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The purpose of this paper is to assess whether a tier four mental health of child and adolescent intellectual disability service was meeting the complex needs of children and families by evaluating performance on key characteristics of a “model service” identified by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2004.

Questionnaires assessed all areas of a “model service” for parents and children, and were sent to the 68 consecutive referrals received within an 18 month period. A postal survey response rate of 42.6 per cent (parents) and 11.7 per cent (children) was achieved, and the final sample was found to be representative of the consecutive case series as a whole.

The service showed excellent performance on all indicators, suggesting it is operating a “model service” as experienced by service‐users themselves.

Issues raised included the need for families to have greater information prior to assessments; clearer explanation of the limitations of the service when families are first seen; and review at the completion of intervention to highlight continuing treatment needs.

The paper may assist in the development of CAMHS for children and young people with learning disabilities.

Recent research has proposed a specific female phenotype within autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It suggests females exhibit differences in social communication styles with higher levels of camouflaging and compensatory strategies, as well as variance in restrictive repetitive behaviours (RRBs); however, many existing studies have been based on either small, disproportionate or child and adolescent samples, leaving questions about the specific phenotype. This study aims to explore the sex difference and phenotype in a clinic sample of individuals diagnosed with autism.

A service evaluation of sex/ gender differences on 150 historical ASD assessment reports (75 males, 75 females) using a 103-item questionnaire developed from a quantitative review of existing literature was undertaken.

Females camouflaged more significantly than males in five different areas (thinking how to act next, preparing conversation in advance, making lists of prompts/social responses, wearing a mask/acting, less monotone voice); however, these were not maintained in post-analysis correction.

This study points the evidence towards a different phenotype of Autism that is more common in women than men rather than a unique female phenotype.