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  • Sylva is an app for parents or carers that brings together a range of tools and resources for understanding neurodivergent traits all in one place. Sylva helps parents and carers gain a better understanding of what might be going on for their child and offers insights and guidance on adjustments at home and in school. It also offers a range of coaches to support your journey, including Hazel a parenting coach, trained to support your child’s unique needs.

  • There are around 71,000 children currently on autism assessment waiting lists across the UK. This is putting huge pressure on many families who are struggling to manage challenging behaviours in their children and young people. Hazel is designed for parents or carers who want to gain a better understanding of what might be going on for their child and whether they might be neurodivergent. It can help people who are at the start of this journey or for families who are waiting for professional assessments and need some immediate support.

  • You will be asked 50 questions about your child. Your answers will uncover whether your child has autistic traits.

    On completion of the screening tests, you will receive a profile of your child's strengths and needs. Sylva's AI mentor, Hazel, can then help you explore what those results mean for your family and talk through strategies for home and school.

  • We have researched well over 100 screening tests using standard academic and research techniques, focusing mainly on studies in academic journals, to find the tests with high quality validation studies. This saves parents and carers many hours of research. AQ50 was selected as Sylva’s autism test on this basis. The NHS guidance and World Health Organisation (WHO) have a list of conditions that can be mistaken for autism and/or often exist alongside autism, so we have created tests for all of these too. 

    The one exception is Sylva’s sensory processing test. We discovered that there is not one single test that assesses sensory processing difficulties across all the different senses. We know that this is an important, and often overlooked, need so we evaluated the tests that already exist and then developed our own which offers a deep and broad assessment of sensory issues.

  • Sylva uses the following several tests to give you a clearer picture of your child’s strengths and challenges.

    Autism - AQ50: a test with 50 items that assesses autistic traits in adults and children and young people.

    ADHD - SWAN: a rating scale used to assess the presence of ADHD symptoms in children and young people.

    How your child handles demands - EDA8: a caregiver-reported questionnaire that assesses traits and behaviours relating to demand avoidance in children.

    Emotions, behaviour and friendships - SDQP4-17: A strengths and difficulties questionnaire exploring these areas.

    Anxiety, OCD, depression - RCADS: The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale is a 47-item questionnaire to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression in children and young people.

    How senses are experienced - SM-13: A test that explores reactions to sensory experiences. Developed by Spicy Minds. Read more about it here.

  • Sylva is the only online tool to combine robust tests and 24/7 personalised support for understanding autism, its characteristics (such as sensory processing, social-emotional challenges and rigid thinking) and co-existing traits (such as anxiety and ADHD) all in one place. It is also the only app to offer AI-delivered support to parents and carers of young people who may have autism, as well as other neurodivergent traits. This means that parents/carers can make real-time adjustments to improve their child’s wellbeing. Sylva has been developed with clinical oversight so parents can trust in its rigour. 

  • Parents and carers should be able to complete the questions in a couple of hours – it’s specifically designed to be as easy as possible so that you can get the insights you need from home and quickly.

  • We have advanced security protocols in place. Read about our processes and our security policy here.

  • Sylva is not a diagnostic tool or a substitute for professional, medical or psychological evaluation. It is intended to provide support and resources for parents or carers who are struggling to understand what might be going on for their child. Our focus with Sylva is to give parents/carers deeper insights and identify traits rather than offering a binary ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response to whether a child is autistic.  

  • Sylva has been developed with oversight and evaluation by Dr Freddy Jackson Brown, a chartered clinical psychologist (registered with the Health and Care Professions Council) with more than 25 years’ experience supporting autistic children and families in the NHS. Dr Jackson Brown is an associate fellow at the University of Warwick and has published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers and five books on the subject.

  • This rigorous approach is carried out under the oversight of our Clinical Safety Officer, a registered clinician, and informed by review from our independent clinical psychologist, Dr Freddy Jackson Brown.

  • You will receive a profile of your child’s qualities and challenges, alongside practical suggestions of adjustments for home and school. The report can be downloaded and printed and it can be used to inform your child’s learning plan at school, sometimes known as a ‘pen picture’ or ‘pupil passport.’

  • Sylva's profile can help you have more informed conversations with your child's school about what support might help. Any formal reasonable adjustments are decisions for the school to make. The profile supports your understanding, not the school's assessment of your child.

  • At this stage, no. We hope that in time, it will be used to alert national health services to urgent cases that need to be prioritised.

Additional helplines

  • If you or a loved one are affected by cancer, contact Macmillan Cancer Support at www.macmillan.org.uk. Call the helpline on 0808 808 0000.

  • Always call 999 if you think you need an ambulance. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line. Call Alcoholics Anonymous on 0800 917 7650 or visit www.alcoholicsanonymous.org.uk.

  • Call the Samaritans on 116 123. Text "SHOUT" to 85258. Contact bereavement support charity Cruse via the helpline: 0808 808 1677.

  • Call the National Bullying Helpline on 0300 323 0169 weekdays from 9-5pm or text "Shout" to 85258.

  • Always seek NHS help if you need it - call an ambulance or ring 999 if you feel in danger. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line.

  • Call the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 - Monday to Friday: 9am-8pm, Saturday: 9:30am-1pm. Call the Step Change Helpline on 0800 138 1111 - Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and Saturday, 9am to 2pm.

  • If you or a family member are living with dementia, contact Dementia UK: www.dementiauk.org, call the helpline on 0800 888 6678 or email helpline@dementiauk.org.

  • If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. Silent calls will work if it isn’t safe to speak – use the Silent Solution system by calling 999 and press 55 when prompted. You can also ‘Ask for ANI’ (pronounced ‘Annie’) in pharmacies displaying the logo. They will offer you a safe space and support. Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. There is also Women's Aid, which runs a free chat service:

    https://www.womensaid.org.uk/

    For men affected by domestic violence, contact the Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm) or visit www.mensadviceline.org.uk.

  • Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. Call Frank on 0300 123 6600 or visit the website to find more local support: https://www.talktofrank.com/get-help/find-support-near-you.

    If you are struggling to cope with a loved one's addiction to drugs, visit www.drugfam.co.uk.

  • Call BEAT on 0808 801 0677. It's a specialist helpline for eating disorders, operating 3-8pm on weekdays, and can also support loved ones. Call the Samaritans on 116 123. You can always reach out to the NHS for medical help on 111 or call 999 if you need urgent help.

  • Call the National Domestic Abuse helpline - 0808 2000 247 - or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counsellor who can support you further.

  • The National Prevent Police Helpline (0800 011 3764) can help if you feel you or someone you care about is being radicalised. You can also call the Samaritans 116 123 or message Shout for emotional support via 85258.

  • Call the National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247. Or call 08081 968 845 for Money Plus Advice - a specialist service open 9-5 pm weekdays - to help victims of economic and financial abuse looking for advice and support.

  • GamCare offer specialist support for those impacted by gambling and run a national helpline via https://www.gamcare.org.uk/ and on 0808 8020 133. There is also help for anyone looking for local support for gambling: https://www.gambleaware.org/finding-the-right-support

  • Visit https://switchboard.lgbt/ for support and advice or call the national LGBTQIA+ support line, which operates every day from 10am-10pm on 0800 0119 100. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans, or message "Shout" to 85258.

  • Shelter has an emergency helpline on 0808 800 4444. It's open from 8am to 6pm weekdays. If you are worried about being homeless, losing your house in the next two months, or having nowhere to stay tonight, you can contact Citizen's Advice line on 0800 144 8848 - 9 am to 5 pm weekdays - for housing advice. Both websites have lots of helpful advice: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice.

    https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/If

    If you are feeling like you need to talk about how you are feeling, call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans.

  • The ACAS helpline can give anyone free and confidential employment advice on 0300 123 1100 from 8am-6pm on weekdays. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans, Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line.

  • Always seek NHS support from your GP, call NHS 111 or phone 999 if you feel you might hurt yourself. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line. There is also SANELINE on 0300 304 7000, which is open from 4p-10pm every day and offers specialist support to those affected by mental illness, including friends, family, and carers.

  • Always seek NHS support from your GP or phone NHS 111 to see what support you might be able to access and explore. There are a number of charities who can support including www.autism.org.uk and www.adhduk.co.uk. If you're struggling with how you are feeling, then call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. You can also text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line.

  • Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans. Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line.

  • Call the National Sexual Health helpline free on 0300 123 7123, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 8pm, or Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. If you are feeling worried or anxious, text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line.

  • Always call 999 if you think you need an ambulance. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans, Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line. Call 0800 585 858 to talk to Calm (if you're 15 years old or over) or use CALM webchat. Contact Papyrus UK, the charity for prevention of young suicide (under 35): Call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org to contact HOPELINE247, available 24 hours a day.

  • Call the British Pregnancy Advice Service on 03457 30 40 30 from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, on Saturdays and 9.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays. Ring 111 for NHS advice or seek advice directly from your GP.

  • Call 0808 500 2222 for the National Rape and Sexual Abuse Helpline or visit their website to start an online chat:

    https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/want-to-talk/

    If you're a man, boy or non-binary person affected by sexual violence, visit www.survivorsuk.org .

  • If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. Call 116 123 to talk to the Samaritans if you are struggling. If you are worried that you are acting abusively, you can contact the free Respect helpline on 0808 802 4040.

  • If you need help after a crime, visit www.victimsupport.org.uk. The charity has a helpline: 0808 16 89 111.