Referral for an Autism diagnostic assessment
Print this pageThe Autism Hub accepts referrals for children & young people (CYP - up to the age of 18), registered with a GP in Bristol and South Gloucestershire, who are experiencing difficulties and differences that are associated with Autism.
What is the Autism Assessment Hub?
Who can make a referral?
- Parents and carers
- Health care professionals: e.g. Community Paediatricians, Speech & Language Therapists, GPs, School Health Nurses
- Education staff e.g. Early Years setting or school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), nursery key worker
How do I make a referral?
Referrals to the Autism Hub must contain detailed evidence of:
- Significant difficulties which impact the child/young person’s (CYP’s) daily life
- The difficulties the CYP experiences at home and at nursery/ school/ college. Let us know if this if they act differently in these two places.
- Difficulties in the areas of development, such as social communication and interaction, and restricted and repetitive behaviours.
- From February 2021, there have been some changes to the referral process for pre school children –
please see this letter
The following forms/questionnaires help gather this information, and must all be included:
Forms for children under 11 years (Early Years & Primary School children)
 Bristol and South Gloucestershire Single Point of Entry (SPE) form (last updated 31.07.2020) |
If you are not the CYP's parent/carer, please make sure you have consent from a person with parental responsibility |
| Parent questionnaire - early years and primary school age |
If parents have different views, then we encourage both parents to complete a questionnaire |
| If the child does not attend an Educational Setting, then these questionnaires are not required. Please send any information from other sources (e.g. Hospital Education Service) |
Forms for children over 11 years Secondary School students)
| Bristol and South Gloucestershire Single Point of Entry (SPE) form (last updated 09.02.21)) |
If you are not the CYP's parent/carer, please make sure you have consent from a person with parental responsibility |
| Parent questionnaire - secondary school age |
If parents have different views, then we encourage both parents to complete a questionnaire |
| If the child does not attend an Educational Setting, then these questionnaires are not required. Please send any information from other sources (e.g. Hospital Education Service) | |
| Young person information to support referral |
Optional for young people to share information about themselves |
Please complete forms/questionnaires in full, and send to:
Community Children’s Health Partnership,
Single Point of Entry,
Unit 9 Eastgate Office Centre,
Eastgate Road,
Eastville,
Bristol,
BS5 6XX
Tel: 0117 340 8201
Email: sirch.singlepointofentry@nhs.net
What happens after a referral is made
If the referral is accepted, the child/young person's name will be added to the waiting list*. If the referral is not accepted, the triage team may suggest other professionals who can help.
*Children/Young people are added to the waiting list when they are first referred to our service and the majority are invited for an assessment when they reach the top of the list. We recognise all children are different and we choose the most appropriate type of assessment from a range of different options. The availability of these assessments and also the child’s individual needs can result in a child/young person being seen sooner or sometimes needing to wait longer.
What happens to my referral after it's been submitted?
Coming for an appointment
We carry out a detailed assessment of each CYP, and the type of appointment will depend on the CYP’s needs.
Appointment invitations will include information about the type of appointment offered and how to get to the Hub, including public transport details. Please contact us if you have any questions.
