Proudly providing NHS services

Joint ADHD and Autism Assessments

One appointment. Both conditions assessed. No second referral and no second wait.
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ADHD and autism often sit side by side. Assessing them together means your child is seen once, by one clinical team, and you get a full picture rather than half an answer.

As an NHS-commissioned service, any NHS GP in England can refer your child to us. Speak with your NHS GP today about requesting a referral to Paloma Health.
What to Expect
Assessment Pathways
Talking to your GP
WHY JOINT

Why we assess for both together

The traits overlap

Difficulty focusing, sensory sensitivity and trouble with change can point to either condition, or to both. Looking at one in isolation makes it easy to miss the other.

One process, not two

Your child gives their history once. You fill in one set of questionnaires. School is asked for input once. Nothing is repeated because a second referral was needed.

A report that holds together

One team writes one report explaining how the findings fit together, so school and your GP act on a single account of your child rather than two partial ones.

We offer joint assessments for children from their 8th to 18th birthday. If you would like your child referred for both conditions, we kindly ask your GP to provide relevant context for each condition in their referral.

How our service works

Paloma Health is only available in England, and only NHS GPs in England can refer into our service

1

NHS GP referral

To begin the process, your NHS GP will need to refer your child to us.
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  • For our Remote or Hybrid Exeter pathway, your GP can complete our online referral form.
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  • For our Hybrid Norwich pathway, your GP will need to contact us directly.

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We’re happy to support your GP with any questions they may have.

2

The assessment

Our ADHD and autism assessments follow NICE and NHS guidelines and are carried out by two qualified assessors.

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The process includes:

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  • Parent and school questionnaires
  • Parent interview
  • A child observation

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We’ll keep you informed at each stage so you always know what to expect.

3

The outcome

At the end of the assessment, you will receive a clear, easy-to-understand outcome report, including a diagnosis if appropriate.

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As an NHS provider, we will also securely share the report with you and your GP, ensuring continuity of care and next steps. If your child needs medication for ADHD, they will move into our ADHD prescribing pathway for further assessment and treatment if appropriate.

We offer joint assessments for children from their 8th to 18th birthday. If you would like your child referred for both conditions, we kindly ask your GP to provide relevant context for each condition in their referral.

Compassionate experts

You may have been waiting a long time for an assessment, and it’s normal if you feel nervous or anxious about this important moment. Rest assured, you can expect the highest quality care. We work with a variety of experienced professionals who will guide you and your family toward the clarity you need.

Maria

Senior Assessor

I'm a Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of experience in ASD and ADHD assessments. I love what I do, and for me, assessments aren’t just about ticking boxes—they’re about really understanding each child and making sure families get the support they need.

Nichola

Senior Assessor

I’m a qualified and registered Social Worker with the SSSC. Over the years, I have worked with people of different ages, from infants to the elderly, in various contexts. I am passionate about helping neurodivergent people feel validated and listened to. I have a keen interest in masking behaviours and the more subtle autism presentations.

Shona

Senior Assessor

Exploring, identifying and supporting understanding of autism has been part of my Speech and Language Therapy role since I qualified in 2013. I believe strongly in individuals having the opportunity to understand themselves and their life experiences at the right time for them, and - regardless of the outcome - they should come out of assessment feeling heard, understood, validated and ultimately empowered.

What to expect during the assessment

If you suspect your child might have autism and ADHD, we understand how emotional and overwhelming this time can be. Here's what you can expect during the assessment.

Once you start the assessment, you will have access to our an Paloma Portal with valuable autism and ADHD-related information and support, curated by our clinicians.

Online questionnaires

60 minutes

Parent interview

90 minutes

Child observation

60 minutes

Outcome meeting

20 minutes

Requesting a Right to Choose referral

1
Complete a screening questionnaire
2
Book an appointment with your NHS GP
3
Prepare for your NHS GP appointment
4
Direct your GP to the Paloma Health website
Complete this short form to download your free GP referral pack
We have created a comprehensive referral document. This step-by-step guide is designed to make your preparation as smooth as possible and gives you clear, actionable advice on what to do if your GP refuses to make a referral. We have also provided a downloadable letter template that you can customise and send directly to your GP practice to request your childs assessment referral under the NHS Right to Choose pathway to Paloma Health.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
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Assessment Pathway Options

Remote pathway for children aged 8–18*
Get your child assessed from home, no travel needed. 

Wait time from when we receive social context questionnaires to first appointment is approximatley 12 weeks. Ask your GP for a referral to the "Remote Pathway”.

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Hybrid Exeter pathway for children aged 8-18
Have your child's observation appointment in person at our Exeter clinic.
Wait time from when we receive social context questionnaires to first appointment is approximatley 12 weeks. Ask your GP for a referral to the "Hybrid Exeter Pathway".
Hybrid Norwich pathway for children aged 8-18
Have your child's observation appointment in person at our Norwich clinic.
Wait time from when we receive social context questionnaires to first appointment is approximately 2 weeks. Ask your GP for a referral to the "Hybrid Norwich Pathway".

*Not all children are able to have a fully remote assessment. If your child has a diagnosed or suspected learning disability, speech and language condition or selective mutism, they must be seen in either our Exeter or Norwich clinics.

Current wait times, pathway by pathway

Waits differ by pathway and location. These are measured from when we recieve social context questionnaires to first assessment appointment, and we keep them current rather than quoting one headline figure. You can view all our current wait times, and any restrictions in place here.
PATHWAY
DELIVERY
WAIT TIME
Children's ADHD assessment, 8–18
REMOTE
9 WEEKS
Combined autism and ADHD assessment, 8-18
REMOTE
10 WEEKS
Combined autism and ADHD assessment, Exeter, 8-18
HYBRID
11 WEEKS
Combined autism and ADHD assessment, Norwich, 8-18
HYBRID
2 WEEKS

Why parents choose Paloma Health

100% NHS-Funded Care

As an official NHS Right to Choose provider, our high-quality Autism and ADHD services come at no cost to your family.

Timely Access to Care

Our remote pathway provides first appointments approximately 12 weeks after NHS GP referral.

Expert & Safe Clinical Care

Assessments are conducted by highly-qualified, multidisciplinary specialists, and neurodevelopmental assessors.

Trusted, NHS-Approved Reports

Your child's outcome report will be
recognised and accepted by schools, local authorities and other NHS services.

Clear, Supportive Communication

We provide you with regular updates , ensuring you always know the next steps in your child's assessment journey.

Expertise you can trust, care you can feel

Choosing the right provider brings peace of mind.

With a 4.9/5 rating on both Google and Trustpilot, Paloma Health is proud to be one of the highest-rated NHS Right to Choose autism services in the country, dedicated to providing a warm and thorough experience for every family.
Trustpilot
GI
Gillian

The team were all really helpful and it was great to be seen so much sooner than our local service. Thank you for all your help!

Date of experience: 21 March 2025
CT
Chelsee

Mark and the team are fantastic! Having a child with Autism is a challenge in itself let alone the waiting time to get an assessment done. Our son is now being seen within 6 months instead of 2 years. All our questions have been answered in a timely manner and emails with educational material has helped us loads.

Date of experience: 05 March 2025
HO
Holly

Fantastic experience from start to finish, kind and knowledgeable staff, who always put my mind at rest, great with the children during their assessments too.

Date of experience: 29 July 2025
ZM
Zoe

Paloma Health provided a thorough autism assessment for my son. The process from referral through to diagnosis took just shy of six months. The assessment its self was very good and the assessor was extremely patient with my child. The report provided was in great detail and provided signposting and further support recommendations.
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Very happy and extremely satisfied with Paloma Health.

Date of experience: 3 September 2025
CA
Casey

Couldn’t fault Paloma health - from start to finish was all professional and efficient from communication to in person meeting having travelled 2.5 hours from the Isle of Wight I would do it again! Quick response time to my emails and phone calls, very understanding and taken the time for me to get my information and concerns across massively appreciate everyone we had contact with.

Thank you

Date of experience: 28th August 2025
T
Tracey

Brilliant service, kept us informed of the process and were easy to contact. The assessment was very thorough. My son felt at ease. The information modules were very good.

Date of experience: 22nd August 2025
CL
Claire

I would highly recommend using Paloma Health, they are understanding, caring and the process is extremely quick to what you would normally wait. The staff are wonderful and guide you through each step and give so many helpful resources.

Date of experience: 26 August 2025
SA
Sarah

Overall experience has been great. Friendly staff and if you have any concerns they get back to promptly. I'm waiting for the ADHD assessment side to start so I can go through them for that with my daughter, because of the great experience with the ASD side.

Date of experience: 13 December 2024

Avoid the long wait for an NHS ADHD assessment

Start your child’s joint autism and ADHD assessment journey with an NHS GP referral to Paloma Health.

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