Occupational Therapists explore young people’s strengths and difficulties relating to everyday activities. They help young people overcome challenges with daily activities and maximize their independence.

They assess a person's needs, identify barriers, and develop personalised plans to improve daily functioning, including learning new skills, adapting their environment, or using assistive technology

A Community Nurse cares for and makes support plans for young people in the community.

Our community nurses coordinate assessments, liaise with families, schools, and other agencies, and provide support to families throughout the process. Feedback of assessment outcomes and follow up support will also be offered by our community nurses.

A Clinical Psychologist thinks about young people’s strengths and difficulties, and if a neurodevelopmental condition may explain them.

Our psychologists conduct thorough evaluations to identify and understand a child's neurodevelopmental needs, often focusing on conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

A child and adolescent psychiatrist brings their medical expertise to understanding the full picture of your child’s needs. They consider your detailed history, assess behaviour and emotional wellbeing, and help distinguish between neurodevelopmental conditions (like autism or ADHD) and other mental health issues.

Working as part of a wider team, they contribute to diagnosis, advise on treatment options—including medication if appropriate—and support families in planning next steps. Their goal is to help you better understand your child and ensure they receive the right support to thrive.

The role of a Speech and Language Therapist within the neurodevelopmental assessment team is to help understand whether your young person has any speech, language and communication needs as part of their presenting needs.

A Speech and Language Therapist might meet your young person and do some activities with them to understand more about how they communicate and whether they have any difficulties understanding and/or using spoken language.

For some young people, they may have persistent language difficulties which may be described as a Language Disorder, this could be in addition to autism and/or ADHD, or a Language Disorder may explain the difficulties your young person is having.

An Assistant Psychologist supports the team with exploring young people’s strengths and difficulties.

They support the team with assessments, gathering information and assist in identifying and supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities.

They may carry out individual appointments or join with other clinicians.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioners explore young people’s strengths and difficulties relating to everyday tasks and activities alongside an Occupational Therapist.

They support the team with assessments, gathering information and assist in identifying and supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities.

Clinical Support Assistants work alongside the team to provide assessment, gathering information and assist in identifying and supporting individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities.

They will also support us to gather physical observations such as height, weight and blood pressure if this is needed.

Our administrative staff support with appointments, contacting families with details and any changes. Updating contact information and welcoming families in reception.

The first appointment will focus on exploring current strengths and difficulties. Parents/carers and the young person are asked to attend this appointment.

You will also be asked about your consent to share information with relevant agencies, such as the young person's GP, their education setting, any health services involved and social care if applicable. This consent may be given by the young person depending on their age and their understanding. Our staff are trained to assess if a young person can give consent themselves and all of this will be explained in the initial appointment.

We will also ask questions about risk. These questions are vital in helping us to think about what support you may need. This appointment usually takes place in clinic and lasts around 90 minutes.

During this appointment we will discuss pregnancy, your child's earlier life experiences and some behaviours you may have noticed over time.

This appointment can last between 90-120 minutes and is a parent/carer only appointment.

During this appointment we will do some different activities and talk about things that young people may find easy and difficult. This assessment helps us think about if autism would be a useful description of their behaviours.

The ADOS can last between 30-60 minutes. Due to the variation in how long the assessment can last it is important that parent/carers remain in the building while we complete the assessment.

During this appointment the young person being assessed will complete a computer based activity. This helps us think about their concentration and activities levels.

This appointment can last between 15-30 minutes. Due to the variation in how long the assessment can last it is important that parent/carers remain in the building while we complete the assessment.

The SNAP-IV (Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Teacher and Parent Rating Scale) is a widely used questionnaire for screening and assessing ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents. It evaluates inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

The scale is completed by parents and teachers, and the results can help with ADHD diagnosis and treatment planning. This typically takes 10-20 minutes to complete.

During a school observation, the observer anonymously visits your child's school to observe their cognitive, behavioural, and social presentation. We ask that the child does not know they are being observed to avoid behaviour changes affecting the assessment.

This usually lasts two hours and does not require parent attendance.

A questionnaire will be emailed to teachers to collect information regarding cognitive, behavioural, and social aspects of your child's presentation in their educational environment.

If the information is not sufficient, clinicians may come into schools and complete the questionnaire in an interview-style format.

During a home observation, the observer visits the child's home to observe their cognitive, behavioural, and social presentation.

The time this takes will vary but you will be informed of the timing when the clinician books the appointment with you.

Within these sessions, a small group of children of a similar age will undertake some social and creative activities and games that allow us to further assess social communication skills. Parents remain in the waiting room whilst your child joins in the group.

The assessment is over 2 sessions. Both sessions must be attended and will each last 90 minutes.

An Occupational Therapy Functional assessment aims to gather an understanding and insight into a young person’s experience and engagement within everyday life activities and their environments.

This appointment will last between 60-90 minutes and is to be attended by parent/carer and young person. Following this, additional appointments may be arranged to engage with the young person individually. These can take place in clinic or at school and would include lots of games and fun activities.

During this appointment we will do some different activities that involve speaking and listening. This helps us think about any difficulties a young person might have with understanding and/or using language to communicate.

This appointment can last between 30-60 minutes; due to the variation in how long the assessment can last it is important that parent/carers remain in the building while we complete the assessment. 

During this appointment we will do some different puzzles and activities which involves the use of pictures and blocks. This helps us think about different areas of brain functioning and can sometimes help us think about a young person’s overall developmental level.

This appointment can last between 30-90 minutes. Due to the variation in how long the assessment can last it is important that parent/carers remain in the building while we complete the assessment.

Once all of the assessment appointments are complete, the clinicians you have been working with will meet to discuss all of the information they have learned about your child / young person.

During this meeting, they will agree on an outcome and the personalised recommendations.

Occasionally it is decided that further information is required in order to conclude the assessment, so a plan will be made to gather this and then the team again to come to a conclusions.

You will be offered a feedback appointment to discuss the outcome of the assessment. This is also an opportunity to discuss the supports that you feel will be useful going forward. This will form your young person's ongoing care plan.

Following the feedback appointment, you will be sent a written report detailing the assessment and recommendations. Whether or not a diagnosis is given you will be given a written report containing useful strategies/resources, as we recognise that children and young people are referred to us as they are having struggles at home and/or school. If consent to share information has been given, this will be shared with the GP, education setting and other agencies as appropriate.

You will also be given an information pack. If a diagnosis is made this will be specific to that diagnosis. All families will be given information about resources that may be helpful, and the sources of support that they are able to access.

You will be contacted by your Care Co-ordinator a little while after your feedback appointment to check how you are feeling about the information that was shared in the feedback discussion.

This is the time to raise any questions / issues you might have related to the assessment, the assessment report, and the ongoing care plan. It is likely that, all being well, your young person will be discharged from the assessment service after this appointment.

This is an in-person group for children and young people aged 7-14 who have recently received a diagnosis of ADHD. They will be with other young people of a similar age and will do fun age-appropriate activities with support from CYPS clinicians.

They will learn about what ADHD means for them, think about their strengths and how they might overcome any challenges they are facing.

This is an in-person group for parents and carers. Sessions run monthly at Benton House and Bensham Hospital.

This is a list of services offering specialist advice and support about sleep.

This is an online series of interactive courses offered by the Sensory Integration Network where you can learn more about the sensory systems, how it impacts on behaviour and strategies to help your young person.

TTHT is an independently funded charity supporting autistic children, young people and adults, their families and carers in the North East of England. Providing relevant, appropriate and accessible support for autistic young people from two years into adulthood, whilst also empowering parents, families and carers by sharing knowledge, experience and understanding.

This is the CYPS resource which will be shared with families if a diagnosis of autism is given.

This is the CYPS resource which will be shared with families if a diagnosis is given

Benton House

136 Sandyford Road

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE2 1QE

Bensham Hospital

Fontwell Drive

Bensham

Gateshead

NE8 4YL

Tel: 0800 6522864 NGCYPS@cntw.nhs.uk

The Conners 4th Edition (Conners 4) is a widely used questionnaire assessment tool for evaluating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related symptoms in children and adolescents aged 6 to 18.

The Conners 4 provides a multi-informant assessment, gathering information from parents, teachers, and/or the young person themselves to assess ADHD symptoms and related impairments in various settings like school, social interactions, and family life. 

This can take up to 90 minutes to complete and will be sent by the team to the relevant people.

There are lots of support groups and information out there for siblings of those who have been diagnosed with ASD/ADHD.

What Is Autism? Sibling Support Pack on Vimeo

Explaining ADHD to siblings on Vimeo

The Umbrella Gang - ADHD Foundation

My brother Booh has ADHD | CoramBAAF

Siblings Social Support Group - The Toby Henderson Trust

life-as-an-autism-sibling-a-guide-for-teens

autism-my-sibling-and-me

Some further resources to help your young person understand what ASD is.

Some further resources to help your young person understand what ADHD is.

Young People: Neurodiversity and Knowing Your Neurotype - ADHD Foundation

Warning: This video may be overstimulating and contain sensory overload.

More than 1 in 100 people are autistic. Being autistic affects people in different ways. It can bring strengths but also some challenges that can impact on how comfortable, healthy and happy you feel.

Typical signs of Autism include:

• Difficulty talking to or being around other people

• Having unusual interests or interests that are more intense than others

• Sensitivity to certain tastes, textures, noises etc.

• Preferring to follow the rules

• Attention to detail

Approximately 2.8% of the world’s population is affected by ADHD. Although ADHD is something that is present throughout life, many people start to develop their own strategies for coping in adulthood therefore the degree to which ADHD affects you often decreases as you get older.

Typical signs of ADHD include:

• Difficulty concentrating

• Being impulsive– doing things without thinking about them

• Easily distracted

• Poor memory

Masquer-aid is an innovative programme combining therapeutic education, socialisation and peer support. Young

people will learn more about neurodiversity, meet others like them and engage in activities tailored to their interests.

Groups are located in Gateshead and Newcastle and members must be resident in Gateshead or Newcastle. Places are strictly by referral only, please contact your care coordinator, or the CYPS Duty Team to discuss this further.

This group is for young people over the age of 11.

The Toby Henderson Trust are offering support for families of young people aged 5-11 who are awaiting an assessment.

Please see their range of Sound Bites, Webinars, and drop-in sessions for more information.

You will need your young person's client ID (also known as a RiO number) which is a 6 digit number and can be found on the top of all letters received from CYPS.

Support and advice for children and young people struggling in school.

https://gatesheadsendiass.org.uk/

Newcastlesendiass.co.uk

This resource provides more detailed information on the CYPS neurodevelopmental assessment process, and help and support once their assessment is completed.

We will update this Padlet with new information, resources and projects as we become aware of them, so please check back on a regular basis for more information!

There are a range of resources, contacts and support plans for your family to use, alongside 5 family hubs across the city.

Have a look at the resources available to you locally, and talk to the team about how they can support you and your family.

There are a range of services to help families including ADHD specific courses, access to family support workers, and 9 Family Hubs across the borough.

Have a look at the resources available to you locally, and talk to the team about how they can support you and your family.

North East Autism Society - Our family development service provides support for autistic people and their families across the North-east pre, during and post diagnosis.

Our mission is to provide the right support, at the right time, and in the right way to ensure the best outcomes.

The Autism Hubs offer parents and carers of autistic children and young people (0-25 years) information, advice and support on a range of challenges that can impact autistic young people and their families.

The Hubs provide drop-in sessions, peer support groups, and training for parents, carers, and professionals.

• feeling persistently low in mood and/or hurting themselves

• displaying behaviour that puts others at risk of harm such as physical aggression

• at risk in the community due to anti-social behaviour or vulnerability to exploitation

If someone is in immediate danger the police should be called on 999.

If you are concerned about an increase or a change in risk, you can call 111 (option 2) or call our Duty Team on 0800 6522864 and speak with a clinician. Duty calls are triaged, and the highest priority calls are responded to first so depending on the situation you may not be called back immediately or the same day, but you will be called back.

Schools, school nursing, and GPs are also useful sources of advice and can link you in with appropriate supports.

We have also included a comprehensive selection of local and national mental health services via this link Mental health support

Please take the time to explore this and access the vast range of supports available to families.