The NHS national wait times for ASD and ADHD assessments are at an all time high, which ultimately means undiagnosed young people are going without support, this is why we have developed a service called PARS (professional assessment, report and support).
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PARS has been designed, not only to be a crucial and thorough piece of clinical evidence to go alongside a collection of other professional reports that will be completed in preparation for the NHS MAAT panel meetings, but to most importantly support the young person with their own personal experience of being neurodivergent.
We have successfully helped many families with the award of their young person's diagnosis with PARS.
The PARS process begins with an assessment where we will complete a clinician observation with the young person, we will then send another version of the observation form to parents, teachers and caregivers to complete. Following this, the young person will have 12 weekly sessions with a therapist, and although the therapist will be collecting further evidence for the overall outcome report in these sessions, their main purpose is to help young people understand themselves a little better, not limited to; exploring their emotional and psychosocial triggers, developing their emotional intelligence, their ability to regulate, articulate, and express their emotions in a healthier way, and teaching them essential coping techniques and strategies to support symptom management of their difficulties.
This package also offers full support and guidance for parents, teachers and caregivers alongside the young person sessions, so that the techniques and strategies learnt in session, can be applied simultaneously to their wider life.
On completion of the sessions, we will provide the family with a detailed report, including clinical, educational, and psychosocial recommendations, that can then be used as evidence for the NHS, to support an EHCP with the local authority, request additional support within the young persons education setting, and also support a Disability Living Allowance application if required.
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** Disclaimer **
The outcome of PARS is NOT equivalent to an NHS diagnosis for ASD or ADHD.
For an NHS diagnosis you must have an assessment performed by the community paediatric team (ASD), or CAMHS (ADHD) for which a referral must be made through your own GP – this can be a lengthy process.
PARS was designed to identify neurodivergent markers, assist with an understanding of the clients condition, and to support the learning of coping strategies and tools to manage their symptoms.
In line with the SEN and disability code of practice (2015) there is no basis in law for a local authority to reject a professional diagnostic report simply because it was privately obtained, which means PARS is perfectly acceptable evidence to present to schools for support with any issues the child or young person experiences in the education setting, or for parents to apply for an education health care plan (EHCP) with the local authority, and it can also be very helpful to the community paediatric team, or CAMHS as evidence towards an NHS diagnosis, and medication if required.