ADHD and Autism Referrals

Referral for Children (up to age 18)

If your child is 6 years or older

The school should be referring the child rather than the GP.

Since June 2024, schools have been able to refer directly for ADHD and autism assessments. This change recognises that schools are better placed to gather the necessary information and refer rather than the GP.

Please see this website which explains the referral process: 6 Years Plus Autism and ADHD Assessment Services in Norfolk | NCH&C.

Right to Choose (RtC) referrals, for children aged 6 years and older

Some private providers of ADHD and Autism assessments have been accredited by Norfolk & Waveney ICB to provide NHS assessments, at no cost to the family. These providers have shorter waiting lists than the local NHS service, although the assessment is likely to be less thorough. If you want to use one of these providers, you would need us to make a referral.

The list of providers is at Knowledge NoW: Right to Choose Neurodevelopmental Services for Children and Young People. Before contacting the practice to request a referral, please:

Decide which provider you want to use
Ask your child’s school to write down their observations of your child. They can use the Teacher Observation Questionnaire (TOQ) on the Pre 6 years Assessment Team (NCH&C) website
Write down what you have noticed about your child that makes you think they have ADHD or autism. We recommend that you use the Parent Observation Questionnaire (POQ) on the Pre 6 years Assessment Team (NCH&C) website.

If your child is under 6 years of age

ADHD – we cannot refer for ADHD assessments if a child is under 6 so if you have concerns your child has ADHD, you need to wait until their 6th birthday before seeking referral. You can get support from Just One Norfolk.

Autism – We can refer under the age of 6 if there are concerns about autism, for example if there are significant social communication problems. For details about the referral process, see Pre 6 years Assessment Team (NCH&C). Before contacting us, please do the following:

Speak to Just One Norfolk about your concerns by calling 0300 300 0123. Just One Norfolk can arrange for you to see a Health Visitor and fill out an Ages and Stages questionnaire or a Schedule of Growing Skills. We will need one of these questionnaire to make the referral.
Ask your child’s preschool, nursery or childminder to fill out an Early Years Foundation Stages Tracker
Ask your child’s preschool, nursery or childminder to write down their observations of your child. They can use the Teacher Observation Questionnaire (TOQ) on the Pre 6 years Assessment Team (NCH&C) website.
Write down your own observations of your child. You can use the Parent Observation Questionnaire (POQ) on the Pre 6 years Assessment Team (NCH&C) website.
If you have any reports from other professionals, please provide these. For instance: Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapist, or Physiotherapist.

Right to Choose referrals are not available for children aged under 6.

Referrals for Adults

ADHD

The local NHS ADHD service has a waiting list of several years. We recommend that patients seeking an ADHD assessment should instead use one of the four NHS Right to Choose providers that have been approved by Norfolk & Waveney ICB. These are: The Owl Centre; Skylight Psychiatry; Holistic ADHD Solutions; and CARE (Centre of ADHD Research and Excellence). You would need us to refer you to one of these providers.

Before contacting us to request a referral, please:

Decide which of the providers you want to us
Fill out the questionnaire: Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS)
Write about how you think ADHD symptoms have affected you. For instance, write about the problems that ADHD causes in your work life and personal life. You should include information about how ADHD symptoms affected you from a young age. People with ADHD usually show symptoms before the age of 6.

Autism

The local NHS Autism service has waiting list of several years. We recommend that patients seeking an Autism assessment should instead use an NHS Right to Choose provider. There is no official list of approved providers. We are aware of Skylight Psychiatry and Psychiatry UK, which are NHS Right to Choose Autism providers. You may be able to find other providers. You would need us to refer you to one of these providers.