Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Waiting list

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ASD Pathway is receiving a lot more referrals. We are currently struggling to meet our 52 week wait target but we are working hard to bring our waiting times down.

We encourage families to contact us if:

you need support/advice whilst your child/young person is on our waiting list – we can offer you an Advisory Session appointment with an ASD Specialist Practitioner
your child/young person needs adjustments to access their assessment
your child/young person’s needs or circumstances have changed
you or your child/young person have any questions or concerns about the assessment process

If you are very worried about your child/young person’s mental health or need urgent help, please visit the CAMHS website.

Please download our ASD Advisory Session Information Booklet for a list of other local and national support services, or see the full list of support services.

What is ASD?

Autism is a difference in how the brain develops. Autistic people can show:

Differences in their social communication (e.g., how they interact with others)
A preference for sameness and/or literal thinking
Sensitivities to their environment

Autism is often a hidden or invisible condition. This means you can’t always tell if someone is autistic just by looking at them.

ASD IN SIXTY SECONDS from Spectrum Gaming:

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You can also read this online comic, which explains what is meant by autism spectrum.

The following websites have lots of good information for families and young people who are interested in learning more about ASD:

Information on social media

You can also follow @autieselfcare on Instagram

Referrals

Please find below the link to our new ASD online referral platform. This will now be the quickest and easiest way to make a referral for an ASD assessment and you will be able to track the progress of your referral.

Online referrals

If you are experiencing any problems with the online referral platform, you can still use the paper referral form. This referral form can be submitted electronically by saving it into a PDF format and emailing it over to our Booking & Scheduling team on: [email protected]

Download the ASD Referral Form (2MB)

Assessment process

Every child/young person will have a personalised journey on the ASD Pathway. We will offer different appointments based on the needs and circumstances of the child to make sure the assessment is holistic.

Healios

Healios are a specialist online provider of autism assessments and mental health services. Their online autism assessments are used by NHS teams across the country and are endorsed by our clinical team. Alder Hey work in partnership with Healios to increase the number of ASD assessments that can be completed. Further information on Healios can be found at https://www.healios.org.uk

Will Healios be able to complete a proper assessment over a video call?

You and your child will be able to see and interact with your clinician via the video call just like you would in a face-to-face setting. At Alder Hey we now also routinely use video calls for either part or all of children’s ASD assessment and are confident that a video call can provide a good assessment in most cases. Lots of young people have told us they were more comfortable to engage via video call as they were able to complete their assessments in a familiar environment rather than travelling to a clinic.

What if I choose not to proceed with Healios? / What if Healios cannot complete my child’s assessment?

Healios will pass the referral back to the ASD Pathway at Alder Hey. The team will review and decide how best to proceed with the assessment. We book all appointments in order of when the original referral was received so your child will keep their place on the waiting list and further appointments will be offered in due course.

QbTest information

The QbTest is a clinical, computer-based test for ADHD that objectively measures the three core symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Find out more.

Support services

There are lots of local and national services that can support children/young people and their families while they are waiting for an ASD assessment and after a diagnosis.

See the full list

If you’d like an accessible version of the above list, please contact: [email protected]

Local offers

A list of support for children and families is also available via the Local Offer. This is a database that advises you about what services are available for your area:

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

The following information has been co-produced between Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Education (Liverpool and Sefton) and Parent Carer Forums (Liverpool & Sefton) to ensure a shared understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and how best to support children/young people with this profile and their families.

PDA does not appear as a separate condition in recognised diagnostic criteria, therefore Alder Hey does not make this a separate diagnosis. However, when a child or young person who has been assessed as being on the autism spectrum presents with a ‘demand avoidant profile’, this can be recognised and described as “ASD with a PDA profile”.

Alder Hey will only recognise PDA as a profile within a diagnosis of ASD, therefore the assessments and information gathered must result in a diagnosis of ASD before PDA can be considered. Where there is no diagnosis of ASD, PDA will not be considered.

However, if PDA strategies are found to be helpful for the child or young person then we would suggest they are used by parents/carers and schools even when a diagnosis has not been reached. It is the interventions and support based on the needs of the child or young person that are important rather than any diagnosis.

If your child has had an ASD diagnosis for over 6 months and you wish to explore a PDA profile, please complete a new referral using the normal referral process and clearly indicate on the form that you are requesting a PDA assessment.

For more information and support for families and schools visit the PDA Society website