Dr Nivedita Bajaj is a Consultant Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician with a special focus on neurodevelopmental disorders and complex neurodisability. Since 2011, she has been an integral part of the multidisciplinary team at the Child Development Centre, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. In addition to her clinical role, she serves as the Designated Doctor for Looked After Children and Care Leavers in Hertfordshire and is the regional coordinator for the British Association of Community Child Health (BACCH) in the East of England.

Throughout her career, Dr Bajaj has been recognised for excellence in clinical care, leadership, and academic work, earning multiple Clinical Excellence Awards within her trust. Between 2013 and 2019, she was the clinical lead for Autism Services in East and North Hertfordshire, during which time the service achieved an outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). She introduced innovative approaches that enhanced service delivery and improved patient outcomes. Currently, she represents the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) on the NHS England and NHS Improvement autism task force, contributing to the implementation of the NHS long-term plan for autism.

Dr Bajaj’s clinical expertise spans a wide range of neurodevelopmental and neurodisability conditions, including ADHD, autism, epilepsy, developmental delay, tics and Tourette’s syndrome. She is deeply committed to raising awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding neurodiversity and mental health, advocating for the best possible care and support for children and adolescents. She also assesses and advises on the needs of children who are fostered or adopted and those with sensory impairments such as visual or hearing difficulties. Dr Bajaj is a certified user of several key assessment tools, including the Griffiths Developmental Assessment, ADI, 3Di, ADOS for autism, and QbCheck for ADHD. She provides these assessments both in the UK and internationally via online platforms.

Driven by a passion to empower young people, Dr Bajaj co-authored “ADHD In Teenage Girls,” a free online resource aimed at improving understanding of ADHD among teenage girls and enabling them to participate actively in their management and success. She finds her work rewarding, as she builds ongoing relationships with patients and supports them throughout their care journey.

Academically, Dr Bajaj has contributed widely to the field through presentations, publications, and leadership roles. She has presented nationally and internationally, published book chapters and peer-reviewed papers, and chaired scientific meetings and symposiums. She also delivers annual lectures in the national George Still Forum Master Class on ADHD. Her research interests include leading national and international projects on autism and ADHD, with her current work driving autism research at her trust.

Dr Bajaj trained in the London Deanery, gaining valuable experience at prestigious institutions including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Young Epilepsy, and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. She is also an educational supervisor, mentor, and examiner for medical students and paediatric trainees nationally.

Beyond clinical practice, Dr Bajaj is co-founder of School-Doctor, a social enterprise aimed at early identification of neurodevelopmental disorders and professional training. She is the lead link for child development courses at the charity One2One Mentoring and actively co-moderates online discussions to promote awareness and education around childhood disability and mental wellness. Through her clinical expertise, leadership, education, and advocacy, Dr Bajaj continues to make a significant impact on neurodevelopmental care.

Dr Bajaj specialises in Neurodevelopmental disorders and Neurodisability. Her special interests include: 

• Autism (multidisciplinary comprehensive diagnostic assessment including ADI-R, 3Di and ADOS)
• ADHD (Assessment including QbCheck and management)
• Developmental assessment under 6 years of age (Griffiths assessment and advice)
• Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder) medical assessment
• Complex neurodisabilities, including cerebral palsy
• Genetic Disorders
• Tics/Tourette’s Syndrome (medical assessment)
• Sleep difficulties associated with neurodevelopment problems
• Learning disability (advice)
• Epilepsy 
• Associated behavioural issues with the above problems
• Accompanying general paediatric issues such as constipation, weight gain issues etc.

Dr Bajaj has expertise in assessing complex cases such as neurodevelopmental conditions in Looked After Children or ‘hard to identify’ children and young people, such as girls with autism, ADHD, or autism comorbid with ADHD.

In addition, Dr Bajaj provides multidisciplinary assessments where needed, and provides holistic management and care plans, working closely with children/young people, parents and carers. 

Dr Bajaj additionally collaborates with various members of the multidisciplinary team, including highly experienced speech and language therapists (SALT), clinical psychologists, autism educational consultants and occupational therapists. The team, therefore, address a wide variety of conditions, including speech and language difficulties, feeding problems, behavioural management, sleep interventions in complex neurodevelopmental disorders, dyspraxia assessment, advice on fine motor skills, early interventions in education, management of anxiety and CBT for tics and Tourette’s.

Professional Memberships

• Fellowship of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health, the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health,
• British Association of Community Child Health (BACCH)
• George Still Forum (Executive committee member)
• General Medical Council
• Medical & Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS)
• Association for Research in Infant and Child Development (ARICD)
• International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)
• CoramBAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy
• Doctify