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Neurodevelopmental services

What happens at a neurodevelopmental assessment

Consultation

A member of the neurodevelopmental team will contact you to learn more about your child and their development. They will talk to you about your child and the information provided in your referral. They may ask you about:

  • Your child's birth
  • Your child's early developmental milestones
  • Childhood illnesses
  • Your health and experiences
  • Your home situation

Some of these questions might feel quite intrusive. The team will only ask you for information that will help them understand your child's health and development.

Your child's personal health record (red book) may help you answer some of the team's questions.

The team will review the information from this consultation and make a plan for your child's assessment. They will send you a letter to tell you about the assessment plan.

Assessment activities

Each neurodevelopmental assessment is different depending on the needs of the child or young person. The assessment may include:

  • Questionnaires for your family and your child's school to complete
  • A visit to your child's school, or a home visit if your child is under 6 years old
  • Specialist assessment by a speech therapist, occupational therapist, nurse or clinical psychologist
  • For younger children - a play-based assessment to assess their social communication skills
  • For older children - answering some questions, talking about things they like and don't like, and some games and puzzles

Each activity gives the professional a chance to observe your child in different situations and get to know them on a one-to-one basis.

The team might ask you to wait in the waiting room during some parts of the assessment. They will explain why they are asking you to do this.

After the assessment

The neurodevelopmental team will review the results of the assessment. They will decide whether your child should be diagnosed as neurodiverse. They may diagnose your child with more than one neurodiversity condition eg Autism and ADHD.

They will meet with you to explain their diagnosis and the support they can offer your child.

The support they offer you may include:

  • Advice and signposting to other services
  • Giving your child's place of learning advice about what they need to do to support your child
  • Specialist nursing
  • Psychological therapy
  • Speech and language therapy
  • Occupational therapy