for young people
One-Day Assessment Clinics - concept trials coming soon
We are trialling one-day assessment clinics to explore more efficient ways of assessing children and young people referred to our pre 5 service for autism assessment.
Families of children selected for the pilot will be contacted directly and supported throughout the process. These clinics will be run on a trial basis and results will be evaluated to identify if this concept could support a new assessment process.
Those not included in the pilot will remain on the existing pre 5 assessment pathway.
Testing these new approaches with small groups will help us improve the assessment process for all families. We will share updates on our Transformation Project page and welcome your feedback.
In order to keep a fair and accessible service it is important parents/carers notify the NDS regarding the following:
- Changes to contact details, such as address and/or phone number.
- Changes to living arrangements and carer/ parent contact details.
- Whether the child/young person has been assessed or is on a waiting list to be assessed by another provider.
It is essential all appointments are attended. Please be aware should you and your child fail to attend one appointment, you will be contacted to ascertain whether you wish to continue with the referral. If two scheduled appointments are not attended, or are cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, your child will be discharged from our service and your GP/Health Professional will be informed.
After assessment
The NDS is a diagnostic assessment-only service. Following a diagnosis, you will be provided with a pack containing information about autism, as well as information about the additional resources and support services available.
Read more
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.
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.
Assistant Practitioners
Adele Davison, Assistant Practitioner
"I’m Adele, I like puzzles and walking."
Susan Plumb, Assistant Practitioner
"I’m Susan and I like to read books and play word games."
Nursing team
Occupational Therapists
Dione Francis, Occupational Therapist
"I’m Dione and I have two dogs, and I enjoy taking them for walks on the beach. I like history, nature and eating chocolate."
Psychology team
Dr Holly Castle, Clinical Psychologist
"I’m Holly and I like lots of things including cooking, being active and spending time outdoors with my family."
Lisa Howell, Assistant Psychologist
"I’m Lisa and I like baking cakes and going to the theatre."
my 2 cats and a really good slice of cake and a cup of fresh coffee.”
Speech & Language Therapists
Heather Westley, Speech & Language Therapist
"I’m Heather and I like dogs and walking in the woods."
Jo Chapman, Speech & Language Therapist
"I’m Jo and I love anything to do with musical theatre and Salsa dancing in my spare time!"
Kat Baxter, Speech & Language Therapist
Natalie Mackintosh, Speech & Language Therapist
"I’m Natalie I like bright sunny days and shoe shopping."
Administrative and support staff
Bobbi-Jane Holden, Administration Assistant
“My name is Bobbi, I like walking my dog and going to the gym. I absolutely love the beach and a good sunset.”
Emma Mutton, Administration Assistant
“I'm Emma, I love long country and beach walks and exploring new places and holidays, my 2 cats and a really good slice of cake and a cup of fresh coffee.”
Lisa Hart, NDS Coordinator
"I’m Lisa, I like baking and sightseeing."
How long will I have to wait for my child’s assessment?
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.
Does my child need a neurodevelopmental diagnosis before they can be considered for an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)?
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.
Can my child access support while the assessment is taking place?
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.
What happens if I move out of area before the assessment starts?
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.
