Parents of children and young people who have been waiting for an autism assessment for longer than 12 months are being written to by NHS Devon as part of a joint project with Children and Family Health Devon.
The letters are being sent throughout December and January to all parents whose children have been waiting that long, starting with those who have been waiting the longest.
The purpose of the letter is to reassure parents that they’ve not been forgotten and to let them know that health providers are working hard to offer children and young people assessments as soon as possible.
The letter also asks parents if they have any reports, letters or assessments from either NHS or private providers, about their child, that they’ve not already shared with their local health provider. For example, reports from Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Psychologists, Mental Health services, or Education Psychologists.
If parents do have reports that their local health provider may not already have seen, please send copies to them, because it may help them complete their child’s assessment sooner.
The letter includes details of where to send such reports, letters or assessments. So, if you are a parent of a child who has been waiting for an autism assessment for longer than a year, please look out for a letter from Children and Family Health Devon, between now and the middle of February 2025.