visiting GP for a referral for assessment

Hi, your best chances of getting a referal lie with a list of just how the symptoms affect your daughters day to day life, and not just inflence her, genuinely harm her, either emotionally or physcially. Many GPs are not experts in mental health, and seem loathe to refer people when they can perscribe medication to treat the symptoms, not the cause.

With referals, its hit and miss. Some GP's are on the ball and will refer you immediately for assessment. Others? Nothing short of being suicidal will make them put you down for a referal, so you have to be confident in yourself when you say you believe your daughter has Aspergers Syndrome and -needs- an assessment to live to the best of her abilities. You must must must highlight how her quality of life is suffering from a lack of diagnosis.

Deliver a compelling arguement by showing you know your stuff, don't let them give her any behavioural medication and 'see how she goes'. This is a delay tactic and often leads to more blocks down the road for when she will inevitably require a diagnosis (i.e. 'Oh shes on this medication, shes been fine on it for a while, its not urgent, keep on with the medicine and see how it goes'). Not to mention the damage behavioural medication actually does to your brain when given out by someone who isn't a mental health specialist....

Also be wary of resistance within the school, there are often teachers or staff who think they know what Autism is, because of the manner female Aspies present themselves at school, some staff will often feel they 'know best' and that she 'doesn't really have Aspergers', as they're usually only trained to handle those further down on the Autistic spectrum. Its stressful, annoying, and an uphill battle... but once you get there your daughters quality of life will almost certainly improve, after my diagnosis (again, as I'm female I had to deal with the many judgements of 'she doesn't have it') my life changed for the better, even though I was in my late teens. My little cousin was diagnosed when he was about 10 as well, also with autism, and since then he's gone on to do exceptionally well in school and made tons of friends.

Best of luck

Hi, your best chances of getting a referal lie with a list of just how the symptoms affect your daughters day to day life, and not just inflence her, genuinely harm her, either emotionally or physcially. Many GPs are not experts in mental health, and seem loathe to refer people when they can perscribe medication to treat the symptoms, not the cause.

With referals, its hit and miss. Some GP's are on the ball and will refer you immediately for assessment. Others? Nothing short of being suicidal will make them put you down for a referal, so you have to be confident in yourself when you say you believe your daughter has Aspergers Syndrome and -needs- an assessment to live to the best of her abilities. You must must must highlight how her quality of life is suffering from a lack of diagnosis.

Deliver a compelling arguement by showing you know your stuff, don't let them give her any behavioural medication and 'see how she goes'. This is a delay tactic and often leads to more blocks down the road for when she will inevitably require a diagnosis (i.e. 'Oh shes on this medication, shes been fine on it for a while, its not urgent, keep on with the medicine and see how it goes'). Not to mention the damage behavioural medication actually does to your brain when given out by someone who isn't a mental health specialist....

Also be wary of resistance within the school, there are often teachers or staff who think they know what Autism is, because of the manner female Aspies present themselves at school, some staff will often feel they 'know best' and that she 'doesn't really have Aspergers', as they're usually only trained to handle those further down on the Autistic spectrum. Its stressful, annoying, and an uphill battle... but once you get there your daughters quality of life will almost certainly improve, after my diagnosis (again, as I'm female I had to deal with the many judgements of 'she doesn't have it') my life changed for the better, even though I was in my late teens. My little cousin was diagnosed when he was about 10 as well, also with autism, and since then he's gone on to do exceptionally well in school and made tons of friends.

Best of luck