Health and SEND

If your child can’t do things that other children their age can, there may be a problem with their development.

To get help, you first need to be referred for an assessment.

To get a referral speak to your:

• GP
• health visitor
• school
• early years setting (such as your child's nursery or preschool)

If you're concerned about your child's development they may be seen by a Paediatrician. Any child or young person up to 19 years old may see a Paediatrician for non-neurodevelopmental issues.

Your child's health and wellbeing will be reviewed by nurses in schools and early years settings, health visitors and GPs as part of the Healthy Child Programme.

Find out more about the:

Healthy Child Programme for 0 to 5s

Healthy Child Programme for 5 to 19s

Health visitors and nurses in schools and early years settings can provide developmental or behavioural support.

If your child is assessed as needing help with behavioural issues and has a learning difficulty, they may be referred to the community nursing team for children with a learning disability.

This team can also help children who have sleep or toilet issues.

The Speech and Language Therapy service have resources and advice to support speech, language, and social communication development.

If you think your child may have problems with speech or language development, you can speak to your:

• health visitor
• early years setting (such as your child's nursery or preschool)
• school
• GP

They may be able to help your child's language development, direct you to online resources, or refer you to the Speech Language and Therapy service.

Your child may be assessed in their school or nursery, or they may be referred to the NHS speech and language therapy service which is provided by Buckinghamshire Healthcare.

You do not need an Autism diagnosis to get support or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Training and advice is available for communication, sensory processing differences and mental health needs. CAMHS also has a lot of information available.

Further help and advice is available in our Autism Toolbox for parents and carers.

If you think your child may be autistic you can talk to your:

• health visitor
• GP
• child's school or nursery

Community Paediatricians provide diagnostic assessments for autism and ADHD for children aged under 5 and a referral is needed from a medical professional.

Children aged between 5 and 18 years can be referred to the Neurodevelopmental Collaborative (NDC) pathway. This is a partnership between Community Paediatrics and CAMHS). As a part of the assessment process, you will be asked to complete some forms for the service to decide whether the child meets the criteria for an assessment. This referral is made via the CAMHS Single Point of Access (SPA). and can be completed by a parent or their child's school.

As with the picture nationally, the waiting time for neurodevelopmental assessment is longer than ideal. Current waits are approximately 18 months at the moment.

Any child referred to the NDC pathway who also has a mental health need identified will be assessed and treated as appropriate for this. This will be whilst waiting for the Autism/ADHD assessment. Parents can pay for a private diagnostic assessment if they choose to do so.

For ADHD where a child may need medication, this assessment may need to be repeated before starting any medication through Bucks Neurodevelopmental Collaborative Pathway.

We would suggest that the child is referred to the NDC Pathway, even if parents are seeking a private assessment as you will be able to access other support offers through this. This includes the pre-diagnostic support offered as part of the pathway.

A child or young person may respond differently to sensory information such as touch, light or sound, which means they find it difficult to complete everyday activities at home or at school. This may be part of a condition such as autism.

If you're concerned about the way your child responds to sensory information, speak to your GP or early years setting, such as your child's nursery or preschool, for help and advice.

The Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Occupational Therapy Service provide free training in managing sensory processing differences.

Your GP or education setting can refer your child for specialist support if further advice and support are necessary.

Speak to your child's GP, hospital consultant, or health visitor for advice if your child is having difficulty with movement.

They may be able to help or direct you to online resources or refer your child to Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Physiotherapy service.

Physiotherapists treat short and long-term conditions that impact physical development, activity and the ability to participate in play, learning and socialising.

Children under 5 have eye and hearing tests as part of the Healthy Child Programme, which helps to identify issues early.

Tests and checks include:

• newborn Hearing Screening Programme
• newborn eye check – red reflex and observation
• eye check observation at 6 to 8 weeks
• pre-school hearing screen soon after school entry
• eye tests and vision screen between 4 and 5 years olds

If your child has not received a vision screen assessment, you can take your child to a local optician to have a sight test done.

Your school nurse can also test your child’s hearing if you have concerns, and your GP can refer you to hospital clinics for additional tests if necessary.

The Visual Processing Difficulties Clinic (NHS) is a service that identifies and corrects visual difficulties that will contribute to a child having a reading or specific learning difficulty.

The Squint Clinic videos give an introduction to what to expect at an eye appointment.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare children’s occupational therapists offer free webinars to provide advice on visual perception difficulties.

Occupational Therapists work with children, young people and their families to help remove barriers to children participating in everyday activities.

This could be:

• personal care (dressing, eating and washing)
• productivity (attending school, using a pencil or scissors)
• leisure (playing with toys and games)

If you think your child may have problems with any of the above, you can speak to your:

• health visitor
• early years setting
• school
• GP

The Children’s Occupational Therapy Service has also developed free resources and webinar training sessions.