Referral for early years autism assessments

1. If you are requesting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessments for children from 3 years old up to those who have completed their first term in reception please use the request form for autism spectrum disorder assessment for children aged under 5, also known as the Petal form (DOCX, 258KB).
2. When making a referral please submit all relevant supporting information and complete a summary the child’s presentation using the useful information to support an early years autism spectrum disorder referral (DOCX, 117KB) form.
3. It is preferable for this to reflect the child both at home and setting. Remember, there don’t have to be issues in setting or the home, it can be a record of observed differences in presentation compared to what would be expected for a typically developing child of the same age.
4. There is an expectation that the vast majority of referrals will be received from professionals who hold a significant amount of information about the child and it is imperative that we work quickly and efficiently with these services to ensure the child or young person’s needs are being met whilst they are awaiting an assessment.
5. Consultation slots are available to professionals and education settings for cases that they are unsure of, or when experiencing parental pressure to make a referral. Please phone the early years neurodevelopmental pathway to book a consultation slot if needed (03000 216 460).

Referral form and supporting documents

The form needs to be signed by the referrer and the child’s parent or guardian.

Requests for assessment cannot be made until the child has been seen by a paediatrician and a speech and language therapist.

The Petal form can only be used for the North Lincolnshire Early Years Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway.

Please ensure you save your documents.

Page last reviewed: July 03, 2026
Next review due: July 03, 2027