Neurodevelopment Practitioner (Full Time/Part Time) - Autism - ADOS and ADI-r

Spectrum.Life

ABOUT US: Spectrum.Life is a whole-of-health digital partner that guides organisations and their people to thrive, delivering clinically backed digital health, mental health and wellbeing solutions.    Our HealthTech delivers digital transformation for Insurers, Educators and Employers through Co-creation or seamlessly integrated out-of-the-box solutions, that decrease digital fragmentation and engage, empower, and transform their people’s lives.    Established in 2018 by Stuart McGoldrick and Stephen Costello, Spectrum.Life provides services internationally to over 7.2m insurance members, 3,000 corporate clients, 60 universities and 650,000 university students. Spectrum.Life currently employs over 450 people.    Our vision is to change and save as many lives as possible. ROLE BRIEF: Why This Role Matters  Waiting lists for neurodiversity assessments in the UK are long — often years. For autistic people and those with ADHD, that wait is not just frustrating. It affects education, employment, relationships, and mental health.  At Spectrum.Life, we are building a digital-first neurodiversity multi-disciplinary assessment service that is clinically rigorous, neuroaffirmative in its values, and genuinely accessible. We are looking for a Practitioner Psychologist who shares that commitment — someone who brings both the specialist technical competence this work demands and a genuine belief in the difference that timely, high-quality identification can make to a person’s life.  This is a fully remote, multidisciplinary role. You will be part of a team of psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Occupational Therapists, working together to deliver integrated, person-centred assessments for children aged seven and above and adults.    The Neurodiversity Assessment Service  Spectrum.Life’s Neurodiversity Assessment Service delivers high-quality Autism, ADHD, and combined AuDHD identification assessments for children (aged seven and above) and adults, fully remotely via virtual platforms. All assessments are conducted in line with NICE guidelines and within DSM-5 and ICD-11 diagnostic frameworks.  Our approach is neuroaffirmative throughout — from the way we conduct initial consultations to the language we use in our reports and feedback sessions. We work from a strengths-based, person-centred model that respects individual identity and lived experience.  This is a growing service, and you will have the opportunity to contribute directly to its development — including service design, quality improvement, and the way we use digital platforms to make assessments more accessible.    Your Multidisciplinary Team  Neurodiversity assessment is inherently multidisciplinary, and we have built the service to reflect that. You will not be assessing in isolation.  Your MDT includes Practitioner Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Occupational Therapists. Each assessment integrates perspectives across all three disciplines, and integrated formulation is a core part of how we work — not an add-on.    How the MDT works day to day  * Regular MDT formulation meetings where complex and combined presentations are discussed collaboratively across psychology, SLT, and OT * Shared formulation on all assessments — your psychological assessment report is integrated with SLT and OT findings before the final report is produced * A designated Clinical Manager who provides operational oversight and is available for clinical consultation * Monthly individual clinical supervision from a specialist in neurodiversity — provided by an experienced senior clinician with specialist neurodiversityexpertise, not generic CPD supervision * Peer consultation and shared learning across the psychology team * Clear safeguarding and escalation pathways, with governance support for complex or high-risk presentations SCHEDULE: This is a 32-hour per week permanent part-time role. We will discuss and agree your specific working pattern during the offer process — we want to find a schedule that works for you within the needs of the service.  The role is fully remote. All assessments and MDT meetings are conducted virtually. You will need access to a private, confidential workspace and a reliable internet connection. RESPONSIBILITIES: Neurodiversity Assessments  * Deliver high-quality, neuroaffirmative Autism and ADHD identification assessments for children (aged seven and above) and adults through virtual platforms,in accordance with NICE guidelines * Administer, score, and interpret the ADOS-2 and ADI-R, as well as validated ADHD assessment measures * Conduct thorough initial neurodiversity consultations, clarifying presenting concerns, priorities, and individual goals in a collaborative, person-centred manner * Complete comprehensive biopsychosocial and multidisciplinary formulations, integrating developmental history, observation, standardised assessment, and collateral information * Produce high-quality written assessment reports that present complex clinical information clearly, accessibly, and in a strengths-based manner — suitable for individuals, families, and professional stakeholders * Deliver clear, sensitive, and neuroaffirmative feedback sessions to individuals and families following assessment completion * Identify and communicate relevant reasonable accommodations across educational, workplace, and community settings   Caseload and Clinical Responsibilities  * Hold a designated caseload, acting as lead practitioner and guiding clients through their assessment journey from initial consultation to post-diagnostic support * Undertake risk screening and safeguarding assessments in line with relevant UK legislation and organisational procedures, with particular attention to children and young people * Provide formulation-led post-diagnostic psychological support, where indicated by clinical need — this is distinct from an ongoing therapy caseload and is focused on understanding and applying assessment findings * Liaise with external agencies including education, health, and social care services asrequired   MDT Collaboration and Service Development  * Collaborate closely with SLT and OT colleagues to ensure integrated, person-centred assessment formulations * Support the Clinical Manager in outcomes monitoring, quality assurance, and clinical governance activities * Contribute to service development, audit, and quality improvement as the neurodiversity service grows * Provide consultation and, where appropriate, training on neurodiversity to families, schools, or other professionals REQUIREMENTS: Registration and Qualification Requirements  Both of the following are mandatory for appointment to this role:  * Doctoral qualification in Psychology (Clinical, Counselling, or Educational) * Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist * Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) Why both HCPC registration and BPS Chartership are required  HCPC registration is the statutory requirement for practising as a Practitioner Psychologist in the UK. BPS Chartership provides the additional professional assurance expected for the complexity of neurodiversity assessment work in this service — particularly in relation to ADOS-2 and ADI-R administration, multidisciplinary formulation, and report writing for diagnostic purposes. Both are required for the appointment.  * Minimum two years of post-HCPC registration experience, including direct neurodiversity assessment experience * Formal training anddemonstratedcompetence in ADOS-2 administration and interpretation * Formal training and demonstrated competence in ADI-R administration and interpretation   Essential Experience and Knowledge  Assessment Experience  * Experience conducting neurodiversity assessments across the lifespan, with awareness of age-related presentation differences * Experience producing comprehensive neurodiversity assessment reports, including recommendations and reasonable accommodations * Experience providing post-diagnostic feedback to individuals and families * Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary assessment team * Experience of biopsychosocial and systemic formulation of neurodevelopmental presentations * Experience delivering remote or virtual assessments to children (aged seven and above) and/or adults   Clinical Knowledge  * Strong knowledge of NICE guidelines relevant to Autism (NG142, NG228) and ADHD (NG87) * Knowledge of DSM-5 and ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for Autism and ADHD * Knowledge of co-occurring conditions (anxiety, learning disabilities, developmental trauma) and their interaction with neurodevelopmental presentations * Knowledge of reasonable adjustments legislation (Equality Act 2010) and application in educational and workplace settings * Knowledge of safeguarding and risk frameworks relevant to children, young people, and adults in the UK   DESIRABLE: * Experience assessing combined AuDHD presentations * Experience adapting assessments for individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities, sensory needs, or complex communication profiles * Experience providing clinical supervision to more junior staff * Knowledge of SpLD frameworks (dyslexia, dyspraxia/DCD) and their interaction with neurodevelopmental conditions * Experience working across NHS and independent sector pathways * Experience contributing to service development, audit, or quality improvement WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING AT SPECTRUM.LIFE? * Clinical environment — what you can rely on  Monthly individual supervision from a specialist neurodiversity clinician. Regular MDT formulation meetings. Peer consultation and shared learning across the psychology team. Clinical governance and safeguarding support. Full training on remote assessment protocols and digital platforms before your first case.  * Part-time permanent contract at 32 hours per week  * Competitive salary (dependent on experience) * Fully remote working * 25 days annual leave * 24/7 EAP and a wide range of health and wellbeing supports * CPD funding and access to specialist training, including support to maintain and develop ADOS-2 and ADI-R competencies * The opportunity to practise in a genuinely neuroaffirmative service and contribute to meaningful change in how neurodiversity is understood and supported * The chance to shape a growing, digital-first neurodiversity service from an early stage * Training and continuing professional development opportunities, including specialist neurodiversity assessment tools

Paloma Health

Time commitment: Full-time employment is preferred, though we can also offer part-time (minimum of 3 days per week, which can consist of 2 days in clinic and 1 day remote if preferred). Location: This role is in-person based in our Exeter clinic - The Senate, Southernhay Gardens, Exeter EX1 1UG Reporting to: Autism Service Team Manager.   About Paloma In 2024, our founders, Mark and Darshak, were shocked to find that children needing an NHS autism or ADHD assessment were waiting 4-10 years for these assessments. Delayed assessments result in children being more likely to develop mental health conditions and fall behind in education. Furthermore, the much-needed pre/post-assessment support (outside of ADHD medications) is typically not funded by the NHS.  These long waits have built up due to increased recognition and understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions and a lack of investment and innovation within the NHS to meet the growing demand. Mark and Darshak, with their 25 years of combined NHS experience, including building services that have treated over 1,000,000 patients in obesity & ophthalmology, founded Paloma to change this. Our mission is to make NHS autism and ADHD assessments and care accessible within 4 weeks of a GP referral, and, in turn, help every child achieve their potential. As of May 2026, we have successfully reduced waits to 3 months by; * Taking a product-first approach to redesign the care pathway to give families a more consumer-like experience of care * Our in-house product, engineering and AI team building our own autism and ADHD specific electronic patient record and AI documentation tool to free clinicians from their significant documentation burden to re-focus on supporting families * Investing in expanding the clinician workforce and upskilling them in new ways of working. We are proud that Paloma is: * Loved by families, with 4.9 out of 5 Trustpilot and Google ratings * Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered and quality-focused * Clinically-led, with a team of 130 people, including over 80 clinicians supporting families through their assessment journey. We are hiring 100+ more roles over the next 12 months. * A community of passionate, mission-driven and innovative team members who challenge the status quo and test and learn from new ideas and approaches. * Backed by leading healthcare investors Triple Point and Heal Capital What’s next? * Whilst we have reduced wait times, it is estimated that up to 500,000 children are still waiting for an NHS autism or ADHD assessment. We won’t rest until this comes down. * We want to build new services to support families and children diagnosed with autism or ADHD who feel lost after their assessments when the NHS is no longer there for them. The Opportunity Paloma Health has developed a new gold-standard autism assessment pathway and our own Patient Record software system, which allows us to offer: * An exceptional service and timely assessments, as well as clear strengths and needs-based outcomes, regardless of whether an autism diagnosis is made.  * High assessor role satisfaction by improving the experience of delivering assessments. For example, we are building an AI tool to streamline diagnostic report writing, which we know is a pressure of the role. You will work as a member of a multidisciplinary assessment team, delivering: * In-person child observations at our Exeter clinic * Peer MDT diagnostic decision-making, with the support of the senior clinical MDT where required From a cultural perspective, you are: * Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change * Excited about using new technologies in your role * Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including: * The Paloma Clinical Academy programme supports all clinicians at all stages of their careers to develop (e.g. to our Senior Assessor role) and cross-skill (e.g. into ADHD when we launch that). * 1 protected day per month for assessor team training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), clinical supervision and reflection. * Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways. * Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across appointments, administration, development, and team building. About you You are a registered nurse, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, social worker or practitioner psychologist skilled in ADOS assessments. You want to be part of an always-learning environment that embraces software and AI tools, and you will help us go further and faster with your positive and collaborative attitude. Responsibilities: * Conduct high-quality child observations as part of an autism assessment. * Act in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy, including conducting a risk assessment where necessary. * Keep up to date with mandatory training and your professional qualification requirements, including CPD. Qualifications and experience: Required: * By background, you are either a: * NMC-registered Nurse * HCPC Registered Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Arts Therapist, or Practitioner Psychologist  * Social Work England Registered Social Worker  * Completion of a recognised ADOS-2 course is required for NMC, HCPC and Social Work England registered applicants. Clinical Psychologists would be considered without having completed ADOS-2 * At least 1 year of experience delivering children’s observations within an autism assessment process. This can be EITHER working with children 5 to 18 years of age OR 2-4 years of age, OR the full age range. * Good time management skills, including caseload management  * High-quality parent and patient communication skills * Enhanced DBS with barred list check (as you will be working with children) Desirable: * Experience in conducting risk assessments within an autism assessment service * Evidence of Safeguarding training (Level 3 and above) Why join Paloma? You will be part of a mission-driven organisation that’s transforming access to autism and ADHD care in England. For all employees, we offer: * A strong and positive culture that prioritises team building, transparency, and career development. This includes protected time and budget for team connection and learning. * Comprehensive compensation, including: * Total compensation of £68,000 to £70,000 per year, made up of base and variable components for: * HCPC-registered Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Arts Therapists * NMC-registered Nurses * Social Work England registered Social Workers * Total compensation of £70,000 to £72,000 per year, made up of base and variable components for: * HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologists, including Clinical Psychologists, Educational Psychologists and Counselling Psychologists * Annual salary reviews, ensuring they are competitive * 5% employer pension contribution * For employees working at least 0.8 FTE: * Equity compensation through Share Options in Paloma Health  * Optional Private Medical Insurance and Employee Assistance Programme * Home Office Equipment Allowance * Professional Registration Fees Allowance for clinicians * A unique annual leave benefits package which includes: * 37 days of annual leave. This is 28 standard days, plus eight bank holidays, plus your birthday off. * Option to buy an additional 5 days per year (giving a maximum of 42 days) * Where required, 2 days per year of special leave, for events that can happen in life, whether personal or family-related * Additional benefits include: * A premium performance company laptop * NHS discounts, including the Blue Light Card (as we are an NHS provider). Equality & Diversity Paloma Health is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and throughout the application process. We do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic. Accommodations We’re glad to accommodate candidates who need adjustments throughout the hiring process. We encourage you to be open about the adjustments you need so we can adapt our interview process. Safer Recruitment & Pre-Employment Checks Paloma Health ensures that supporting people to be safe is at the heart of our work and a key priority across all areas of the organisation. As part of our pre-employment checks, you will be asked to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Depending on your role within the business, this will be at either an Enhanced, Standard, or Basic level. We are committed to safer recruitment practices and expect all applicants to share our dedication to safeguarding. Our recruitment processes are designed to ensure we appoint individuals who are aligned with our values and who will contribute to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone we work with. Application process Please apply via our website. We understand that applying for a new job requires a significant amount of effort, and we appreciate your time. We look forward to reviewing your application. Join us and be part of our journey to revolutionise access to NHS autism and ADHD care!

Paloma Health

Time commitment: Full-time employment is preferred, though we can also offer part-time (minimum of 3 days per week, which can consist of 2 days in clinic and 1 day remote if preferred). Location: This role is in-person based in our Norwich clinic - Cavell House & Austin House Stannard Place, St Crispins Rd, Norwich NR3 1YE Reporting to: Autism Service Team Manager.   About Paloma In 2024, our founders, Mark and Darshak, were shocked to find that children needing an NHS autism or ADHD assessment were waiting 4-10 years for these assessments. Delayed assessments result in children being mor likely to develop mental health conditions and fall behind in education. Furthermore, the much-needed pre/post-assessment support (outside of ADHD medications) is typically not funded by the NHS.  These long waits have built up due to increased recognition and understanding of neurodevelopmental conditions and a lack of investment and innovation within the NHS to meet the growing demand. Mark and Darshak, with their 25 years of combined NHS experience, including building services that have treated over 1,000,000 patients in obesity & ophthalmology, founded Paloma to change this. Our mission is to make NHS autism and ADHD assessments and care accessible within 4 weeks of a GP referral, and, in turn, help every child achieve their potential. As of May 2026, we have successfully reduced waits to 3 months by; * Taking a product-first approach to redesign the care pathway to give families a more consumer-like experience of care * Our in-house product, engineering and AI team building our own autism and ADHD specific electronic patient record and AI documentation tool to free clinicians from their significant documentation burden to re-focus on supporting families * Investing in expanding the clinician workforce and upskilling them in new ways of working. We are proud that Paloma is: * Loved by families, with 4.9 out of 5 Trustpilot and Google ratings * Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered and quality-focused * Clinically-led, with a team of 130 people, including over 80 clinicians supporting families through their assessment journey. We are hiring 100+ more roles over the next 12 months. * A community of passionate, mission-driven and innovative team members who challenge the status quo and test and learn from new ideas and approaches. * Backed by leading healthcare investors Triple Point and Heal Capital What’s next? * Whilst we have reduced wait times, it is estimated that up to 500,000 children are still waiting for an NHS autism or ADHD assessment. We won’t rest until this comes down. * We want to build new services to support families and children diagnosed with autism or ADHD who feel lost after their assessments when the NHS is no longer there for them. The Opportunity Paloma Health has developed a new gold-standard autism assessment pathway and our own Patient Record software system, which allows us to offer: * An exceptional service and timely assessments, as well as clear strengths and needs-based outcomes, regardless of whether an autism diagnosis is made.  * High assessor role satisfaction by improving the experience of delivering assessments. For example, we are building an AI tool to streamline diagnostic report writing, which we know is a pressure of the role. You will work as a member of a multidisciplinary assessment team, delivering: * In-person child observations  * Peer MDT diagnostic decision-making, with the support of the senior clinical MDT where required From a cultural perspective, you are: * Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and embracing change * Excited about using new technologies in your role * Always looking for ways to improve our staff and patient experience We commit to supporting your development and well-being, including: * The Paloma Learning & Development programme supports all clinicians at all stages of their careers to develop (e.g. to our Senior Assessor role) and cross-skill (e.g. into ADHD). * 1 protected day per month for assessor team training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), clinical supervision and reflection. * Quarterly development conversations with clear career progression pathways. * Clear weekly timetables that support a role mix across appointments, administration, development, and team building. About you You are a registered nurse, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, social worker or practitioner psychologist skilled in ADOS assessments. You want to be part of an always-learning environment that embraces software and AI tools, and you will help us go further and faster with your positive and collaborative attitude. Responsibilities: * Conduct high-quality child observations as part of an autism assessment. * Act in accordance with our Safeguarding Policy, including conducting a risk assessment where necessary. * Keep up to date with mandatory training and your professional qualification requirements, including CPD. Qualifications and experience: Required: * By background, you are either a: * NMC-registered Nurse * HCPC Registered Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Arts Therapist, or Practitioner Psychologist  * Social Work England Registered Social Worker  * Completion of a recognised ADOS-2 course is required. * At least 1 year of experience delivering children’s observations within an autism assessment process. This can be EITHER working with children 5 to 18 years of age OR children 2-4 years of age, OR the full 2-18 age range. * Good time management skills, including caseload management  * High-quality parent and patient communication skills * Enhanced DBS with barred list check (as you will be working with children) Desirable: * Experience in conducting risk assessments within an autism assessment service * Evidence of Safeguarding training (Level 3 and above) Why join Paloma? You will be part of a mission-driven organisation that’s transforming access to autism and ADHD care in England. For all employees, we offer: * A strong and positive culture that prioritises team building, transparency, and career development. This includes protected time and budget for team connection and learning. * Comprehensive compensation, including: * HCPC-registered Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, and Arts Therapists * NMC-registered Nurses * Social Work England registered Social Workers * HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologists, including Clinical Psychologists, Educational Psychologists and Counselling Psychologists * Equity compensation through Share Options in Paloma Health  * Optional Private Medical Insurance and Employee Assistance Programme * Total compensation of £68,000 to £70,000 per year, made up of base and variable components for: * Total compensation of £70,000 to £72,000 per year, made up of base and variable components for: * Annual salary reviews, ensuring they are competitive * 5% employer pension contribution * For employees working at least 0.8 FTE: * Home Office Equipment Allowance * Professional Registration Fees Allowance for clinicians * A unique annual leave benefits package which includes: * 37 days of annual leave. This is 28 standard days, plus eight bank holidays, plus your birthday off. * Option to buy an additional 5 days per year (giving a maximum of 42 days) * Where required, 2 days per year of special leave, for events that can happen in life, whether personal or family-related * Additional benefits include: * A premium performance company laptop * NHS discounts, including the Blue Light Card (as we are an NHS provider). Equality & Diversity Paloma Health is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and throughout the application process. We do not discriminate based on any protected characteristic. Accommodations We’re glad to accommodate candidates who need adjustments throughout the hiring process. We encourage you to be open about the adjustments you need so we can adapt our interview process. Safer Recruitment & Pre-Employment Checks Paloma Health ensures that supporting people to be safe is at the heart of our work and a key priority across all areas of the organisation. As part of our pre-employment checks, you will be asked to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Depending on your role within the business, this will be at either an Enhanced, Standard, or Basic level. We are committed to safer recruitment practices and expect all applicants to share our dedication to safeguarding. Our recruitment processes are designed to ensure we appoint individuals who are aligned with our values and who will contribute to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone we work with. Application process Please apply via our website. We understand that applying for a new job requires a significant amount of effort, and we appreciate your time. We look forward to reviewing your application.   Join us and be part of our journey to revolutionise access to NHS autism and ADHD care!