The Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS) provides assessment and diagnosis of people of all intellectual ability who may have autism who live in Leeds.
Our team includes:
- Clinical lead, consultant learning disability psychiatrist with extensive experience in autism – four days per week
- Clinical team manager / occupational therapist – full time
- Consultant general adult psychiatrist – two days per week
- Speciality doctor – two and a half days per week
- Speech and language therapist – two days per week
- Autism nurse, band 6 – full time
- Autism nurse, band 5 – 4 days
- Occupational therapist – 1 day
- Two service support secretaries – one full time and one part-time.
- One administrator, band 4 – part-time
- Visiting trainee doctors
- Student nurses
We have created the following four short films, which aim to provide a brief insight into what it might be like for people who have autism.
In these films we hear from Dr James McGrath, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Leeds Beckett University, who was recently diagnosed by our service, as he talks about his own experience and what it’s like for him to have autism..
We are happy to receive referrals for all adults over the age of 18 years regardless of their IQ. This includes people who also have a learning disability or other developmental conditions. Service users, carers and professionals can make referrals by contacting our Trust’s Single Point of Access on 0300 300 1485.
Autism is a developmental condition and the signs and symptoms are most obvious at four to five years of age. If information from a family member is not available, it may not be possible to reach a conclusion. If school reports, speech and language reports or medical reports from childhood are available, this can assist in the process.
You can download a copy of the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS) care pathway for more information on what happens following referral.
Please note that a follow up appointment is only offered to those who receive a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Consultancy and advice
If you have been diagnosed with autism, we can currently offer a one-off consultancy appointment for you, your carers and other professionals. You will receive some questionnaires to complete prior to the appointment and a copy of your diagnostic report will be requested. If there is any doubt about the diagnosis you will be offered the opportunity to access the clinical pathway for a full assessment.
The team currently offers training to NHS and other staff including; GPs, social services staff and staff working for voluntary and private providers. All other requests for training will be considered.
When appropriate, service users are asked to assist us with training other professionals.
We are always pleased to receive feedback about our service and we encourage service users and their carers to complete the Friends and Family Test questionnaire.
If you have any concerns these can be addressed with a member of the team or by contacting PALS. The Trust also has a complaints procedure and we are happy to provide details of this.
More information on autism can be found by visiting the sites below: