If you have concerns about your child or young person, you should firstly speak to your GP, health visitor or other professional involved with your child.
A health professional may make a referral to the Paediatric ASD Service. All referrals are processed through a central point and appointments are offered on a chronological basis across the Northern Trust area. Please see the Paediatric ASD Service referral form on the Trust website.

Paediatric ASD Service
The Paediatric ASD Service offers services to children or young people and their families in assessing and diagnosing ASD and also support if a diagnosis is made with the aim to:

Provide and deliver a high quality assessment and diagnostic service for children and young people where concerns regarding ASD have been identified

Give support to children or young people with a diagnosis of ASD and their families
Support professionals within the Northern Trust working with children or young people with ASD.

The Paediatric ASD Service is made up of a range of health and educational professionals (multi-disciplinary) including:
Community Pediatricians
Speech and Language Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Educational Psychologist
Clinical Psychologist
Intervention Therapists
ASD Assistants

See the Northern Trust website A-Z of services for further information.
The Paediatric Autism Service have launched their “Exploring ASD” podcast series
aimed at parents and carers of autistic young people. It is hoped this innovative format will help support families through the challenging experiences of the pandemic.
The podcasts are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. They are presented, recorded and published by the Paediatric ASD team and address topics such as; Conversations to have before an ASD assessment, Why does my child go from 0-100?, Good sleep and how to get it, Supporting what you say in a visual way
• Spotify:

• Apple podcasts:

• Google podcasts:
https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80NmRjNGZlYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==
•
Paediatric ASD helpline
for parents where children are diagnosed or awaiting diagnosis – 028 25633777 or via email
Paediatricautismservice@northerntrust.hscni.net.
Operates Monday-Friday 9.30am – 4pm.