• We are currently an Autism diagnosis service only for children aged 2-12 years registered with a Newham GP.
• Referrals can be emailed to elft.ascreferral@nhs.net - use the New CHAND referral form below. Fill in all the sections to avoid rejection or delay. 
• We take referrals from professionals. We would recommend that schools and nurseries primarily make referrals as they will have access to the most information.
• Schools/nurseries can ask parents/carers to obtain medical information from the GP to ensure the medical parts are complete. Not every child in the CHAND pathway will be seen by a doctor - medical information is essential for screening to ensure the child is seen by the appropriate professional.
• Referrers, please ensure you specify Autism in your referral and that you have discussed this possibility with parents and carers and they have consented - referrals will be rejected without clear consent.
• For Autism Diagnoses over 12 years and ADHD referrals (over 6 years) please refer to CAMHS https://www.elft.nhs.uk/services/newham-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-service 
• For children under 2 years with concerns about Autism please discuss concerns with your health visitor.
• If there are concerns about development, other than autism please refer to newhamcds@nhs.net using the CDS Referral form on the website-https://www.elft.nhs.uk/scyps/our-services/community-paediatric-services 

• For children with concerns about Autism and Speech and Language Delay we will ensure the child is considered for autism assessment and referred to our speech and language therapy colleagues. Use the New CHAND referral form below and fill in all the sections. 
• Children in nursery and school age - We encourage nurseries and schools to make direct referrals to CHAND for autism assessment (rather than send to the GP to make the referral) as there are significant sections that must be filled by the educational setting. If the child is not in an educational setting - please make clear on the form to avoid any delay.
• For support with sleep or behaviour please look at the useful links section.
• If there are concerns about development, other than autism, please refer to newhamcds@nhs.net- using the CDS Referral form on the website-https://www.elft.nhs.uk/scyps/our-services/community-paediatric-services 

Referrals can be emailed to elft.ascreferral@nhs.net  

• https://resourcesforautism.org.uk 

• www.newham.gov.uk/childrenshealth

• For information on supporting a child with social communication needs please watch the videos on our SCYPS Speech Therapy Youtube channel:

• https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw0PyfjPrssXVaIeiEGvuEMXVPjuHPjJ2

• For more information about Autism services and support in Newham please see the local offer:

• https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0

• For difficulties with sleep please access the scope sleep service:

• https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/service.page?id=o73BadqsUD8

• For difficulties with managing behaviour please access the following parenting groups

• https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/family.page?familychannel=1-1

• https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour

• For Autism Diagnoses over 12 years and ADHD referrals (over 6 years) please go to CAMHS (link)

• https://www.elft.nhs.uk/services/newham-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-service 

• Please refer to the following link for other services 
• If you feel your child needs to be seen by the Dental service please speak to the team during your assessment. 
• At your assessment, if the doctor feels your child needs to be referred to Occupational Therapy/Speech Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, or Dieticians they will make an internal referral.
• If you require support regarding /completing your Disability Living Allowance application (DLA) please speak to the  Citizens Advice Service.

As numbers of referrals for autism assessment continues to substantially increase, there are long waiting times across the country.

Our approximate waiting time for assessment is currently 21 months (as of 31/08/2023)