Neurodevelopmental Program

Refer a Patient

If you are unsure about whether to refer your patient, or which Seattle Children’s clinic to refer to, please call our Clinical Intake Nurses at 206-987-2080, option 4.

Appointment availability

Updated  June 2024.

We are accepting new referrals. A referral is required. Wait times for new patient visits are as follows:

  • Seattle (hospital): 6 months
  • Bellevue Clinic: 6 months
  • North Clinic in Everett: 1 month
  • South Clinic in Federal Way: 1 month
  • Olympia Clinic: 2 months

All new visits must be in person but return visits may be through telehealth.

Referral requirements

Please submit a referral that is complete. This helps us schedule your patient’s appointment in a timely manner and ensure their first visit is smooth and productive.    

Please include:

  • Reason for referral: what is the clinical question for the specialist?
  • If the referral is urgent (see within 4 weeks) or routine (next available)
  • ICD-10 Diagnosis – required
  • Visit type:
    • New patient consult, transfer of care, second opinion, or return visit/ongoing care
  • ALL relevant clinical documents
    • Clinic notes
    • Medication history
    • Growth charts/curves 
    • Lab reports
    • Imaging and diagnostic reports
    • Previous specialty evaluations
  • Patient’s full name (legal name and chosen name, if different), DOB, sex, address, guardian contact information and insurance
  • Referring provider’s name, phone, fax and the referral coordinator’s email address so that we may contact you if additional information is needed
  • Preferred clinic location, if applicable
  • If an interpreter is needed
  • Any known barriers to performing a successful telehealth (video) visit with the family
  • Therapy reports (OT, PT, Speech) and early intervention notes
  • Questionnaires (M-CHAT, Ages and Stages, Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale, and other applicable rating scales and/or questionnaires)
  • School records or notes, IEP or testing results, developmental assessments
  • Brain imaging reports

Please note:

Submit a referral

New Appointment Request Form (PDF) (DOC)

Step-by-step guide to submitting a referral

New Patient Referral FAQ

Pease call our Clinical Intake Nurses if you need assistance: 206-987-2080, option 4.

Provider-to-Provider Communication

  • For urgent clinical questions, defined as a clinical question that requires immediate attention due to its potential impact on patient health or safety but is not life-threatening, call our Provider-to-Provider line at 206-987-7777 or 877-985-4637 (toll-free) to speak to our on-call Neurodevelopmental Medicine provider.
  • If you are directing or transporting a patient to the Emergency Department or Urgent Care, please call Mission Control at 206-987-8899 or 866-987-8899 (toll-free).
  • For non-urgent clinical questions, please consider submitting an eConsult. (Providers outside the state of Washington do not have access to eConsults and may call the Provider-to-Provider line and indicate they have a non-urgent clinical question for our on-call Neurodevelopmental Medicine provider.)
  • For co-management questions related to an existing problem for a shared patient, please send an InBasket message via EpicCare Link.
  • If you would like to have one of our Neurodevelopmental Medicine team members provide in-person or virtual education with your clinic, please contact our Physician Relations team to coordinate.  

What Your Patients Can Expect

  • Once we receive your referral, your patient may call to make an appointment.
  • Your patient’s first appointment is likely to last 60 to 90 minutes; we welcome parents to bring snacks and distraction devices, if needed.
  • At their first visit, your patient may be seen by either a physician or an advanced practice provider.
  • The first visit will often include a visit with a clinic social worker, who will have the important role of identifying resources that may be beneficial for the family. Some families are reluctant to meet with a social worker, due to stigma or other reasons, but our social workers are a vital part of our care team.
  • The family may leave their first visit without a diagnosis. Additional visits are often required to prepare a diagnosis and treatment plan.
  • Families often feel overwhelmed before they visit us. First appointments are most productive when families consider beforehand what is important to them, and bring a list of questions and concerns to discuss about their child’s development.
  • Wait times are currently up to 6 months for new appointments, and vary by clinic location. Families may be seen sooner if they are willing and able to travel to a clinic that is farther away.
  • Families may call 206-987-2210 to ask to be added to a cancellation list.
  • We review openings and the patient referral queue daily.

Resources for Providers  

To suggest additional resources from Seattle Children’s that would be useful to primary care providers, please email us.