ASD Diagnostic Clinic
As everyone is aware our country is in crisis when it comes to autism diagnostic assessments.
We have significantly long waiting lists, a lack of professionals trained to deliver the
assessments and not enough outreach to deliver the needed support to children, young
people and families. I have spent the past 7 years researching the impact of ASD, mental
health and services on young people and families. I have researched the impact of the CDAC
waiting list, the experiences of mental health services for parents, anxiety in females with
ASD, along with audits into waiting lists, referrals and professional understanding and
training of the condition.
In 2021 we opened an affordable diagnostic clinic here at The Butterfly Room, but, due to my
health this clinic was postponed in April 2021 and I know many of you are patiently awaiting
the reopening. However, behind the scenes I have been working very hard on this crisis that
we are experiencing which has only become worse due to Covid-19.
I have been honoured and pleased to be involved with meeting with University College London, Cambridge University, Devon NHS Trust and Lincoln NHS Trust to discuss this crisis and I have been working with NHS trusts outside of our area to help reduce waiting lists and assist with virtual assessments to those in crisis. I have now been offered an opportunity to lead and develop a 3 month project in collaboration within an area of the UK. Within this area of the country the CDAC waiting lists are some of the highest in the county and I have been asked to redesign the pathway, assess and review referrals and find ways to reduce the waiting lists. It is then hoped that if we are successful we will roll this out throughout other trusts throughout NHS England. I then, from 2022 am honoured to be working with some of the most well respected names in the field collaborating with UCL, Cambridge and NHS England to review, research and evidence virtual and face to face ASD assessments – to redesign, develop and ensure that we are working to reduce wait times and provide ethical, conclusive and robust assessments of ASD regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or social economic status.
Due to these projects I have made the decision to not reopen the diagnostic clinic at The Butterfly Room at this time. I feel it counterproductive to be offering a paid service when my time is needed to be spent working on this crisis and ensuring that we are doing all we can to reduce NHS wait times and redevelop what is clearly wrong with our pathway. I know that this will be disappointing for some but we will still be offering our screening assessments, and supporting local Private paediatricians with ADOS assessments as needed but when looking at the bigger picture , my values and morals lead me to believe that at this time my efforts must be focused on supporting these projects to ensure that we can reduce wait times, provide robust streamlined assessments and perhaps finally be able to make this whole process and experience quicker, more supportive and less traumatic.
I started my journey as a psychologist working as a trainee in the CDAC clinics, and focused all my research and hours into learning about ASD, the diagnostics, the families, the young people and how we can help and how we can do better, and it seems fitting that I have now gone full circle and am back within the NHS, putting my research and theory into practice.
I am still and always will be actively overseeing The Butterfly Room along with our HR Emma and Centre Manager Claire, and am so proud of all we are achieving by providing low cost specialist therapy. We have some exciting projects and groups coming up this year which I hope everyone will love but from September I will be focusing on the NHS project and Research along with Noah’s Room Charity and trying (!) to make our SEN world a better place. I hope to re-evaluate the decision regarding the diagnostic service toward the end of the year but, here’s hoping, that our efforts are not in vain and maybe…just maybe, families won’t need to seek private diagnosis in the future.
We have significantly long waiting lists, a lack of professionals trained to deliver the
assessments and not enough outreach to deliver the needed support to children, young
people and families. I have spent the past 7 years researching the impact of ASD, mental
health and services on young people and families. I have researched the impact of the CDAC
waiting list, the experiences of mental health services for parents, anxiety in females with
ASD, along with audits into waiting lists, referrals and professional understanding and
training of the condition.
In 2021 we opened an affordable diagnostic clinic here at The Butterfly Room, but, due to my
health this clinic was postponed in April 2021 and I know many of you are patiently awaiting
the reopening. However, behind the scenes I have been working very hard on this crisis that
we are experiencing which has only become worse due to Covid-19.
I have been honoured and pleased to be involved with meeting with University College London, Cambridge University, Devon NHS Trust and Lincoln NHS Trust to discuss this crisis and I have been working with NHS trusts outside of our area to help reduce waiting lists and assist with virtual assessments to those in crisis. I have now been offered an opportunity to lead and develop a 3 month project in collaboration within an area of the UK. Within this area of the country the CDAC waiting lists are some of the highest in the county and I have been asked to redesign the pathway, assess and review referrals and find ways to reduce the waiting lists. It is then hoped that if we are successful we will roll this out throughout other trusts throughout NHS England. I then, from 2022 am honoured to be working with some of the most well respected names in the field collaborating with UCL, Cambridge and NHS England to review, research and evidence virtual and face to face ASD assessments – to redesign, develop and ensure that we are working to reduce wait times and provide ethical, conclusive and robust assessments of ASD regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or social economic status.
Due to these projects I have made the decision to not reopen the diagnostic clinic at The Butterfly Room at this time. I feel it counterproductive to be offering a paid service when my time is needed to be spent working on this crisis and ensuring that we are doing all we can to reduce NHS wait times and redevelop what is clearly wrong with our pathway. I know that this will be disappointing for some but we will still be offering our screening assessments, and supporting local Private paediatricians with ADOS assessments as needed but when looking at the bigger picture , my values and morals lead me to believe that at this time my efforts must be focused on supporting these projects to ensure that we can reduce wait times, provide robust streamlined assessments and perhaps finally be able to make this whole process and experience quicker, more supportive and less traumatic.
I started my journey as a psychologist working as a trainee in the CDAC clinics, and focused all my research and hours into learning about ASD, the diagnostics, the families, the young people and how we can help and how we can do better, and it seems fitting that I have now gone full circle and am back within the NHS, putting my research and theory into practice.
I am still and always will be actively overseeing The Butterfly Room along with our HR Emma and Centre Manager Claire, and am so proud of all we are achieving by providing low cost specialist therapy. We have some exciting projects and groups coming up this year which I hope everyone will love but from September I will be focusing on the NHS project and Research along with Noah’s Room Charity and trying (!) to make our SEN world a better place. I hope to re-evaluate the decision regarding the diagnostic service toward the end of the year but, here’s hoping, that our efforts are not in vain and maybe…just maybe, families won’t need to seek private diagnosis in the future.