Interview with:
Matthew Punter
Founder EDEN
Autism PhD at University of Bath
And
Dr. Philippa Kindon (PhD)
Neurodiveristy Champion
Mayden
Mayden’s digital technology, already used nationwide in mental health services, could be a powerful addition in tackling the pressures faced in neurodivergent care – helping streamline processes and cut wait times with reliable, structured data solutions.
We believe that the secret to truly exceptional software is partnerships and collaboration.
That’s why we’ve been talking to the experts; researchers, NHS, clinicians and people with lived experience to come together to tackle the growing demand for neurodiversity support and contribute thoughtfully where a solution is needed most.
We sat down with Dr. Philippa Kindon, Neurodiversity Champion at Mayden and Matthew Punter, Founder of EDEN to discuss the growing demand for technology to support the provision of assessment and diagnosis and cut wait times for neurodevelopmental conditions.
Technology has a role to play in transforming neurodivergent care
Matthew Punter is currently completing his Autism PhD at University of Bath investigating: “How Digital Solutions Can Solve the Autism Employment Gap” and has been given £8,000 to set up EDEN – Employment Devices for Enhancing Neurodiversity.
“There’s a huge gap in the market for neurodiversity support,” says Matthew, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and pathological demand avoidance. Matthew believes that the same lack of support he experienced in education repeats itself in later life, which is why he founded EDEN, to expand and support more neurodivergent people find ways to employment.
As the mother of an autistic child, Philippa also experienced first-hand the scale of the problem of the autism and ADHD assessment waiting times in England at the moment. “Services have not been resourced to keep pace with the increasing need for assessment and support for people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD”, Philippa says.
“There’s a huge gap in the market for neurodiversity support”
Just to be able to keep in touch with the service they are waiting for would make a big difference. “Even just knowing that your referral has been received, and any information that has been asked for has been passed to the right team would be a comfort”, Philippa adds.
Even better would be being able to communicate with that service via text message, getting reminders of appointments coming up, and being connected to support whilst waiting.
“Waiting for an autism or ADHD assessment can be a lonely and confusing time,” Philippa acknowledges. “Being more in-touch with the people who can help, especially being practically connected to sources of information and support, can make such a difference at a really stressful time”.
Adapt existing technology to support neurodevelopmental conditions
In Matthew’s ideal world, putting information about neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., ADHD, ASD) into a standardised technology should be relatively simple. “They are predictably assessed and diagnosed according to two fixed diagnostic manuals.
Not only this, but only a handful of screeners and questionnaires are used”, Matthew says. However, it is important to recognise the clinician then plays a vital role in assessing clinical history, risk, observations and input from family, friends and other important figures in the patients life in order to formulate a robust clinical diagnosis.
Matthew identifies three main types of service users: 1) adults; 2) children; and 3) diagnosed individuals. Each group requires different levels of processing—some less, some more — he explains. “If the technology could differentiate these cases, resources could be allocated more efficiently, and simple cases completed quickly.”
“People need to be connected to support whilst waiting”
Philippa concludes that technology needs to adapt to:
- Improve communication between service providers and service users by offering the choice of digital channels where appropriate and preferred.
- Reduce waiting times for assessment and support by streamlining and automating the parts of the pathways that can be more efficient.
- Give greater visibility for clinicians and service managers about who is waiting, for what.
- Establish what needs the individual has that could be met whilst waiting such as psychoeducation, support groups and reasonable adjustments at school and work.
*Clause: for the purpose of these articles we will be using the term ‘neurodiversity services’ which encompasses services within the NHS, voluntary, private, and public health settings supporting provision of assessment and diagnosis for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD.
If you would would like to contribute to our thought leadership series, please get in touch.
PR contact:
Louisa Clark
hi@mayden.co.uk
