Autism and ADHD Support – Frequently Asked Questions

Autism

• 2¹/2 years old – 16 years old |
  Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Neurodevelopmental Pathway (NDP)
• 16 years old |
  St Andrews Healthcare (GP referral only)

ADHD

• 2¹/2 years old – 16 years old |
  Birmingham Community Healthcare (BCHC) Neurodevelopmental Pathway (NDP)
• 16 years old – 25 years old |
  Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB)

No

However, referrals to the Birmingham Community Healthcare Neurodevelopmental Pathway can be made by a professional from health, education, social care or the voluntary sector.

Birmingham Community Healthcare accept referrals from the professionals working in the services below; however, the majority of referrals are received from schools and GPs.

• School Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
• Hospital Paediatricians and Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapies and Physiotherapists
• GPs
• Social Care Services
• Education – Schools, Educational Psychologists, SENCo’s
• Forward Thinking Birmingham (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
• Voluntary sector – Barnardos, Action for Children and others

Any children and young people who are referred should have a Birmingham GP and be referred to the correct service for their age. All of Birmingham’s autism assessment services have referral acceptance criteria and require additional information from the referrer to be accepted.

For the BCHC ASD pathway referrers will need to evidence that children have received a minimum of 6 months or two school terms of support. Further information can be found here ASD: Referrals | Website

For St Andrews Healthcare young people and adults referred should not have autism in the context of a moderate or severe Learning Disability. If you are unsure if this relates to you please speak to your GP for advice.

For the BCHC ADHD pathway the child or young person should display more than one symptom that is suggestive of ADHD, Further information can be found here ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder | Website

The latest Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) Neurodevelopmental (NDP) waiting time information can be found on the website: bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/ndp-waiting-times

St Andrews Healthcare and Forward Thinking Birmingham waiting times are not currently published.

The waiting times reported by Birmingham Community Healthcare are the average, waiting times of children assessed or diagnosed that month. Children are triaged and booked based on level of need and waiting time order, so times may vary for each child. Children may be assessed or diagnosed sooner or later than the waiting times given due to this. Demand on our services remains high and we are working closely with clinical colleagues and key partners to review and improve our pathways in an attempt to reduce waiting times.

Yes

You can go privately for an assessment, however we recommend the assessment is undertaken by qualified and registered professionals who assess using recognised diagnostic criteria. For more guidance, visit the National Autistic Society’s website.

No

A diagnosis is not necessary to gain an EHCP as the assessment is based on the presenting needs.

When requesting an EHCP, the process is referred to as a “needs assessment” (SEND Code of Practice 2015) which means that a diagnosis is not necessary to gain an EHCP as the assessment is based on the presenting needs.

Autism and ADHD present differently in children and young people. Some children and young people’s needs can be effectively met with an EHCP, but many can be effectively met without an EHCP, and this is not dependent on whether they have a diagnosis.

To find out the support available within your child’s school, you can read the setting’s SEND Information Report on the setting website.

No

The access arrangements are not dependent on your child having a diagnosis but do consider the support your child regularly receives within the setting in their day-to-day work when decisions are made.

The Department for Education (DfE) for primary school pupils, and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) for secondary school pupils, publish detailed regulations and guidance on examination access arrangements and reasonable adjustments for pupils with identified needs. Most arrangements can be put into place for exams and SATs if they are the normal way of working in the classroom for your child without the need for external assessment or diagnosis.

There are a few arrangements, like having extra time, where the school need to make a formal application to put the arrangement in place. Secondary JCQ require evidence of need which may require an additional assessment of learning needs and/or proof of a formal diagnosis such as autism/ADHD.

Currently, an autism diagnosis is required to access an autism-specific resource base or special school.

Decisions to exclude a pupil are not made based on whether or not a child has a diagnosis but on a wide range of factors. Having a diagnosis of Autism or ADHD does not mean that a child or young person is exempt from suspension or exclusion processes. However, schools are required to support children with additional needs by making reasonable adjustments such as adapting the curriculum and learning environment as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

The Department for Education has developed Statutory Guidance for schools:  “Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement.” School suspensions and permanent exclusions – GOV.UK

The government have produced a guide for parent carers: A guide for parents on school behaviour and exclusion – GOV.UK

For information from Birmingham City Council: About school exclusions | School exclusions | Birmingham City Council

For resources to support young people, parent carers, and settings around suspensions and exclusions from the Autism Education Trust, (e.g. information regarding anxiety, and reintegration meetings) please follow this link: Exclusions | Autism Education Trust

Possibly/Yes

It is important to work closely and in partnership as parent carers and school to ensure your child’s needs are best understood and met.

Strategies, adaptations and approaches to support should be tailored to your child’s needs and monitored to ensure they support your child’s progress and amended over time where appropriate. Examples of strategies that may be used to support your child can be found in the Birmingham Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG). Stating what works for your child during your child’s assessment process towards potential diagnosis will support healthcare professionals with their evidence gathering.

No

The focus is on supporting the child/young person and focus on early advice and support to the family as early as possible.

As autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental differences, clinicians will be experienced in considering the evidence they receive to inform the process, even if your child has responded positively to approaches used to support them. This evidence can take the form of your observations, your child’s presentation within the clinic, evidence from their educational setting and evidence from others who know your child well.

Although a diagnosis is helpful in supporting you with understanding their needs fully, you know your child best and will naturally know and learn ways to support them.

You should do what everyone else would do – just because on a waiting list  for an assessment does not mean you can’t access mental health care, and it also doesn’t pause this from happening until an assessment has been completed. 

As well as referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) , children and young people can access drop-in services such as Pause or other services such as those linked to teams that offer mental health support in schools or voluntary services. In addition, the following toolkit might be useful for people to understand their own mental health needs and when additional support might be helpful, as well as help others understand what distress looks like for them; 

Know Your Normal | Ambitious about Autism

If crisis support is needed, contact NHS 111 (option 2) and Crisis Team | Forward Thinking Birmingham

Yes

They should and if there are barriers to this then parents/carers or children and young should contact the Patient Advice and Liaison service (PALS) to raise their concern. 

There is a greater incidence of mental health difficulties in Neurodivergent people, and it is important to access help in a timely way.  However, not all mental health needs for autistic children or young people will need referrals to be made to a secondary mental health service such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  Services all have different thresholds, and this might be why a referral is signposted from one service to another, but all services are required to make reasonable adjustments for Neurodivergent people irrespective of whether they are within secondary care, primary care or voluntary services.  

Yes

DLA (up to age 16) and PIP (for ages 16 to pension age) are awarded to an individual whose needs are greater when compared to the needs of others of the same age, requiring them to need a higher level of support rather than based upon diagnosis.

There are criteria for qualifying for payments which can be found via the following links: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children: Overview – GOV.UK; Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Eligibility – GOV.UK