Child ADHD/Autism – Right to Choose

We are receiving an increasing number of requests from parents for a referral for Autism/ADHD testing for their child in view of their Right to Choose. We are asking parents to consider this request carefully.

In fact, some educational settings are signposting to Right to Choose, suggesting that this will speed up diagnosis. In reality, we find this experience is not lived out – assessments are often done remotely without the recommended involvement of a multidisciplinary team, and many Right to Choose providers do not offer follow up or treatment.

The Cheshire and Merseyside Neurodevelopment Pathway for Children and Young People was launched in June 2025 and is in the process of being rolled out across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Under the new pathway, the aim is that all children and young people with neurodiversity will be supported, through their educational setting and/or key professional, to access an early help offer (commissioned by the ICB and Local Authority), using the Cheshire & Merseyside ‘This Is Me’ profiling tool. This is currently being rolled out across Cheshire and Merseyside during the 25-26 school year and will be completed by the educational setting and/or key professional with the child/young person and their family to develop a shared understanding of the child’s needs and strengths across up to 10 dimensions.

Our practice position, therefore, is that prior to asking us to refer your child to a “Right to Choose” provider, you firstly ask your child’s educational setting to complete an initial assessment via “This is Me tool” or alternative. Once we have physical evidence from the educational setting that the child meets the threshold for moderate/severe, we would then consider referral to an approved provider. We would not consider referrals for children who have not been assessed in the educational setting, or had not met the criteria for referral and would not enter in to shared care agreements in this case.