Neurodevelopment means brain development. Everyone’s Brain develops differently, how our brains develop can be linked to a number of things. These can include:
Neurodiverse or Neurodiversity is an idea that recognises that everyone’s brain develops differently and that there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not bad or negative thing.
When you hear the term ‘Neurodiverse or Neurodiversity’ it is usually meaning “all of us” so everyone being Neurodiverse. Again Everyone’s brains are different and that’s ok.
The term “neurodivergent” describes on person’s individual brain differences. This means the person may have different strengths and challenges from people whose brains don't have those differences (these people are sometimes called Neuro-typical). The possible differences could include medical disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions like Autism or ADHD.
AHDH stands for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A child/young person with ADHD will have differences in brain activity. ADHD can cause challenges in attention, self-control and the ability to sit still.
ADHD is a condition where a child or young person has difficulty concentrating and focusing, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity can be high for their age, and impact on their day-to-day life.
A child or young person may not have all of these aspects/traits of ADHD and may not show all of these behaviours. The way each child is affected by the condition will be different, for example not all children and young people with poor attention will have ADHD.
Both terms describe a child/young person/ individual with Autism. Autism refers to a broad range of conditions linked by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and non-verbal communication.
We use both terms because the language to describe autism is changing. The medical definition still used is Autistic Spectrum Disorder, however in Wales a number of people with Autism spoke to the Welsh Government and said that they prefer the term ASC, Autistic Spectrum Condition.
This is why you will sometimes hear both terms being used. It is also important to say that some individuals do not like either of these terms, preferring neurodiverse, neurodivergent or having autism.
We want to recognise this difference and make sure people understand that there are a number of different terms to describe Autism.
The way we are using the term is to describe what happens when we complete a neurodevelopmental assessment. This is the steps we take to gather and discuss information from different sources/places in order to develop a deep understanding of a child’s brain development, which can lead to a diagnosis of a condition.
When an assessment has been completed we can complete a ‘Profile of Need.’ A Profile of Need is when we describe a child’s individual strengths, challenges and needs. This can be helpful for families to understand what support they can put in place to help their child in different ways.
We use the information we have learnt through the assessment to develop the ‘Profile of Need.’
An MDT Is a group of health and care staff who are members of different professions and have different skills and experience (e.g. speech and language therapists, psychologists, nurses).
In a MDT they will work together to make decisions about the support and treatment of children and young people. MDTs are used in both health and social care to make decisions and diagnosis.
A medical diagnosis is the steps taken to identify or find out if there is a disease or condition that explains a child's symptoms and signs.
We use the term when we talk about the diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition like ASC/ASD or ADHD.
You will sometimes here the term diagnosable condition to explain when a condition is found. This language is used to explain that not all traits linked to a person’s brain development will mean they have a recognised or diagnosable condition.
Not all children and/or young people will receive a diagnosis, but may still have needs, behaviours and traits that mean they will need support.
NICE stands for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NICE guidelines are recommendations for health and care in Wales. They set out the care and services suitable for most people with a specific condition or need, and people in particular circumstances or settings. They are based on research and evidence.
We use the NICE guidelines to help us put in place a safe assessment processes for children and young people who may have a neurodevelopmental condition.
You can take a look at the guidelines for Autistic Spectrum Condition here: Overview | Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis | Guidance | NICE
You can take a look at the guidelines for ADHD here: Overview | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). They are services that support young people who may have poor mental health, or difficult feelings or experiences. CAMHS can work with schools, charities, local authorities and other health care services. They can provide support, medication and therapy.
Neurodevelopmental Services work closely with CAMHS as there can be a link between brain development and mental health. Sometimes it is not always clear if a child or young person’s symptoms are linked to their brain development or mental health. This is why it is important services work closely together.
Please remember these are different services and different referrals (forms to let the service know you need support) must be sent in to them separately.
LD Stands for Learning Disability. A learning disability is when someone’s ability to learn is reduced and they may find it difficult to learn new skills, understand complicated information and to communicate with others.
Neurodevelopmental Services work closely with Learning Disability Services as sometimes children and young people who are neurodiverse can also have a learning disability. Services will work together to understand what help and support is needed for each child and young person.
Please remember these are different services and different referrals (forms to let the service know you need support) must be sent in to them separately.
This is when a professional from the Neurodevelopmental Service will visit a child and/or young person’s school. During the visit the professional will speak to school staff who know the child well and watch the child at different points in the school day to see if there are any behaviours or traits that might be linked to a neurodevelopmental need or condition.
When a school visit takes place the professional will not tell the child or family when this will be. This is so the child does not feel uncomfortable or any pressure.
School visits are one part of the assessment and will not be the only information that professionals look at to make a diagnosis or not as sometimes is the case.
An educational setting is usually a school, college or university. It can also include pupil referral units, specialist schools and 6 forms and nurseries and pre-school.
All mothers and fathers named on the child’s birth certificate have legal rights and responsibilities as a parent - known as 'parental responsibility'. PR can also be granted by a court order to an individual in certain circumstances.
We will ask you if you have parental responsibility (PR). This is because consent for assessment, treatment and for sharing information can only be given by a parent, carer or guardian with parental responsibility (PR).
A young person may be able to provide consent alone, if they are competent to make this decision. Professionals make decisions about this based on the individual child or young person and their levels of understanding, maturity and circumstances.
A Local Authority is responsible for a range of important services for people and businesses in an area/county. These include service for:
• Education
• Care and support (Social Services)
• Housing
• Transport and Road Care
We work with Local Authorities to provide support for families. There are lots of services that Local Authorities provide that can help children and young people with needs, without the need for a diagnosis.
The triage system is used by professionals to make decisions about which patients should receive assessment, care and treatment. Decisions are based on the information the professional has about the patient. This could be from a referral form, seeing the patient, considering a patient file or record etc.
In Neurodevelopmental Services triage systems are used to make a decisions about referrals and help professionals to decide if a child or young person needs an assessment.
Not all children and young people will need assessment from the neurodevelopmental services. Sometimes the information in the referral lets the professional know that another service might be more helpful to a family and will direct families to different services.
Expressive language refers to how your child uses words, body language, movement, gestures and facial expressions to communicate.
Some forms of expressive language include:
• peaking,
• gesturing (waving, pointing),
• writing (texting, emailing, drawing)
• facial expressions (crying, smiling),
• and being vocal (crying, yelling, singing)
A Diagnostic tool can be medical equipment and resources that help clinically trained professionals to measure and observe a patient so that they can form a diagnosis.
The Neurodevelopmental Services uses tools as part of our assessments. They help our professionals to see if a child or young person has Autistic Spectrum Condition and/or ADHD.
An intervention is when a trained professional works with a child or young person to provide treatment, care and support based on their needs. This can include:
• Therapies
• Medication
• Counselling
• Advice and guidance
• Courses and workshops
• Social prescribing
Signposting is the when a professional will of give a family the details of other organisations who can help.
For example Local charities, independent organisations, local authority services, sports clubs and social groups, parent support and carer organisations etc
Consent is when one person agrees to an action being taken. In Neurodevelopment Services we ask for a parent, carer or guardian to provide consent for the assessment, treatment and care or their child or young person. We can only accept consent from a parent, carer or guardian who has ‘Parental Responsibility.’
We also need consent to share any information with other services.
Consent is a legal requirement and is needed for our services to work with children and young people.
Assent is when an individual is agreeable or approves of an action. In Neurodevelopment Services we always ask parents/carers and guardians to speak with a child or young person before making a referral to the service. It is important the child or young person understands why we would like to see them and what will happen. Under Article 12 of the UNCRC a child should be involved in decisions about them.
Assent from a young person is not a legal requirement, however it is best practice that a young person is involved in the decision and agrees to a neurodevelopmental assessment wherever possible.
Children and young people can refuse an assessment and our service will need to work with the family to agree what is in the best interests of the child.
A clinical is a medically trained professional, this means they should have the right training and qualifications to provide the assessment, support and treatment you receive.