Autism Diagnostic Service (LADS)
Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service Referral Form
Self-referrals
We provide the option to self-refer. To do this, please fill in the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service Referral Form and return it to referral.lypft@nhs.net. Please find a printer friendly version of the Referral Form. Please complete the form in full and include as much information as possible. Referrals that aren’t complete or don’t meet the referral criteria below will be declined.
To self-refer, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be above the age of 18. If you are below the age of 18, you are advised to be referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
- Be registered with a GP in Leeds – one of the practices listed as a Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group member practice.
- Consent to the referral: please ensure that you understand the assessment process and are willing to take part. Please also be prepared for the possible outcomes of the assessment, including the possibility of not being diagnosed with autism.
- Have experienced autistic features during childhood: Autism is a developmental condition, and the features of autism are usually apparent in childhood. Be prepared to share your childhood experiences with professionals in the service. During the assessment process, it is helpful to have information available from family members. If school reports, speech and language reports or medical reports from childhood are available, this can help the process. If information from a family member is not available, we can still go ahead with the assessment, but it is more difficult to reach a firm conclusion.
If the referral form does not meet these criteria, we’ll send you a letter within five days advising you what to do next. This may involve getting more information from you or directing you to another service that could better meet your needs.
If your referral is accepted, you will be sent a letter within five days to let you know you have been placed on the waiting list and advise of the next steps.
This letter will include a ‘Request for Information’, ‘Developmental History’ and ‘Collateral information’ form. Please complete these forms and return them as soon as possible. We will include more information about these forms when we write to inform you that we have accepted your referral.
Self-referrals help
What to do if you need help completing the form
We know that filling in our referral form can be hard for some people. Unfortunately, we cannot give you direct help with filling in the forms. We are working with NHS commissioners and the Leeds Autism Hub to see if pre-diagnostic support could be offered in future, but this is not available at present. You could ask a relative, friend or healthcare professional to help you with the forms. If you would like to informally discuss your referral, you can call the service on 0113 85 50712. If you need the referral information or referral form in an easy-read form or in a different language, please let us know.
How and when will I find out if my referral has been accepted, and what do I need to do next?
Referrals are looked at on a daily basis. If your form is not fully filled in, or indicates that autism is unlikely, we may decide that our service isn’t suitable for you at this time.
Booking your initial assessment
Once we have received your forms, we will add you to our appointment booking waiting list.
When space becomes available, you will receive an appointment letter. If you are unable to attend this appointment, you must notify the service as soon as possible.
We mostly complete our initial assessments by video call (Attend Anywhere). Please let us know whether you would prefer your appointment to be face-to-face or via video call, and we will do our best to accommodate.
We normally book appointments with 1-2 weeks’ notice. We do sometimes get cancellations, so if you are available to attend an appointment at short notice, please state this on the form you receive with your initial referral acceptance letter.
GP Referrals
To make a referral to our service, please complete and return the Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service referral form to referral.lypft@nhs.net.
To support you in ensuring the correct degree of information is provided, you can download a referral example.
Please complete the referral form in full and include as much detail as possible. Referrals which are incomplete or don’t meet our referral criteria will be returned. Please use a secure email address such as nhs.net when submitting your referral form.
Referrals will not be accepted if they are for someone who:
- Is under 18. You are advised to refer anyone under the age of 18 to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
- Is not registered with a GP in Leeds – one of the practices listed as a Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group member practice
- Does not consent to the referral. (We have experienced service users being referred without full consent, e.g. when a referral is submitted by a carer)
- Did not experience autism features during childhood.
If there is a mental health or substance misuse problem which may affect the autism assessment, please contact us on 0113 85 50712 to discuss this before sending the referral.
How to refer for consultancy
We are commissioned to receive consultancy referrals from secondary mental health staff and social care staff only. Full details of our consultancy service can be found on the Information for Professionals Page. Please note, we do not accept self-referrals for consultancy. If you are not sure whether your service user meets consultancy criteria, please contact the service to discuss.
Leeds Autism Diagnostic Service staff will take responsibility for writing a summary of the discussion after the consultation.
If you would like to make a referral for consultancy, please use this referral form and email to referral.lypft@nhs.net.