New digital tool aims to transform how neurodivergence is identified
The rise of an innovative digital tool set to reshape how clinical services identify and understand neurodivergent children.
A team of researchers from the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, University of Glasgow and Malvern-i Ltd has unveiled a new digital tool designed to reshape how clinical services identify and understand neurodivergent children. The tool, known as ESSENCE-D, promises to move assessment practices beyond rigid single-diagnosis pathways and towards a more holistic view of neurodevelopmental needs.
For years, clinicians and families have struggled with fragmented assessment systems that isolate neurotypes such as autism or ADHD, despite the fact that neurodevelopmental traits commonly overlap. Governments in the UK have acknowledged that “single condition pathways waste resources” and that a unified neurodevelopmental model is the “logical way forward,” but practical solutions have been slow to materialise.
The ESSENCE-D tool—short for Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examination – Diagnostic Aid—attempts to bridge this gap.
A holistic profile instead of a single label
Unlike traditional diagnostic tools, ESSENCE-D does not target one neurotype. Instead, it surveys a wide range of neurodevelopmental traits through an online questionnaire completed by parents or caregivers. Responses are then converted into an interactive clinical dashboard that visually maps a child’s profile across multiple neurotypes, including autism and ADHD, along with others.
The tool does not provide diagnoses. Instead, it acts as a guide; highlighting areas that may warrant deeper clinical exploration and prompting multidisciplinary involvement when needed. By doing so, it supports clinicians in building a broader understanding and formulation rather than chasing a specific diagnostic label.
Promising early results
A small pilot conducted in Aberdeen tested ESSENCE-D in real clinical workflows. A multi-disciplinary team of a psychologist, speech and language therapist, occupational therapist and a paediatrician reported that the tool:
- Guided next steps in assessment
- Helped determine which professionals should be involved
- Reduced the risk of missing important neurodevelopmental profiles
Of the ten participating families, nine children met criteria for one or more neurotypes, and clinicians’ conclusions closely aligned with the ESSENCE-D output in almost every case. Parents said the questionnaire was easy to complete, typically taking between 20 and 60 minutes,—and most submitted their responses within a day.
Feasibility testing of ESSENCE-D from a clinician, parent and service perspective (strengths and challenges) has occurred in one NHS trust in Wales and is underway in two NHS Health boards in Scotland. A randomised controlled trial of ESSENCE-D is ongoing.
Additionally, the Scottish research team have completed PPIE work with lived experience parents regarding the use of digital tools, including ESSENCE-D, as part of a neurodevelopmental assessment. Their perspectives regarding digital data governance was also considered and the written findings are under consideration for possible publication.
All of the above studies are registered on the Open Science Framework.
Potential to reshape clinical pathways
Researchers believe ESSENCE-D could help modernise neurodevelopmental services in several key ways:
- Providing a clearer, more comprehensive profile of a child’s neurodevelopmental profile
- Reducing missed or delayed diagnoses
- Preventing narrow, diagnosis-first approaches that overlook co-occurring traits
- Streamlining future “holistic neurodevelopmental pathways” proposed by Scottish governments
- Creating large datasets to inform service planning and research
With digital tools poised to replace many paper-based assessments, ESSENCE-D could offer the infrastructure needed to support coordinated neurodevelopmental care across primary, secondary, and specialist services.
A step toward neurodiversity-informed practice
Fundamentally, ESSENCE-D reflects a growing shift away from deficit-based notions of disorder and toward the neurodiversity paradigm, which recognises the natural variability in how human brains develop and function.
As clinical trials continue, the authors say ESSENCE-D is “a promising step” toward closing the gap between the ambition for holistic care and the practical tools needed to deliver it.
Text by Anna Spyrou, Communications Officer
Reference to articles
Chadwick G, Davidson C, Lang J, Landberg S, Koepplinger S, Broadbent M, Fordham M, Gillberg C, Minnis H. Technology Matters: The ESSENCE of holistic neurodivergent identification in a digital age. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2025 Sep;30(3):317-319. doi: 10.1111/camh.70011. Epub 2025 Jul 3. PMID: 40611549.
Landberg, S., Broadbent, M., Fordham, M., Chadwick, G., Minnis, H., Lang, J., … Gillberg, C. (2025). The development of the ESSENCE Diagnostic aid (ESSENCE-D). Child & Youth Services, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2025.2484238
