CNWL Autism Roadmap

CNWL has launched a new digital tool to help parents, carers and families find support for children that have been diagnosed with autism, or who may be waiting a formal diagnosis.

You can access the Autism Roadmap online at the new dedicated webpage: www.cnwl.nhs.uk/news/year-of-the-child/year-child/autism-roadmap

This roadmap was born out of the Year of the Child campaign, with support from our children’s service leads and service user groups.

Why are we launching the Autism Roadmap?

There are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK; that’s 1 in every 100 people.

Autistic people may require support with things like communication, interaction with others, using their imagination, being flexible and feeling overwhelmed by activity in the world around them.

Autism is different for everyone, but this roadmap offers advice and guidance about some of the challenges autistic people may face and how our services can help. You can see a static image of the roadmap below.

This roadmap can help you identify the types of support available at CNWL, and what you can do to support yourself.

This roadmap is now available on this page for parents, carers, families and health professionals.

Topics include attention and listening, behaviour, communication and language, sensory, eating habits, toileting, sleep, mental health and more.

There are resources to support parent’s health, and we’ve put together some information about the services we provide in partnership with Local Authorities across North West and North Central London as well as Milton Keynes, such as Children’s Centres.

How do I use the Autism Roadmap?

The roadmap is broken up by age range. CNWL services are mapped out along the roadmap, corresponding with the age range they become available for children and young people.

You may encounter these services if your child has been diagnosed with autism or you are waiting for a formal diagnosis, and they can offer you support throughout your journey at CNWL.

Each section has information about the service, who works there, how they can help and further resources including videos, advice sheets, leaflets as well as links to websites.

See an example below:

In this video, Dr Deborah Bird, a Consultant Paediatrician, explains some of the reasons why it may be beneficial to explore the assessment process.

Video: Are you wondering whether to have your child assessed for autism?

Are we missing something?

The roadmap is not exhaustive, and we hope to add further resources when they become available.

If you think we are missing something, let us know at: communications.cnwl@nhs.net