The Ealing CAMHS neurodevelopmental team is a specialist NHS child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) for children and young people.
We provide multidisciplinary assessment and treatment for children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and chronic tic disorders or tourette’s syndrome (TS).
Our team is made up of CAMHS professionals from different backgrounds, that work together to provide multi-disciplinary care. This includes child and adolescent psychiatrists, family therapists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and administrators.
The service is for children and young people who are aged 6-17 years of age, and who:
- Do not have a learning disability or attend a special needs schools
- Are registered with a GP in the London Borough of Ealing.
There are different ways to access support from the service. Referrals can be made by any professional working with children, young people and families, such as:
- General Practitioners (GP)
- Teachers or other school staff
- School nurses
- Special educational needs coordinators in schools
- Social workers
- Paediatricians
- Speech and language therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Educational psychologists.
Parents can discuss worries about their child with any professional involved in the child’s care or if old enough and able to, the young person can discuss this with the GP or other professionals themselves. If the professionals think specialist help is needed, they can make a referral to us by completing the service referral form and request an assessment appointment.
If they are unsure whether they should make a referral or a concerned about a child or young person, they can contact the service and speak to the duty CAMHS professional who can provide information and guidance.
Referrals deemed clinically urgent will be prioritised to be seen. Emergency CAMHS services can be accessed 24/7 by visiting the A and E department of West Middlesex University Hospital or other nearby hospitals (Hillingdon Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital).
We have created a referral leaflet that outlines how these referrals can be made and the documentation required for a referral requesting a neurodevelopmental assessment.
Download the referral information leaflet (PDF)
If you are a professional looking to refer a young person to the service, please complete the online referral form
We have produced a brochure with Ealing local resources - for children and young people who have been referred to our service and are awaiting assessment.
A neurodevelopmental assessment will inform whether the child has or has not got a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder. There are a number of things you can do to help your child while you waitfor the assessment.
We have put together some advice on how you can support your child’s development and learning as well as managing possible challenging behaviour. You will find a variety of local resources available in the London Borough of Ealing which we think can be of help.
The neurodevelopmental assessment will look at your child’s strengths and weaknesses to provide a full developmental profile. A neurodevelopmental assessment will inform whether the child has or has not got a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder.
As part of this assessment, we aim to gather as much information from a range of sources - this will include liaising with the school and other professionals involved, with the permission of the family and young person.
Our assessments follow the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on neurodevelopmental assessments and typically consist of a number of appointments, including:
- Gathering of standardised questionnaires from home, school and young people
- Meeting with your child and family to discuss concerns and to gather information on family background, educational history, medical history, and any risky or challenging behaviour your child may be displaying
- A detailed developmental and symptom history, which involves asking questions about your child’s early years
- Assessment appointments will be booked as needed, which will include clinical observation of your child. Further assessment appointments will be booked according to any additional information or observation we need to do.
Following assessment, the clinicians leading this will meet with you to inform you of the outcome. They will recommend appropriate services and resources according to your child’s needs.
If following the neurodevelopmental assessment, your child received a neurodevelopmental diagnosis, you will be invited to attend a psychoeducation group at Ealing CAMHS - this will be tailored to the diagnosis (ASD, ADHD or tic disorders) with other parents as part of NICE guidelines pathway to care.
Following this, the parents or guardian and the young person (where appropriate) will be invited to attend a follow-up session to review the child’s progress and ongoing behaviours.
Any concerns will be discussed at that time and your child may be signposted to appropriate services to meet their needs as required. For ADHD or tic disorders to a certain degree of clinical severity, the clinicians will discuss with the young person and parents the consideration of initiating a medication trial for your child.
If your child presents with ongoing mental health needs such as anxiety, long-standing low mood or depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis or trauma-related disorders - our team will consider the appropriate CAMHS team to offer support for this.