Impairment

Clinicians do not diagnose conditions like ADHD ADHD ADHD is a difference in the way a child's brain works. It affects how they pay attention, how much energy they have, and how easily they act on impulse. Read the full definition of ADHD or autism Autism Autism is a difference in how the brain develops. It shapes how an autistic child sees and experiences the world, how they communicate, and how they respond to things like noise, light and touch. Read the full definition of Autism on traits alone. They look for evidence that those traits significantly affect everyday life: school, friendships, family life, sleep, safety. That effect is what the word impairment means on referral forms and in clinic letters.

This is why a referral referral When a professional passes your child on to a specialist team for assessment or treatment. A GP, school or health visitor can usually make one. Read the full definition of referral can be refused for a child who is clearly struggling at home: if the evidence in front of the service only shows traits Traits Ways of thinking or behaving that are often seen with a condition, like autism or ADHD. Saying a child shows traits is not the same as a diagnosis. Read the full definition of Traits , or only shows difficulty in one setting, they may say the threshold is not met. If that happens, it is not a finding that your child is fine. It usually means the impact has not been evidenced yet. Keeping concrete examples of how daily life is affected, at home and at school, is the single most useful thing you can do to show it.