Hey... good to meet you...

My daughters in the process of being diagnosed with ASD - having a tricky times with CAMHS - anyone else experience difficulties in this area?  She also has high sensitivity to sensory, poor working memory and slow processing skills which can make it tricky to go out to groups that can be quite loud and over stimulating; her average IQ means she's aware of all her difficulties and finds it distressing/frustrating not being able to overcome them - does anyone else's children experience this?

Also, my daughters set up a Discord chat group for everyone (in particular teens as there appears to be a gap in online groups for teens that are friendly and safe) to chat on - just click on the link in 'discord chat' discussion thread and say hi.  

Thanks for reading x

Parents
  • Hi I have an 11 year old that sounds exactly like ur daughter I am awaiting a diagnosis and regarding cahms I have had 6 referrels done in the last 6 months and they won' accept him. However I have recently learned that they won' accept him cause he needs a diagnosis for the autism first then once that's over they will look into into the adhd. He is currently taking a food supplement to help him and sleep. May I ask u do u find ur daughter very unhappy and is a massive struggle on day to day basis. My son also suffers from severe anxiety he is constantly been sick. How old is ur daughter x 

Reply
  • Hi I have an 11 year old that sounds exactly like ur daughter I am awaiting a diagnosis and regarding cahms I have had 6 referrels done in the last 6 months and they won' accept him. However I have recently learned that they won' accept him cause he needs a diagnosis for the autism first then once that's over they will look into into the adhd. He is currently taking a food supplement to help him and sleep. May I ask u do u find ur daughter very unhappy and is a massive struggle on day to day basis. My son also suffers from severe anxiety he is constantly been sick. How old is ur daughter x 

Children
  • Hi, sorry to hear about your struggles.  Yes, my daughter is very unhappy on a daily basis, she will get happy moments but they are fragile and can pop like a bubble at the smallest thing.  She's just turned 15 but the first signs of this started to really show when she was 11, although she had always been anxious prior to this.  She has severe anxiety which can be completely debilitating at times and struggles to recognise/manage her emotions.  I am basically with her all the time, apart from when she is at school (not mainstream school and part time) so that I can help her manage as she wouldn't cope at the moment otherwise.  I like to think that she will regain her independence with the right support in the years ahead. I think that CAMHS operate differently depending on location, our CAMHS don't even diagnose autism as a general rule.  My daughter got the request for diagnosis only via CAMHS after input from an inpatient service when she was really struggling to stay safe.  Otherwise I believe it's via the school/GP that referral is done and can take years!  Many parents end up paying privately, but at over £1,000 it's one to save for.  How did you find out that was the reason from CAMHS?  I'm only asking as people say lots of things and sometimes you have to go to the root source to find out if it's actually true.  The National Autistic Society have a good helpline who might be able to help you and point you in the right direction as they will have your best interests at heart.  My daughter started taking melatonin a few days ago and it's really helped with sleep, it's been a long time coming but I'm so grateful for it - sleep deprivation is the worst.  Also, she isn't sick with her anxiety, although she does get very dizzy and nauseous, can freeze, has headaches, etc - it's hard to tell whether these thing are from anxiety or sensory overload and they are so entwined.  Feel free to message back if I can be of any help, I know how hard it is and how alone you can feel x

  •  that was for ur thread I am not very good at working this sorry x