The Paediatric Medical Team is a team of doctors and clinical nurse specialists specialising in the assessment and management of children and young people with developmental disorders and disabilities and those who are at risk of abuse. We play an important role in assessing children who are looked after by the local authority or who are in the process of being adopted.
We work with teams across the Trust as well as the local authority, public health services, GPs and the voluntary sector.
We work closely with therapists, health visitors, school health services, children and adolescent mental heath services (CAMHS), social workers and schools.
We assess and manage children and young people with developmental impairment/disorders, physical and/or learning disabilities, complex health needs (eg autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome) and sensory impairments. We also work with local authorities to provide medical advice for education, health and care (EHC) plans.
We work with Children's Social Care Safeguarding Service to assess children and young people who may have been abused or are considered to be at risk of abuse. We carry out statutory assessments of children who are in the care of the local authority, known as looked after children (LAC).
Children and young people can be referred by healthcare professionals using the Community Paediatric Neurodevelopmental Pathway. Please complete the referral form.
Please read the referral form carefully for information about referral criteria, exclusion criteria and referral guidance.
If you are making a referral due to social communication difficulties/suspected autism spectrum disorder, please also complete the appropriate form:
Supporing information questionnaire (primary)
Supporing information questionnaire (secondary)
We do not accept referrals directly from parents or carers.
Your child may be referred to us because of developmental concerns.
Ater we receive your child's referral we will go through several steps and checks to make sure that ours is the right service for your child.
We will process the referral — if we need additional information, we will ask the referrer, other consultants or any other medical teams involved in your child's care.
Referral triage — we will discuss the referral together and decide whether we our service is right for your child.
If we cannot accept your child's referral We will signpost you and your child to relevant information or an alternative team.
If we can accept your child's referral, we will invite you to attend an autism assessment.
| If further help is needed | If no further help is required |
| If necessary, we will follow up with you and your child in a review clinic. | We will discharge your child our service and signpost you to local support services. |
Our autism assessments follow a structured process designed to understand your child’s development, strengths and areas where support may be helpful.
While the overall steps are similar, the level of detail we will go into with you and the number of clinicians involved vary depending on whether the assessment is unidisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or comprehensive.
Unidisciplinary: you meet with one clinician for this discussion.
Multidisciplinary: you meet with one clinician while a second clinician works with your child later in the session.
Comprehensive: alongside the standard developmental discussion, we will ask you for additional detailed information about your child when they were around 4 or 5 years old.
Please bring any documents you feel may be useful. If you would like time to speak without your child present, please bring another adult who can supervise them. If this is not possible, we may complete that part of the assessment by phone.
For comprehensive assessments: many of the interview questions ask about your child when they were 4 or 5 years old. It may help to think about key events or look at photos or videos from that age to remind you.
All assessments begin with a detailed discussion with you about your child’s development and health. This includes pregnancy and birth history, family and social background, language, communication, social interaction, play and behaviour.
For comprehensive assessments: alongside the standard developmental discussion, we will also complete an interview called the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R), which helps us collect detailed information.
We will check and record your child’s height and weight.
Your child takes part in activities that help us understand their communication, interaction and play skills:
Unidisciplinary assessment: the clinician will carry out a play-based observation. They will spend time playing with your child to learn about their communication, interaction and play skills.
Multidisciplinary and comprehensive: your child will complete a structured activity session with a second clinician.
Once all information has been gathered:
Unidisciplinary: if the clinician has enough information, they may give feedback about a diagnosis of autism during the appointment.
Multidisciplinary and comprehensive: the two clinicians will discuss the assessment. If there is enough information, they may be able to give feedback about a diagnosis of autism. This may be shared with you and, if appropriate, with your child.
We may talk about any other areas where your child may need support. We may also plan tests, referrals or follow-up appointments.
We are available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.
Community Paediatrics Appointments Team: 020 3049 1525
LG.CommunityPaediatricAppointments@nhs.net
Community Paediatrics Secretaries Team: 020 3049 1524
LG.CommunityPaediatricSecretaries@nhs.net