First Appointment

First Appointment

This appointment is an opportunity to talk to the paediatrician about your child's development and behaviour. You may want to prepare notes beforehand (you may want to write down things you may not want your child to hear) or bring some videos of behaviours that you would like the paediatrician to see. Please make sure that you take consent from your child before you take the video and please make sure that it will not cause your child distress.

Your child would normally attend this appointment with you. While you are talking with the doctor you may wish to bring something with you to entertain your child.

View and download our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or you can find the questions at the bottom of this page.

Talking about your child
In your assessment, your paediatrician will talk to you and your child about different parts of your life to help them get to know your child.

Your paediatrician will ask questions about:

what your child is good at and what they find difficult
any worries you or your child have
how your child gets on at home, at school and in other situations
how your child talks to and gets on with other people.

We will also think about:

any other physical or mental health problems your child might have
anything else that might be making things harder for your child
anything that might have affected your child’s growth and
development.

Some children will require a physical examination as part of their assessment. Your paediatrician will talk to you and your child about what this might include.

There will also be an opportunity for the paediatrician to watch how your child plays, communicates and interacts with the environment and other people.

The appointment lengths will vary depending on the type of assessment needed. However the first appointment may last up to 1 ½ hours. It can be longer if other specialists are present at the assessment.

At the end of the appointment your paediatrician will be able to tell you what the next steps in the assessment will be. This will be dependent on what the initial referral questions were and the current concerns are. More information on the next steps are on the next page.

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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ's

Do I have to bring my child to all appointments?

At the first appointment we would like to meet your child because our assessment would involve talking with them, completing some activities and/or playing with them. However there can be some appointments where you might just want to focus on talking with the doctor and it might be better if your child remains at school/nursery or home.
Who else can I bring with me to appointments?

You are welcome to bring another person with you that can support you at appointments. This might be a staff member from your child’s nursery or school. It could also be relative or friend. During the COVID-19 pandemic please let us know if you do want to bring somebody so that we can make appropriate arrangements (sometimes education staff can attend virtually via a video link).
Can I bring my child’s toys, books or playthings to the appointment?

Yes! These appointments can be long and it might be nice for your child to have their familiar things with them to keep them entertained while you are talking with your doctor. This will not affect the assessment process as it is important for us to understand what interests your child and how they play.

We may use specific toys and items to assess your child's development and behaviour. We will let you and your child know when and if these will be needed.
Can I bring food for my child to the appointment?

Of course! We understand that some of the children coming for assessment can be very fussy about what they eat and when they eat. You are therefore welcome to bring snacks and drinks for your child.
Are there changing and toilet facilities available that I can use for my child?

Yes, we provide appropriate changing and toilet facilities for children, young people and their families.
Can I change my appointment?

Yes. If you’re not able to attend your appointment please let us know as soon as possible. We can then make another appointment for you at a time that is more convenient and offer that appointment to someone else.
English is not my first language?

When we book your appointment we will ask if you will need an interpreter. If you need one, we will arrange for a professional interpreter to join the appointments so that you can focus o your child and the appointment.
I have a hearing impairment and require a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter?

When we book your appointment we will ask if you will need a BSL interpreter to support you with your hearing impairment . If you need one, we will arrange for a professional interpreter to join the appointments so that you can focus o your child and the appointment.
Is it possible to have appointments outside of school hours?

We run clinics in the mornings and afternoons. We offer the last appointment at 3.30pm. We do run Saturday clinics but these have limited availability and you may wait longer for these appointments. When you book the appointment the booking clerk will run through the available appointments to find a time more suits you and your child.
What happens if the appointment runs late because the clinician is busy with another patient?

As far as possible we will try to run appointments on time. However, sometimes this is not possible. If we are running late we will try to let you know how much longer you will need to wait, so that you can make appropriate plans and reassure your child.
Will my child be in the room the whole time? / What if I want to share some concerns but not in front of my child?

In preparation for your appointment, you can complete the 'Tell Me Your Story' form, where you can share your concerns in writing for the doctor to read at the appointment.

If you want to talk about these with the doctor, and there is another suitable adult present, we can arrange that your child leaves the room with this adult while you have more sensitive discussions about your child. If this is not possible we can arrange for you to talk with your doctor on the telephone after the appointment. Please discuss this during the appointment.
Why do I need to see a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Some speech and language therapists (SLT) work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with paediatricians and other professionals in assessing, diagnosing and supporting autistic children and young people. These SLTs are specifically trained in assessing the following areas that will support the diagnosis of autism:
- Social communication
- Social interaction
- Play, imagination and flexibility of thought (e.g. difficulty with coping in sudden changes in routine or seeing things from other people’s point of view)
- Restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours or interests
Please see our jargon buster page for more information about the above areas.
Any other questions?

If you have any other questions please contact the Children's Community Health HUB on 0300 555 0606

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What to expect at your Neurodevelopmental appointment

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ's