Refer for a child or young person's autism and/ or ADHD assessment

If you want to request an assessment for autism and/or ADHD for your child, this must be done by your GP or other health professional.

Here is the process for all new referrals for children and young people aged 5 - 15 with a GP in Hertfordshire.

Children under 5 or young people aged 16 - 18

If your child is under 5

Your GP or Health Visitor can refer your child who is under 5 years old. This referral will go into the Community Paediatrics service either at Hertfordshire Community Trust or East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (depending where you live).

If your young person is 16 - 18

For autism referrals - the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

ADHD referrals vary depending on which half of the county you are in:

East and North ADHD referrals - Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust - CAMHS Partnership.

South and West ADHD referrals – Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust - CAMHS Step 2.

If your child is already waiting for an assessment, or you have completed a private assessment

If your child is already waiting for an assessment

You do not need to complete another referral. Duplicate referrals will be rejected. If you are unsure where your child is in the process, please contact the service they are waiting with.

If you have already completed a private assessment

If you have already completed a private assessment you do not need to submit a referral for an NHS assessment.

What does the referral include?
Download the referral forms to request assessment
What happens after the referral has been submitted?
Get support for neurodiversity - no diagnosis needed

What does the referral include?

There are 3 parts to the referral.

Your GP or other health professional will complete their part of the referral form (Part 1) on their electronic system and submit it along with Part 2 and Part 3. You cannot submit a referral as a parent carer.
The referral includes a parent / carer questionnaire (Part 2) that you will complete.
The referral includes a school questionnaire (Part 3) that your school or education provider will complete (if you have one).

Download the referral forms to request assessment

Your GP or other health professional accesses their part of the form (Part 1) through their electronic system. They submit this along with Parts 2 and 3.

Below are Parts 2 (the parent carer questionnaire) and 3 (the school or education setting questionnaire). We have provided them in a few formats depending on which software is most useful for you.

Please email these completed forms with any supporting documents to the GP or healthcare professional submitting this referral.

(Part 3 for schools is not needed if your child has not attended a school or education setting in the past 6 months).

Fillable PDF

Part 2: Parent Carer Questionnaire (PDF 389kb)

Part 3: School Education Setting Questionnaire (PDF 330kb)

Fillable Word Doc

Part 2: Parent Carer Questionnaire (Fillable Word doc 825kb)

Part 3: School Education Setting Questionnaire (Fillable Word Doc 805kb)

Printable Word Doc

Part 2: Parent Carer Questionnaire (Word 798kb)

Part 3: School Education Setting Questionnaire (Word 791kb)

What happens after the referral has been submitted?

Your GP/healthcare professional will submit the referral form, with the completed parent/carer and school questionnaire attached.
Your referral will come through to us at Hertfordshire NHS Children and Young Person's Neurodiversity Referral Service.
We will check everything for completeness, and then we will send confirmation of receipt to you (the parent carer).

In East and North Hertfordshire:

4. The referral will be reviewed by medical staff, to determine what type of assessment should be scheduled for your child or young person.

5. You and the professional who submitted your form will be told if your referral to the service is declined. If your child or young person is accepted, they may be invited for an initial assessment once they reach the top of the waiting list. You may receive requests for updated information 2 to 6 months before an appointment is scheduled to ensure we have the most current and relevant details.

In South and West Hertfordshire:

4. The referral will be reviewed by medical staff, to determine what type of assessment should be scheduled for your child or young person. There may be a wait of 2 - 6 weeks from receipt of your referral to finding out the outcome of the triage.

5. You and the professional who submitted your form will be told the outcome of the referral, and what happens next. If your child or young person is accepted, they may be invited for an initial assessment or ADHD pre-screening, prior to the full autism and/or ADHD assessment.

Information:

There are significant waits for autism and/or ADHD assessments in Hertfordshire. You do not need a diagnosis to get support - there are services for you whilst you wait.

Who provides the assessments?

If your GP is in the East & North of Hertfordshire – your referral will go to East and North Hertfordshire Community Paediatrics who support the assessments for your area.

If your GP is in the South & West of Hertfordshire – your referral will go to Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust who support the assessments for your area. You will receive contact details for the service, once your referral has been triaged.

Get support for neurodiversity - no diagnosis needed

You do not need a diagnosis to access support for your child's autism/ ADHD. Support is available according to their needs, not their diagnosis. Your child's school should provide support according to their needs, and you do not need a diagnosis to apply for an EHCP either.

The Hertfordshire Neurodiversity Support Hub is your place to find guidance, advice and support in a range of formats to suit you.

They have an adviceline you can phone, WhatsApp or email for guidance on anything relating to ADHD and autism.

The webpage has details of:

Hertfordshire neurodiversity organisations and support groups (plus inclusive activities for children and young people).
Recorded webinars on topics like sleep, anger, sensory needs.
Courses, workshops and apps to help children and young people understand their neurodivergence.

Visit the Neurodiversity Support Hub

Want to understand support for SEND more widely in Hertfordshire? Explore the menu of the Local Offer website to learn about:

SEN support in schools
Education, Health and Care Plans
Support with money
Early Years children with SEND (ages 0 - 5)
Preparing your young person for adulthood
Support for families and services for children and young people to support different areas of need.

Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity (MHLDN) – Neurodiversity transformation programme

The Hertfordshire NHS CYP Neurodiversity Referral Service is the first step in the Hertfordshire Neurodiversity transformation programme being undertaken by the Hertfordshire Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity (MHLDN) Health and Care Partnership. The transformation programme is looking to introduce a joint assessment process for Autism and ADHD assessments across Hertfordshire.

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Early years (ages 0 - 5 years)

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