Neurodevelopmental Service

Multiple locations

Main information

Type of service: Diagnostic services

Neurodevelopmental Service assesses adults over the age of 18 years who live in Brighton and Hove and East Sussex for autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) including Asperger syndrome. We also accept county-wide referrals for Tourette syndrome and related tic disorders and accept referrals from Brighton and Hove only for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The services we provide include:

• Diagnosis
• Assessment of need
• Recommendations

How can I access the Neurodevelopmental Service?

As a first step, you should make an appointment to see a general practitioner (GP) who will be able to talk to you about your concerns. Your GP will then be able make a referral to an Assessment Treatment Centre (ATC).

If you are over 18 years and would like an assessment for an autism spectrum condition, ADHD or Tourette syndrome you will need to be referred to the Neurodevelopmental Service via an ATC.

The Neurodevelopmental Service cannot accept self-referrals, nor can we currently accept referrals directly from GPs.

What happens when you receive my referral?

When we receive your referral we will send you a letter letting you know it has arrived. The letter will include a form for you to complete and return to us asking what your preferred contact method is for the future. Once we have received this form you will be placed on a waiting list for an assessment with our team.

Where will my appointment take place?

Assessments take place at our clinic which is based at East Brighton Community Mental Health Centre at the Assessment and Treatment Centre, Brighton General Hospital, Elm Grove, Brighton, BN2 3EW. We will contact you to arrange the date and time that suits you best.

Should I bring anyone with me to the appointment?

If possible, we will ask you to come to the appointment with a parent, carer or someone who you have known for a long time and trust. We will ask you if you mind us speaking to the people you bring with you about your life. This is important as we need to understand if there have been any concerns in your childhood, because this will help us give the correct diagnosis. People close to you can also often point out things you may forget to bring up in the assessment. If you have other information such as school reports or letters from earlier assessments that can help so please bring these along too.

What happens during a first assessment?

A member of the team will introduce themselves and will explain what is going to happen during the appointment. They will then ask you questions about your life. Don't worry if you aren't able to answer some of the questions as we know some people find it difficult to remember things. If you have bought someone with you, a member of the team may ask you if they can answer the questions you struggle with or give them some more information. If you haven't bought anyone else along a member of the team may ask if you can think of a person they can phone to ask the questions you cannot answer. Throughout the process the person you are talking to will be making notes about what you say. This is so when the appointment is over they can remember everything. Some people need more than one assessment appointment so at the end of the assessment appointment you and the person you are seeing will discuss if this is needed.

Assessments will last different amounts of time, depending on what you are being assessed for. First assessment appointments for autism spectrum conditions last three hours.

What happens after the assessment?

After the assessment, the members of the team who saw you will put all the information they have written down into a report. Sometimes this can take a few weeks so please be patient. When the report is done the team will send you a copy of the report. The report will tell you if you have the condition which you are being assessed for or not. If you have any questions about the report, you can phone or email the team. Following a diagnosis and depending on the course of action we agree with you, we may book you in for a follow-up appointment. Sometimes we sign-post people to other services which may be beneficial for them. .

Multi-disciplinary assessment: Yes. Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Speech and Language Therapy, Specialist Nurse Practitioner, Psychological Therapy (CBT).