May 2010
A new service has been launched at Spire Hull & East Riding Hospital - ‘HERADS’ Hull & East Riding Autism Diagnostic Service for Children & Adolescents from 5-19 years.
The service will be led by Dr H Rasool, FRCPsych UK Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. Dr Rasool has been a Consultant with the local Humber NHS Foundation Trust for the last 15 years. She retired recently from the NHS & is now developing this diagnostic service as services in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for assessment & diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorders are poor & patchy. Dr Rasool has extensive experience in the assessment & treatment of complex Child & Adolescent mental disorders. She has a special interest in childhood Neuro- developmental disorders like Autism and ADHD.
Dr Rasool will be joined by Dr H Thackray MBBS(UK) who is an Associate Specialist in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and has worked closely with Dr Rasool for the last 8 years gaining extensive experience in the assessment & treatment of Child & Adolescent disorders.
Both Dr Rasool & Dr Thackray are formally trained in the use of validated assessment tools for the diagnosis of ASD.
Autistic Spectrum Disorders are Pervasive Developmental Disorders affecting social interaction & social reciprocity, language & communication. Children & young people with these disorders may or may not have associated cognitive difficulties & some may be of superior intelligence. They present with numerous behavioural difficulties both at home & school as the demands & challenges of normal socialization & communication increase. Their needs are not always identified & they are at risk of under achieving, social isolation & even exclusion from school. A formal diagnosis of ASD is the only way to access provision of service, especially educational provision that a child or young person needs – there is therefore a strong rationale for timely & accurate diagnosis.
This diagnostic service will be entirely Out- patient based. Referrals will be accepted from the child’s GP & other secondary health care professionals either for a diagnosis or a second opinion, as well as professionals from education, social services, voluntary services & support groups, the legal profession & directly from parents. The criteria for referral will be any behavioural or emotional problems which appear to be linked to the child’s difficulties with social interaction, understanding of language & communication. A complete package will include 4 sessions which will involve the child & parents & include formal testing using validated tools. At the end of this a formal report will be produced outlining areas of strengths & difficulties, diagnosis, identification of needs & recommendations. Any Co-morbid disorders will also be identified & parents will be signposted to appropriate local services. The service will not offer follow up/treatment but will give clear recommendations for the child’s needs within both health & education.
Assessment Structure
Session 1 – 1 hour duration
Parents and child/young person interview, where appropriate the young person will be interviewed separately. A detailed medical, developmental, psychiatric and family history will be taken. If indicated, after this the ASD assessment will proceed to sessions 2, 3 and 4.
Session 2 – 2 hours duration
3Di computerized interview for parents only, this is a detailed multidimensional interview, developed by the Institute of Psychiatry in London.
Session 3 – 1 hour duration
ADOS Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. This is a recorded observation assessment of the child/young person. The child/young person will be accompanied by their parent, to this appointment, depending on the child’s age the parent may be requested to sit in this assessment, but not participate.
Session 4 – 1 hour duration
Meeting with the family for feed back. This would include a detailed written report, explaining the findings of the assessments and consequent recommendations.
To make an appointment please call 01482 672444