If you are worried that your child may have Autism you can speak to one of the professionals who is already involved. This could be a Health Visitor, Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist or setting professional. You can also go to your GP. They may support you to get a referral to the Special Needs Early Years’ Service and to a Consultant Paediatrician.

Your child may already have been referred to Special Needs Early Years and may already have seen a Paediatrician. If this is the case, they will talk to you about your concerns.

If someone else suggests that your child may need an assessment for Autism it is important that everyone involved with your child meets with you to discuss your child’s needs and to decide on the best ways to support them.

A number of professionals can make a referral to the Under Five Autism Panel. These are:

• Paediatricians
• Educational Psychologists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Special Needs Early Years Specialist Teachers and Specialist High Level Teaching Assistants
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Wolverhampton Outreach Service

The panel does not accept direct referrals from parents/carers or school settings, but referrers always work very closely with you and only make referrals with your full consent.

When a referral is made it MUST include information about your child’s needs from at least 2 supporting teams. This makes sure that a lot of information about your child’s needs is already gathered. You will also be asked for your thoughts and feelings as well as to give written consent. Without this the referral for assessment for Autism will not take place.

It is important to know that Parents/Carers can also withdraw this consent at any time to stop the Autism assessment.

Referral checklist:

• Your child has been seen by at least 2 specialist professionals who have written reports which indicate possible Autism
• A referral form has been completed and signed by you the Parent/Carer

Currently the Wolverhampton Under 5’s Autism panel is experiencing an increase of referrals, and this has resulted in a rise in the wait times for completion of assessments. This can be up to 36 months. 

Parents/Carers are advised of the estimated wait time when the referral is accepted and also of any changes to this.

When your child is going through an assessment it can be a very worrying time. The priority is to provide support not only for your child but also for you as parents and carers.

You and your child will be supported through regular multi-agency meetings. These will help to prioritise plans and strategies to support your child at whatever stage in the assessment process they are at.

During this time parents/carers can access support sessions:

• Wolverhampton Under 5s ASD Pathway Keyworker Drop-In sessions - 10 April 2025
• Wolverhampton Under 5s ASD Pathway Keyworker Drop-In sessions - 10 July 2025

• The referral form is completed and signed by parents/carers and sent to the Autism Panel, along with two reports from professionals which describe your child’s difficulties
   
• Acceptance to Wolverhampton Under 5’s Autism Panel:
  • When the referral is accepted,  a Keyworker is assigned. It will be the job of this person to keep you informed of every stage in the process and to answer any worries or concerns you may have
  • Any further assessments required are identified and decisions are made about when and by whom these will be done
  • A letter is sent to Parents/ Carers clearly explaining what assessments will take place and given an indication of how long this will take.
  • Your keyworker will contact you and make arrangements so that you are fully able to share your views and information about your child
     
• Professionals will see your child and you. This is to gain as much information as possible so that the Panel can make a decision
   
• Panel Decision Meeting. All evidence is presented to the panel by representatives of the multi-Agency Teams so that a decision can be made  
   
• Decision is shared. Your Keyworker will share the decision with you wherever possible on the same day.
   
• Written Confirmation of Outcome. Parents/Carers will have a written copy of the decision sent to their home address.

All information gathered will be done so in a very child friendly way and any appointments will be made to suit you. At no point will your child be expected to undergo anything that they find uncomfortable or upsetting.

This varies from child to child. The panel will have decided how much information has already been gathered and what else is needed. Your Keyworker will be able to inform you fully about this, but please be assured that all assessments for Autism are based on observations, discussions with Parents/Carers and professionals as well as through play based direct work with children.

All children will be seen by the Special Needs Early Years Service for an additional assessment called the CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale).

Some children may be invited to attend for an ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule).

CARS – Childhood Autism Rating Scale

This is a tool that provides more information about your child’s strengths and needs and gives an indication as to whether your child should receive a diagnosis.

It is an assessment that practitioners from the Special Needs Early Years Service use and it has two versions:

• Parents and Carers version. This records all parents/carers thoughts and observations
   
• Professional Version. This is completed by a member of the Special Needs Early Years Service Team through observations which take place in a range of environments. Each area of difficulty is given a score of between 1 and 4. The total score gives a further indication of whether a diagnosis is appropriate.

ADOS – Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule

This is a play-based assessment which is completed in a one to one situation with your child. Parents and carers stay with their child throughout this. During the play activities, observations take place and are recorded. These are arranged to give a final score, and this gives extra information about whether a child has Autism or not.  

The ADOS is a specialised assessment tool and is only carried out by a small team of fully trained and experienced professionals.

• The professionals that are represented on the panel are Consultant Paediatrician, Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist and a Specialist Teacher, who meet on a monthly basis (except for the month of August).
   
• At least one week before the Panel, all information is gathered and arranged into a pack. This is shared securely and electronically with panel members so that they can review all information fully prior to the panel day.
   
• On the day itself individual children are discussed one at a time and specialists who make up the Panel outline children’s needs related to the criteria for Autism, based on assessments from their own teams.
   
• Difficulties are checked along the criteria and the panel members each then express their decision. A clear majority is needed to either give or reject a diagnosis.
   
• Occasionally there will be a situation where there needs to be some further information obtained. This may be because it is a borderline decision or very occasionally some evidence has been delayed. In either case a decision will be deferred, and parents/carers are informed when any further assessments will take place.
   
• If the decision is “Not Autism”, then the Panel will look at the possibilities of any other explanations for your child’s difficulties and may suggest further assessments.

Support for you and your child

• The focus is very much on your child and their needs, but it is also on how to support you as parents, carers and families in understanding your child’s needs and developing strategies to help them.
   
• All parents/carers of children who have had a diagnosis of Autism made by the Under Five Panel are invited to attend Parents’/Carers’ Autism Awareness Training. These consist of 3 morning sessions and take place at least once per term.

There is also a Support Group for Parents of Children with ASD coffee morning, inspired, set up and run by parents and carers of children who have been diagnosed with Autism which takes place every other month. At each session there is a visiting professional speaker invited to share information and knowledge.

To find out more visit SEND Early Identification Support Services.

Support for settings and schools

When a child is attending a nursery or school, the Special Needs Early Years Service offer training on Autism Awareness and specialist strategies to these individual settings to be delivered as soon as possible after the diagnosis has been made.

Support will continue for your child and further assessments may have been arranged by the Autism Panel. Your Keyworker will inform you and signpost for further support.

We have a very clear appeals process, and  you can place an appeal after 28 days and within 12 months of the date of the decision. 

We aim to offer a transparent service that listens to families and teams supporting a child, recognises their concerns, and offers a formulation that best accounts for the information we receive. If someone (parent, care giver or professional) feels that the formulation does not best account for the needs of a young person, our pathway has an appeals process:

• An appeal can be made at any point between 28 days and 12 months following the Panel date to allow families time to process the outcome. After this period, a new referral would need to be made.
   
• To submit an appeal, please send a letter either via post or via email to the Chair of Panel with your initial request. You would then be asked to complete a short information form outlining your concerns, sharing information about professionals involved and giving consent for further action to be taken.
   
• When considering an appeal, we would be looking for indication that:
  • At least one professional supporting a young person feels strongly that the outcome is not representative of their presentation/does not best account for their difficulties
  • Some information or evidence was missing from the assessment process that may change the perception of the Panel
  • The interventions recommended by the Panel have not had the outcome expected
  • There is significant new information or change
     
• The appeal will then be discussed with the Panel team and the individual appealing will be notified of the Panel decision - whether to accept the appeal or not.
   
• If an appeal is accepted, the child will be allocated a new keyworker and date for a further decision to be made will be allocated. They will not be given the same key worker as previously, to ensure a fresh perspective.
   
• The appeal process will involve the new Key Worker reviewing the information already held, then meeting with the child and Parent/Carer and gathering additional information where suitable prior to the Decision-Making date already arranged.

If you have any further queries regarding the appeal process or to request an appeal request form, please contact 01902 558406.

• Debra.Baker@wolverhampton.gov.uk
• Amelia.Jackson@wolverhampton.gov.uk     
• 01902 558406
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