ADHD and autism assessment pathway
NHS Fife covers the Fife Council area, with a population of 373,990 (mid-2025 estimate). Fife launched a children's neurodevelopmental pathway in August 2024, with the stages set out publicly.
In Fife, support for children is based on individual need, not on having a diagnosis. You do not need to wait for a formal diagnosis to access support through the neurodevelopmental pathway.
Reviewed by ADHD Scot,
Waiting times: what our FOI found
These figures are from NHS Fife's reply to our second FOI request, dated 26 October 2026 (ref FOI 13399), with lists as at 20 October 2026. June 2026 figures (ref FOI 12755, lists at 26 June 2026) are in brackets. The board again provided children's waiting times, from Fife's multi-agency neurodevelopmental pathway, and again refused the adult figures.
How long children wait
Median wait, as at 20 October 2026 · scale 0 to 5 yearsChildren and young people
ADHD
29 weeks median wait, 346 waiting
Autism
92 weeks median wait, 1,283 waiting
Median waits covering all triaged cases from every referral route, not GP referrals only, as at 20 October 2026. The longest current wait on the children's ADHD pathway is 88 weeks. NHS Fife says it has completed 788 ADHD assessments in the last 12 months.
Adults
Adult ADHD and autism
Figures refused (Section 12)
NHS Fife refused the adult ADHD and adult autism waiting figures under Section 12 of FOISA in both rounds, estimating it would cost around £10,710 to extract them from roughly 8,570 records. It says it “endeavour[s] to meet the 18-week target from referral to first assessment, however this varies between sectors”; that is a target, not a measured wait.
About these figures
- The children's figures are for all cases triaged for ADHD or autism assessment within Fife's multi-agency neurodevelopmental pathway, as at 20 October 2026 (round 1: 26 June 2026), not only GP referrals.
- The children's autism list was 113 in June and 1,283 in October. NHS Fife did not explain the difference, so the two counts are shown as dated figures, not as a trend.
- The board says its adult mental health service does not have a specific ADHD, autism or neurodevelopmental pathway: adults are referred through the standard mental health referral process, and the reason for referral is not recorded electronically, which is why the adult figures could not be extracted.
Getting your child assessed
Fife launched a new multi-agency Neurodevelopmental Pathway for children and young people in August 2024, following a successful three-year pilot in West Fife. It is a multi-agency pathway bringing together education, health and social care. NHS Fife's leaflet for parents says: "In Fife, support is based on need, rather than diagnosis."
If you are concerned, you can contact your child's health visitor or school, or the parent and carer advice line below. Requests for Assistance to the pathway are completed and submitted by professionals supporting your child, with your consent (and your child's, if they are over 12).
The Parent Advice Line and Professionals Enquiry Line is listed on Fife's Neurodevelopmental Hub.
Phone: 01592 226699 · Hours: Tuesday 10am–12pm and Wednesday 2pm–4pm
A team of professionals looks at the information in the Request for Assistance and agrees next steps. These may include specialist support for the child or family, or for professionals, before any diagnosis.
Next steps may include "Identification of a neurodevelopmental condition such as Autism, ADHD and/or a Learning Disability".
The leaflet says: "You do not have to have a diagnosis to receive support. Support should be offered according to assessment of need."
Getting assessed as an adult
NHS Fife told us its adult mental health service "does not have a specific ADHD/ASD/Neurodevelopmental pathway": adults referred for ADHD or autism assessment are referred through the standard process for all mental health referrals.
Request a referral for ADHD or autism assessment. Be specific about your symptoms and how they affect daily life. A completed ADHD screener or autism screener can support your conversation.
Your GP refers you to the appropriate NHS Fife adult mental health or psychiatry service. Confirm with your GP which service they are referring you to and ask for an estimated waiting time.
You will be placed on a waiting list. Contact NHS Fife directly at nhsfife.org to confirm current provision and estimated times. If the wait is too long, consider private assessment.
What NHS Fife's own referral guidance says
NHS Fife has published an official statement on adult ADHD assessments (July 2025) and referral guidance for children's services (undated at the time of our review, September 2026). Tap a card for the full wording and links.
Adult ADHDRequest a referral through your GP.
The board's statement says referrals are reviewed on an individual basis by the multidisciplinary Community Mental Health Team, and that supports established through a pilot are available to all, with or without a formal diagnosis.
Adult autismNo published referral guidance found.
At the time of our review (September 2026) we could find no published referral guidance for adult autism assessment on the board's website or the Right Decisions Service.
Children and CAMHSNo self- or parent-referral to CAMHS.
The CAMHS referral criteria page states referrals must come from professionals, not directly from parents, carers or young people, and that neurodevelopmental differences such as autism and ADHD are directed to Fife's Neurodevelopmental Hub rather than CAMHS.
Children's ADHD pathwayThree levels, with most children assessed in Community Paediatrics.
The ADHD Team page describes Level 1 (GP/school/health visitor), Level 2 (Community Paediatrics, where most children are assessed and treated) and Level 3 (a multidisciplinary team including child psychology, psychiatry, ADHD nursing and pharmacy).
While you wait, support and resources
Each organisation sets its own eligibility, so check before you contact them.
NHS Fife resources
Fife's Neurodevelopmental Hub, on NHS Fife's Moodcafe website, has information about neurodevelopment, the children's pathway and local resources.
Peer support
The Scottish ADHD Coalition's map lists voluntary ADHD support groups across Scotland.
Scotland-wide support organisations
Your child's school rights, no diagnosis needed
Schools in Scotland are required to support children with additional needs under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. No diagnosis is required. Ask your child's school about an individualised educational programme (IEP) or other support plan. These can be put in place while waiting for assessment. For children with complex or multiple needs that are likely to last more than a year and need significant support from another service as well as education, such as the NHS or social work, you can ask the council to consider a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP), the only plan with legal force: see our school support guide.
If the wait for adult assessment is too long, our compare tool lists providers in central Scotland with filters for HIS registration, cost, and shared care support. Our shared care guide explains what happens after a private diagnosis.
Sources (8)
- Fife Council: Council rolls out neurodevelopmental support pathway for children and young people, 2025
- Moodcafe, Fife's Neurodevelopmental Hub
- Fife GIRFEC, Fife's Neurodevelopmental Assessment Pathway for children and young people
- NAIT, Children's Neurodevelopmental Pathway Practice Framework (Scottish Government funded), May 2021
- Scottish Government, National Neurodevelopmental Specification: principles and standards of care for children and young people, 2021
- Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, ADHD and autism pathways and support, January 2026
- Scottish Parliament Research Briefing SB 25-25: Neurodevelopmental Pathways and Waiting Times in Scotland, June 2025
- FOI response FOI 13399, NHS Fife, 26 October 2026, provided in response to a request from ADHD Scot
- FOI response FOI 12755, NHS Fife, 6 July 2026, provided in response to a request from ADHD Scot