ASD
Referrals
The NDP team assesses children and young people for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
ASD: Referrals
Important information, please read:
From mid-April 2024, we are changing the way we accept referrals and gather evidence for children on the ASD pathway. With this new system, referrers will need to evidence that children have received a minimum of 6 months or two school terms of support. For full details please read the following document:NDP ASD Referrals Update.
What kind of support is required for the referral to be accepted?
There will be an expectation that all schools and settings support children in Birmingham as part of a graduated approach to meeting needs.
There are currently three stages of intervention in the graduated approach. For further information please visit: www.localofferbirmingham.co.uk:
- firstly, additional support provided by schools themselves, some schools and settings call this SEN Support, others may call it something differen
- secondly, additional support by the school, together with the advice or involvement of external agencies providing a package of support. This stage is known as SEN Support by all schools.
- thirdly, an Education Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) can be carried out through a range of agencies for children and young people with complex needs. This will establish what the provision should be to meet those needs, if an EHCP is needed or if the child/young person’s (CYP) needs can be met at SEN Support level.
Depending on a child’s needs, this support may include:
- work with a teaching assistant
- differentiating tasks (i.e. making tasks simpler or tailoring them to a child’s ability)
- offering different ways of recording information (e.g. labelling pictures, diagrams or flow-charts)
- using multi–sensory activities
- breaking down learning into small manageable steps
- helping children to organise their written work by using writing frames
- allowing extra time to complete tasks
- keeping instructions short and clear
- constantly praising and encouraging the child for achievements made
Support for a child/young person’s difficulties may also be provided outside or in addition to the school setting, but in relation to the reason for referral, such as:
- Early Help Support
- Social Care support
- Birmingham Communication and Autism Team
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- SEND Support
- Community Paediatrics
- Early Years Inclusion Service (EYIS)
- Mental health and wellbeing support from services such as – the Screening, Training, Intervention, Consultation and Knowledge (STICK) team, Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) or the Living Well Consortium
- Educational Psychology
If the child/young person has received some support that is not noted above and you need to clarify whether the intervention is appropriate you can contact the clinical team to discuss on the NDP Advice Line: 0121 466 6825.
What is the maximum age a child can be referred by a professional?
New referrals can be accepted for children and young people up until the age of 16.
However, if a young person is at a special school, referrals can be accepted up until the age of 19.
Who can refer?
- BCHC Health Visitors, School Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
- Hospital Paediatricians and Allied Health Professionals
- GPs
- Social Care Services
- Education – Community Day Nurseries, Schools, Educational Psychologists, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCo’s)
- Forward Thinking Birmingham (CAMHS)
- Voluntary sector – Barnardos, NCH Action for Children and others
If you are a professional who wishes to refer a child for ASD assessment, please complete the online referral form.
Once a referral has been accepted, parents/carers will be contacted regarding an appointment.
Consent
It is important to ensure that you have obtained consent from the parent or carer, or by the young person themselves if they have the capacity to consent prior to a referral being made.
What assessments does the NDP offer for ASD?
If your child is assessed via the NDP team the following will be undertaken;
Each child's assessment will be made up of a number of different meetings. These may include:
- observations - children and young people are assessed in a range of environments, which may include the children's school or another setting. The type of assessment offered will be specific to your child's needs and may be face-to-face or virtual. The NDP Team will advise the best assessment type for your child.
- information gathering - we will collect information from parents/carers, schools and other settings, any key professionals and, depending on age, we may also gather information directly from the child;
- further assessments - these may include exploring other explanations for your child's presentation as, wherever possible, we will aim to provide an understanding of a child's needs even if this is found not to be autism.
You may need to travel to one of the following child development centres (CDC’s) for a clinic appointment.
- Allens Croft – Allens Croft Road, Kings Heath, B14 6RP: video walk through
- Bacchus Road – 61 Bacchus Road, Winson Green, B18 4QY : video walk through
- Castle Vale – Tangmere Drive, Castle Vale, B35 7QX: video walk through
- Park House – Park Road, Sparkhill, B11 4HB: video walk through
We will try to book you in at your nearest site if possible.
If you are waiting for a new or a follow up appointment and you are concerned about your child’s health, or if there has been significant deterioration in your child’s behaviour, please contact your GP, call 111 or 999 if an emergency.