Diagnosis Pathway
There are a couple of ways you can go about getting a diagnosis for yourself or your child, and both start with asking your GP for a referral. One option is the usual NHS route, which means being added to the waiting list for services in your local area. Another option is called Right to Choose, which allows you to pick an approved provider for the assessment and ask your GP to refer you to them. I’ve included more information about both options below, so it helps you decide what feels right for your family.
NHS Route
This route includes multiple steps. It begins with a visit to the GP, the school SENDCO and for under 5's you can also approach your health visitor regarding your concerns. All of these options, they will ask for signs you have noticed in relation and make sure you get your family's or other teachers observations are also included - this will help.
The referral will be screened by the GP and if an agreement is made based on the information provided, they will refer to your local Autism or ADHD services. Once the referral has been accepted, you will be required to complete a pre-assessment questionnaire based around their development history, behaviour and how they manage daily. The Childs school/nursery will also have input during this stage on observations in their setting.
Waiting times vary dependant on where you live in the UK. NICE Guidelines suggest it to be a 13 week wait but in reality this wait can be 2 years or more.
The assessment with be completed by a multidisciplinary team including psychologists and pediatricians. They will use play-based assessments for younger children and ask questions for older children and observe behaviour and patterns and any difficulties with social communication, executive functions/attention (adhd). After assessment, the multiple clinicians will meet and discuss the outcome and then share this with you on an agreed date and time. If diagnosed, recommendations for support, therapy, adjustments and medication will be discussed.
Right to Choose
This is only accessible in England. This refers to patients being able to select the providers for an Autism and/or ADHD assessment for themselves or their child. These providers are NHS approved and follow the NICE Guidelines for diagnosis and assessments.
Right to Choose is a legal right for NHS patients in England to choose where to receive treatment.
This works by finding the provider you wish to use - there is an updated list of providers for Autism and ADHD in the ADHD UK website. Once the provider is selected, contact the company for the pre-assessment form to complete by yourself and the GP and ask the GP to send the referral to your chosen provider through the right to choose pathway. Once the referral is accepted, you will receive contact from them for further questions and history (usually through an online portal) and to provide any further evidence you have. They will contact you once an appointment is bookable.
The waiting times for this service can be anywhere from a few months to 1 year.
https://adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose/ You can use this link to find further information about the Right to Choose pathway and all providers for Autism and ADHD assessments and any age restrictions that may be in place.