Our Partners
The services and teams invested in supporting and empowering neurodivergent people
ND Hub Partners
The ND Hub steering group is still in development and will include a broader membership than the previous Neurodevelopmental Training and Website team, however the following partners have been integral to our journey to date.
ADHD Nursing Team
The ADHD nursing team sits within Community Paediatrics, providing a specialist post-diagnostic nursing service to children, young people, and their families/carers following a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD.
Child Health & Disability Service
The Child Health and Disability Service supports children and families, educators, and other professionals with issues related to complex health/disability, learning disability, autism, and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
Highland Council Psychological Service
The Psychological Service is comprised of Educational Psychologists and Home Visiting Teachers working within The Highland Council to support children, young people, families, and practitioners by applying understanding of learning and development.
Highland Council – Business Support
Business Support has been providing administrative assistance to the Neurodevelopmental Training Team since it began in 2009. They have also been responsible for managing the physical aspects of the Pines Library, where users can borrow both books and support aids related to neurodevelopmental differences. The breadth, depth, and success of the provision of information and learning that’s been possible is due in no small part to the dedication and capability of the Business Support team.
NDAS Assessment Service
NDAS is a diagnostic service: it operates alongside support and intervention services but is not, itself, a support or intervention. This means that seeking support for a child can be undertaken separately to requesting assessments from NDAS. A child receiving the support they need should not be dependent upon receiving an assessment and/or diagnosis.
Occupational Therapy
The Children’s Occupational Service helps babies, children, and young people who may need support and advice if they are not able to do the occupations of daily life (ex., social activities, self-care routines, etc) due to illness, disability, family circumstances, or as a result of changes in their lives as they get older.
Paediatric Dietetics
The Paediatric Dietetics service is part of the larger Nutrition & Dietetics service based in Raigmore Hospital and the Pines building. The team all have experience with and understanding of the way neurodevelopmental differences can impact a child’s relationship with food and eating. Unfortunately, there is a lengthy wait list to consult with the them. To support people while they wait for individual advice, the team have developed some written and recorded information (referenced in ‘Diet and Nutrition’).
Paediatric Community Physiotherapy
The Paediatric Community Physiotherapy service is based at The Pines in the Drummond area of Inverness.
Speech & Language Therapy
The Speech and Language Service for Children and Young People in Highland works with families, education staff, other professionals and carers in supporting people to live with and manage communication differences and difficulties. Speech and Language Therapists also provide training and strategies to the wider workforce to improve the communication environment for children and young people and help others to identify and support communication needs effectively. Part of their universal service is to offer information, training, and support to parents, education staff and others working with children with speech, language, and communication needs.
Thriving Families
Founded as CHIP in the 1990s to be an information service for parents with children with additional support needs, Thriving Families continues to be a source of advice, support, and strength for those who need it.
ADHD Nursing Team
The support this team provides cover a range of aspects:
- Psychoeducation (as it related to ADHD)
- Parental/family support related to ADHD diagnosis, including understanding needs and offering strategies for managing challenges
- Direct support to children and young people in relation to better understanding and managing their ADHD-specific requirements in day-to-day life
The ADHD Nursing Team also have some involvement in the assessment of ADHD and offer support to NDAS during the assessment process.
Contacts
Email: nhsh.ADHDnurses@nhs.scot
Allied Health Professionals
AHPs assess, diagnose, and treat people of all ages in order to improve their day-to-day experiences. In Highland, AHPs provide support to children and young people through:
- Paediatric Dietetics
- Paediatric Community Physiotherapy
- Paediatric Occupational Therapy
- Paediatric Community Speech and Language Therapy
Child Health & Disability Service
The CHDS team consists of Social Workers, Learning Disability Nurses, the Autism Practitioner, Family Keyworkers, Community Children’s Workers, and Children Service Workers. Members of this team may have both statutory (required by legislation) and non-statutory responsibilities.
The team’s Practice involves one-to-one direct work with children, young people, and their families, as well as providing liaison, consultation, supervision, and training for practitioners who are involved in the lives of children and young people. The team has an overarching responsibility to provide a continuum of promotion, prevention care, and education. Some elements of that include helping with:
Accessing Education
- Acting as a liaison, giving support, and helping with interventions within schools, where required.
Behavioural Support
- Advice and support on Anxiety, Sensory Processing, Sleep, Anger, and Neurodevelopmental Differences for children, families/carers, and education staff
- Advice around strategies for supporting children to cope on a day to day basis.
Consultation & Collaboration
Working with a variety of specialists, including:
- Paediatricians
- Speech & Language Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Education staff
- Educational Psychology
- Primary Mental Health Workers
- CAMHS service
Short Breaks
Providing thorough assessments of a child and their family’s needs to determine possible opportunities for “Short Breaks” or support in the community for social opportunities via Self-Directed Support (SDS) funding
Skills Teaching
Working with children and young people to help them develop independent living skills, e.g. self-help, domestic skills, and social skills.
Specialist Information
- Providing detailed information on specific conditions and syndromes to support family understanding
- Signposting and/or referral to other organisations for different supports, ex. completing applications for benefits, understanding education rights, etc.
Statutory Work
- Child Protection support for children with a disability
- Advice & guidance, assessments, and procedures
- As-required follow-up with the Children’s Hearing system
- The Social Worker will be the lead professional for looked after and accommodated children both within and out with Highland
Training
Offering:
- Training opportunities for parents/families via referrals from lead professionals
- Comprehensive support programmes such as “Positive Futures”
- Short courses focusing on anxiety and its impact on behaviour; sleep; and continence promotion
- Participation in the multi-disciplinary Neurodevelopmental Training team, collaborating to create training opportunities
Community Learning Disability Nursing Service
The LD Nurses can provide a comprehensive assessment of the health needs of children with a learning disability; they also offer structured programmes of care, which may include advice and support in the following core areas:
- Addressing Health Inequalities
- Behaviour Perceived as Challenging
- Support Treatment of Mental Health Conditions
- Promoting and Managing Urinary and Faecal Continence
- Sleep Management
- Carer’s Support
- Relationships and Sexual Health
Steps for asking for CHDS Team involvement:
- Parents/carers discuss their child’s needs with the child’s Lead Professional
- A Child’s Plan meeting is called to discuss the child’s needs & how they can be met
- A referral form is completed by the Lead Professional, discussed with to the Practice Lead for Schools, then submitted to the CHDS team; the referral must have been discussed and agreed with the family
The request must include as much information as possible about the exact nature of the child’s needs and pressures and their impact on the child’s day-to-day life. The Child’s Plan should hold these details; it should be submitted along with the referral request.
Specific information to include:
- Who is concerned/has raised this issue and why, i.e., the impact at this time (captured in the initial reason or ‘pressures’ section of the Child’s Plan)
- Who is best placed to support the child and family with this particular concern, i.e., who currently best understands the child’s needs (captured in the “analysing strengths and pressures” section and followed up in the “actions” section)
- What strategies/measures have already been put in place and/or what other services are involved (captured in the chronology/actions section)
Contacts
Referrals can be made by professionals only; professionals can contact the Practice Lead to discuss what information to include.
Telephone: 01463 644068 (Mairi MacArthur, Disability Practice Lead)
Email: cdssouth@highland.gov.uk
Highland Council Psychological Service
Home Visiting Teachers are experienced practitioners who support children where there may be differences in their development or the progress of their play and learning. With a focus on Additional Support Needs, Home Visiting Teachers are available to the families of babies and children up to 3 years of age.
Educational Psychologists are specialists working in the area of child development and education, with a focus on learners from birth to 25 years. Educational Psychologists are available to children and young people from 3 years of age. For those young people who have left school school, the Educational Psychologist’s role is more advisory or strategic in nature.
All schools in Highland have a liaison with the Psychological Service. Parents/carers can discuss with the Named Person (Health Visitor or School) how involving a Home Visiting Teacher or Educational Psychologist might benefit their child or young person’s situation. When considered necessary, a formal request to the Psychological Service should be made via a Child’s Plan meeting.
Contacts
Email: highlandcouncilpsychologicalservice@highland.gov.uk
Phone: 01463 644 400
NDAS Assessment Service
Highland practice is rooted in the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach. This states that a child’s needs should be met in the way that they need, at the time that they need it. In practice this means taking a staged approach to assessment, working alongside the child and the adults around them, to identify their pressures and potential strategies to relieve those pressures.
An excellent tool to use to understand a child’s unmet needs is the Neurodevelopmental Profile Wheel. The Profile Wheel allows parents/carers, the child (as appropriate), and other relevant adults to collect and organize their observations of the child’s internal experience; this information can then form the foundation of a support strategy aimed at improving the young person’s life.
The Highland Council and NHS Highland are working together to design and agree a new diagnostic pathway for neurodivergent children in
Highland. As we receive updates, we will share the information here.
Contacts
Email: nhsh.nds@nhs.scot
Phone: 01463 720057
NHS Highland
Occupational Therapy
Daily life is made up of many activities (or occupations). Occupations for children or young people may include self-care (getting ready to go out, eating a meal, using the toilet), being productive (going to nursery or school, or volunteering), and leisure (playing with friends or doing hobbies). Occupational therapy helps to improve peoples’ health and wellbeing by identifying and addressing the pressures that are keeping them from participate in their daily life.
Whilst most children find it relaxing and enjoyable to participate in school and life activities – things like writing a story, playing at the park, or joining afterschool clubs – they can present very real challenges for some children and young people with neurodevelopmental differences. When this is the case, an Occupational Therapist can provide support to help them better engage in the fullness of life. They can help explore the individual child’s neurodevelopmental needs (Sensory, Motor, etc.) to better understand what are the pressures being experienced and to identify practical strategies to ease them. They may provide advice on adapting a classroom environment to be more sensory-friendly, offer tools for developing motor skills, supply information about coordination difficulties and how to support them – whatever is required to most effectively meet a child’s unmet needs.
To ensure parents/carers and professionals have the information they need to support children and young people without having to join a wait list, the OT team offers the following online workshops on a regular basis:
- Coordination Difficulties
- Sensory Processing
- Fine Motor Skills
- Self-Care Skills
The information shared within these workshops provides the foundational knowledge needed to support a child/young person in achieving their goals. Email the team directly for the dates and times and to register to attend.
After attending the workshops, if you feel you need advice for your specific situation, you can email the team directly – no referral is necessary. You can also ask for advice and support at any time by calling the Just Ask line.
Contacts
Paediatric Dietetics
Ideally, children should eat regularly (3 meals and two or three snacks a day) and a varied diet, to help keep our blood sugar levels nice and steady.
Picky eating is a typical developmental stage that most often begins to appear in the 2nd year of life, typically fading from the age of 5 or 6. Some children are pickier for longer, including into adulthood. It becomes a cause for concern only when it begins to negatively impact health and wellbeing.
Many neurodivergent children have challenges around food, including for sensory and predictability needs. This can look like the child is being ‘overly picky’; the likely reality is that the child is being highly selective/avoidant because of distress caused by the physical and sensory experience of food and eating.
Supporting these needs doesn’t always require intervention by the specialist dietician or the broader dietetics team – it can sometimes be enough to learn a about the child’s individual experience with food and remove the pressures and expectations they feel at meal and snack times.
When it seems like external support is needed, a discussion with your health visitor or another professional involved in your child’s care can be a good starting place because they can bring their fuller understanding of the background information to build a holistic picture of the child’s situation.
If you do contact the service to request a consultation, you should provide the following information in your request:
- Your relationship to the child
- Details of your concern
- The child’s height and weight
- The best way to contact you
Please do not include the child’s name in order to protect their privacy over unsecured email servers.
Following your request, you may be asked to complete a questionnaire on the child’s diet, which will then be reviewed to determine next steps. Those steps could include:
- being sent information to maximise nutritional balance
- being encouraged to register for our Food and Health Webinars
- being offered a one-to-one appointment
If you are offered an appointment, it is likely to touch on 1 or more of these 4 areas:
- Assessing the current diet, including how this has changed over time and how it compares with dietary guidelines
- Considering what strategies have been tried previously and why they have or haven’t helped
- Discussing the likely current and future impact of the diet on day-to-day functioning and future health & wellbeing
- Developing a realistic nutrition improvement plan that takes account of social, psychological, and sensory challenges
Contacts
Email: paediatricdietitians@highland.gov.uk
Paediatric Community Physiotherapy
This service assesses and manages children and young people who have significant difficulty with movement, balance, and mobility over and above what would be expected at their age and stage of development. This may be caused by disability, injury, or illness. They aim to improve the quality of life of children by promoting independence and encouraging physical wellbeing.
They provide therapy to children and young people in a number of different ways, all of which involve working with the child/young person, their family, and others around them (such as classroom assistants, teachers and early years staff). Their aim is to develop an effective plan that takes into account the child/ young person’s lifestyle, leisure activities, general health, and the fullness of their needs and expectations.
Contacts
Speech and Language Therapy Service
The Speech and Language Therapy Service is part of a team working in Special Care Baby Unit, paediatric wards, and community settings to help assess and manage speech, language, and communication needs.
Speech, language, and communication needs might look/sound like:
- Producing speech sounds inaccurately or unclearly
- Unexpected social interaction with others e.g., atypical responses to non-verbal rules of communication or differences in using expressive language
- Voice problems, such as hoarseness or loss of voice
- Difficulties understanding the language of others (i.e., making sense of what people say)
- Difficulties using language (words and sentences)
- Stammering
Some communication needs are short-term in nature and can be effectively addressed and supported through early intervention.
One such intervention is the Highland Words Up! approach. This adaptable tool provides professionals and families with 6 Key Messages to guide children in their language and communication development.
The 6 Key Messages of Words Up!
Pause and Wait
Quiet Time to Talk
Play & Talk Together
Be Careful with Questions
Face to Face
Copy & Add
Other communication needs, for example, eating, drinking, and swallowing difficulties, may require longer-term, more specialist assessment and support. Speech & Language Therapists will work with families and other professionals in these situations to identify the nature of the communication difficulties and provide appropriate management strategies.
Here’s a look at what the Speech & Language Therapy Service can do for you.
Contacts
If you have a concern or would like to request assistance, directly contact the Speech and Language Therapy Service – no referrals are necessary.
Phone: 0300 303 1365
Email: SLTservicehighland@Highland.gov.uk
Requests for eating, drinking, and swallowing can be made by calling 01463 720047
Information on Adult Speech and Language Therapy Services can be found here.
Thriving Families
Funded by the Highland Council to provide independent information, advice, and support in relation to legislation and rights for children and young people with additional support needs, Thriving Families strives to empower families through partnering with them to reach their goals.
Find out more about Thriving Families here.
Contacts
Phone: 01463 652 005
Online: Request Support