The Leeds Neurodiversity Pilot Project – Wish 10

Last year, whilst we raise awareness of Wish 10, we shared an update on the work Leeds are doing around the neurodiversity pathway and the trauma-informed approach. Below is an update of our project.

Project Structure

In 2022, the Leeds Educational Psychology Team worked with the Yorkshire Integrated Care Board to pilot a project that helps schools understand and support neurodivergent young people. The aim was to respond to rising referrals for neurodevelopmental assessments (for conditions like autism and ADHD) and to improve school support for those pupils.

• Neurodiversity profiling conversations: An Assistant Educational Psychologist supported meetings with parents, school staff, and sometimes other professionals to map a pupil’s strengths, challenges, and support needs using a profiling tool.
• Training for school staff: Two sessions were offered, the first introduced neurodiversity and neuro-affirming approaches, the second used Appreciative Inquiry to reflect on and build better school practice. The introductory session was later offered as a recorded option as well as live delivery.

The Profiling Tool

The tool was adapted from a Portsmouth model and presents a young person’s profile visually across nine areas:

The tool also prompts discussion about when the child does well and when things are harder. After phase one, the tool was revised to give more space for each area, separate some items for clarity, and use more neuro-affirming language. Profiling conversations were completed for a total of 43 children across primary schools in two phases. Training was taken up by many schools across the three clusters involved.

What People Said

Next Steps