Getting a referral 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.

If your child is under 5, your GP, Health Visitor, or other healthcare professional can refer your child for an autism-only assessment.
For some ADHD-only assessments, your SENCo may be able to initiate the referral.

Here is the process for all new referrals for children and young people aged 0 - 15 with a GP in Hertfordshire.

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

Young people aged 16 - 18

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 if they have received a private diagnosis or a diagnosis through 'right to choose'

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.

Referrals for medication only

If yor child has received a diagnosis (either privately or through 'right to choose') and you are looking for a referral for medication, you will need to talk to your GP. They will send the request to the relevant team:

ENHTT Community Paediatrics for Autism and ADHD (for East or North Hertfordshire)
HCT Community Paediatrics for Autism (South West Hertfordshire)
HPFT Single Point of Access (SPA) for ADHD (South West Hertfordshire)

The Hertfordshire NHS CYP Neurodiversity Referral Service will not accept medication-only referrals.

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 your child has not attended a school or education setting in the past 6 months, the referral can be submitted without this form.
Information:
For ADHD assessment only, your SENCo may be able to initiate the referral. They can find more information and the relevant referral form on the Grid.

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.

**Please only use the forms below. After 1 June 2026, any forms received which are older than Dec 2024 will be rejected and you will need to submit a new referral with the updated forms.**

Forms for filling in and sending digitally (ages 5-15)

Part 2: Parent Carer Questionnaire (Fillable Word doc 1.15mb)

Part 3: School Education Setting Questionnaire (Fillable Word Doc 1.14mb) (not needed if your child has been unable to attend in the past 6 months).

Forms for printing if you need to fill it in by hand (ages 5-15)

Part 2: Parent Carer Questionnaire (Word 1.14mb)

Part 3: School Education Setting Questionnaire (Word 1.12mb) (not needed if your child has been unable to attend in the past 6 months).

Forms for children under 5 - Autism assessment only

If your child is under 5

Your GP, Health Visitor or other healthcare professionals can refer your child who is under 5 for an autism-only assessment. Referrals for ADHD for children under 5 will not be accepted.
Visit our Early Years page for more information about the support available for children under 5.

Part 2: Under 5s - Parent Carer Questionnaire (FILLABLE Word doc 1.15mb)

Part 2: Under 5s - Parent Carer Questionnaire (PRINTABLE Word doc 1.13mb)

Part 3: Under 5s - School and Education settings questionnaire (FILLABLE Word doc 1.13mb)

Part 3: Under 5s - School and Education settings questionnaire (PRINTABLE Word doc 1.12mb)

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 a text message confirmation of receipt to you (the parent carer). This is usually within a week.

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 the time we receive your referral to when you are informed of the next steps.

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 reviewed.

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.