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Neurodevelopment Service

Who does the Neurodevelopment Service support?

The neurodevelopmental (ND) service provides multidisciplinary assessment, information, and advice for neurodivergent children and young people and their families in Powys. The team currently offer assessment to children and young people up to the age of 18 years old, where there are concerns regarding possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

As a service we work closely with our colleagues in health and education to find out about different areas of the child/young person’s life. Neurodevelopmental disorders describe differences in the way the brain and nervous system develop. This means that neurodivergent children and young people experience, think about, and interact with the world differently.

Opening hours

The ND Service core operating hours are 9:00am until 17:00pm Monday to Friday.

A referral can be made when there are concerns about a child or young person’s:

  • social communication and social interaction
  • repetitive behaviour/ imagination/ play
  • sensory differences
    and /or
  • attention
  • activity levels
  • impulsivity

These differences must be present in more than one place and there must be some evidence from early childhood. It must have a functional impact on the child or young person’s everyday life.

How to refer:

  • For children attending school, the recommended route for referral is via the Pupil Inclusion Panel (PIP). The school additional learning needs co-ordinator (ALNCo) is the best person to discuss this with.
  • Referrals are also made by a range of professionals including health visitors, speech and language therapists, paediatricians, CAMHS practitioners, youth intervention workers or family support workers.
  • Referrals from GPs will be also considered where it is not possible for a referral to come via school or another professional who knows the child or young person better.

A referral will be considered by a multi-disciplinary team panel of professionals.  The referral may be accepted and placed on a waiting list for diagnostic assessment or the referral will be declined if it is inappropriate, or due to lack of evidence. If the referral is declined, referrer and family are notified accordingly.

We may decline the referral if it is inappropriate or due to lack of evidence. We will send recommended actions and signposting in the case that we do not accept a referral. 

Referral email: powysndreferrals@wales.nhs.uk

From 1st February 2026, diagnostic assessment referrals to the children's neurodevelopmental should be submitted to the email address below using our new referral form.

The assessment phase is a holistic diagnostic assessment which may result in a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), sometimes both, or it may conclude that no diagnosis can be made at this time.

A diagnosis is lifelong, and it is therefore essential that we assess presenting needs thoroughly. The full assessment includes information from the family, your child’s perspective, direct observations of your child and input from other professionals.

Once all assessments are complete, our multi-disciplinary team reviews the information and agrees on an outcome. You will then be offered a feedback meeting with your lead clinician.

Some appointments will be in person, while others can be completed online using a Attend Anywhere, a secure video system similar to Zoom or Teams. The tools used during the assessment include:

  • Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R) with parent/caregiver
  • Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
  • Young DIVA5 (Parental & young person interview for ADHD) For ages 6 years+
  • Qb (ADHD Observation Assessment) For ages 6 years+
  • Conners Screening Tool (For completion by Teachers and Parents) For ages 6 years+
  • Additional screeners for parents and school/nursery, particularly useful for younger children to support ASD assessment.

The ND service is a pan-Powys service, meaning the team covers the entire county of Powys.  In our team there are nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists, healthcare support workers and doctors. Team members work from several locations across Powys but the centralised contact details for the service are:

Neurodevelopment Service
Powys Teaching Health Board
Children’s Centre Annexe
Brecon Hospital
Cerrigochion Road
Brecon
Powys
LD3 7NS

Email: powys.nd.service@wales.nhs.uk

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