A questionnaire tool to identify the support needs of neurodivergent children and young people ahead of them potentially receiving a formal assessment is being trialled in Southampton.
The Neurodiversity Profiling Tool, originally developed by Portsmouth City Council, is being digitised and adapted for a pilot project led by Southampton City Council.
In a unique approach, the tool focuses from the outset on the young person's strengths and interests rather than what they find challenging.
This strengths-based approach is informed by research conducted by the Autism Community Research Network @Southampton (ACoRNS), a research centre at the University of Southampton.
The research focuses on including the voices of autistic children and young people, who may communicate in diverse ways. It has included using video cameras and wearable cameras to capture the strengths, interests, communication and interaction preferences and support needs of autistic children.
The work was led by Sarah Parsons, Professor of Autism and Inclusion, and Hanna Kovshoff, Professor of Neurodiversity.
Professor Parsons said: "Our work is focused on hearing and including the voices of autistic children and young people, and their families. We start with establishing a child's strengths and interests and what they are good at, rather than beginning with what the concerns or issues might be."
Southampton City Council has embedded this unique 'positive first' approach into the tool.
"The tool is intended as a first step that schools and other professionals can adopt to assess the needs of children who they want to support, possibly in advance of them receiving a formal neurodiversity assessment and potential diagnosis," explained Professor Parsons.
Professor Kovshoff said: "Using the framework of our research, which places children's voices front and centre, changes the original purpose of the tool to enable different people to share knowledge about a child, as often children, parents and teachers can have quite different perspectives and understanding of a child's strengths and needs."
Professor Parsons added: "This work will enable earlier support for more children, which is a key focus of the Government's recent announcement on reforms for SEND ."
David Anthony, SENDCo at Banister Primary School, Independent SEN Consultant and Founder of SENDForwardUK, has used the pilot tool.
He said: "It has been a great tool for capturing information and navigating those initial conversations with parents or other professionals. For families who are unsure if they want to pursue an assessment for autism or ADHD, it has been a good tool to explore the ideas of need around the child.
"We are using it as a tool to decide if a referral will be needed or not. We are in the early stages of this. We are also using the tool for families who are already on the waiting list and looking for strategies and support. The tool is a great resource for capturing this information."
Ross Sanderson, Neurodiversity Family Engagement Practitioner at Southampton City Council, said: "We want to embrace and celebrate neurodiversity. The aim of the tool is to find out what the child likes and what they are good at, which focuses everything on them and helps to build a rapport from the start."
The tool will help to provide support in the face of long waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments. The current longest waiting lists for assessments in Southampton are two years and 16 weeks for autism, and three years and three weeks for ADHD.
The tool is part of a wider project led by Southampton City Council and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support neurodiversity. The ICB has led developments across the system to provide early support for neurodiversity.
The project is implementing a five-stage process, including open access support at bookable sessions, online support materials, targeted help such as therapy and parenting workshops, as well as formal assessment and ongoing support.
Daniel Beck, Strategic Lead for SEND Services at the city council, said: "Current support for neurodivergent children and young people is diagnostic-led, with only a small proportion of them receiving support - and many of those receiving inadequate support. This project is about introducing responsive support without a formal diagnosis being needed, empowering healthcare professionals, schools, children and families."
Information collected via the tool is held for the benefit of parents or carers, for them to share with health or education professionals as appropriate.
The tool is being piloted at 38 education settings in Southampton. It will then support wider work to transform provisions for neurodivergent children and young people across Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
