Neurodiversity Needs Led Approach
A Needs Led Approach looks at the whole family and how best to support you and your child. It focuses on working together in a positive and practical way. Schools, health services, and families work as partners to help improve the experiences and outcomes for children and young people who may be neurodivergent.
The Needs Led Approach is usually completed by your child’s school and you and your family, working together. All schools and education settings can access free training and resources to use this approach. If your child is not in an education setting, the Parent Carer Forums can support you to use the Needs Led Approach. Please see the details below.
Your GP may not be the best professional to help complete the Needs Led Approach. If you ask your GP for support, they may need to contact us or guide you to the right services that can help you understand and use this approach.
Follow these steps
Step 1
Read the information for families letter
Step 2
Download and read the Needs Led Approach manual
The Needs Led Approach is now needed when asking for a diagnostic assessment for autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The manual explains what the Needs Led Approach is and how to use it. It is for parents and carers, schools, and professionals who are working together to create a Needs Led Profile and Action Plan for a child or young person. It will help you understand the approach and how it focuses on your child’s needs.
The Needs Led Approach was first created in Portsmouth and is now used across the country. It has been trialled in B&NES and Wiltshire since March 2024, and has been updated using feedback from parent carers, schools, and other professionals. The main aim of the Needs Led Approach is to put children and young people at the centre. It helps families access the right support and information, whether or not a child has a diagnosis, and supports everyone involved to better understand how to help a child reach their potential.
Step 3
Read the manual alongside the Needs Led Approach training webinar, which is available here.
The webinar explains the approach in a clear and practical way and helps bring the manual to life. Many parents find it helpful to watch the webinar while reading, or to come back to it later if something needs explaining again.
There is no rush to watch it all in one go. The webinar will always be here, and you can pause, rewind, or watch it again at any time, whenever it suits you.
Step 4
Complete the Observation Tables
The Observation Tables contain descriptions of a range of strengths, needs/ differences and expected development for each age group. These are organised into the nine Neurodevelopmental Areas discussed in Section 1 of the manual. Select the Observation Table for the age group of the child/ young person you are profiling.
Step 5
Download and complete the Needs Led Approach Profile. Many families find it helpful to complete this in a meeting with the people who work with their child in an educational setting.
Step 6
If you prefer, we will accept any plans that school already has in place to avoid duplication if this is felt appropriate. However, the documents do have to clearly demonstrate the following:
- Specific actions and outcomes, coproduced with the family and child
- Evidence of plan-do-review (at least two reviews)
- Discussion of what a diagnosis will or won’t mean
- Evidence of consent to assessment
Step 7
Complete the action plan appropriate to your child’s situation.
Step 8
Please send all of the completed documentation, ensuring all paperwork includes your child’s name, date of birth, address and – where possible – NHS number, to us. You’ll find how to ddo this under “Getting help from this service”.
You don’t need to send copies of the Education Health Care Plans (EHCP).
Step 9
If you need help or ideas to support the needs led approach, download our Needs Led Approach Resource Pack.