CAMHS refusing to see my son

The behaviours you describe are so much like our grandson's... I really feel you...you have to be so aware of what's going on at home constantly. Our grandson sets fire to things, is innapropriate on the internet, uses entire bottles of shampoo and shower gel either in the shower or just pouring it away, floods the bathroom out, can't flush the chain or wash his hands, throws entire toilet rolls in the loo, puts buttered toast in the toaster, peels wallpaper, picks holes in plaster, chews the edge of the stair carpet, piles salt onto his food if he can get it, steals food, doesn't have friends, has an obsession with car number plates which he reads once and remembers for ever, steals money from us, pinches our credit and bank cards and uses them on the internet if we let our guard down (for hundreds of pounds!) and many many more things. Sound familiar to you??? I certainly think that he shows more than just a few ASD traits and I would encourage you to try to get him to CAMHS by asking somebody to look at his anxiety levels. ASD is such a complex condition and it may be a way of getting somebody to help him. 

Hi DiH

I am hoping that our own story might help you. We are raising our teenage grandson who has high functioning autism with very challenging behaviours in the home although he is doing well at his additional needs school. A couple of years ago CAMHS in our county lost their remit to look after children with ASD. Our grandson had been seeing a psychologist there for a little over a year. Nothing was put in its place to provide cover for these children and all the parents received a letter with a couple of weeks notice that we were, basically being dumped. My argument was that our grandson was behaving in the way he does because of anxiety which in children with ASD doesn't always show in obvious ways due to complex communication difficulties. The mechanism for a child to be seen for an assessment of their anxiety issues is through CAMHS so I insisted that I wanted my child to be referred. 18 months down the line we are back at CAMHS and have a psychiatrist supporting our grandson and ourselves because so many autistic behaviours are anxiety led. We are seeing true benefits from the support we receive.

It all sounds a bit odd but the GP should be able to sort it out. Ultimately, you have the right to see copies of any correspondence so you could see the letter to the GP yourself but it may be that the GP has not followed the right procedure or something.

Incidentally, when you mentioned HSP did you mean Henoch-Schonlein purpura ? Oddly, one of our sons had this too. I thought that it was a short lived problem though.

I have spoken to the doctors who said my GP will call me on Tuesday lunchtime when shes back at work. My friend said it could be that my son needs to be seen by someone else but she thought it would go through CAMHS.

I have spoken to the doctors who said my GP will call me on Tuesday lunchtime when shes back at work. My friend said it could be that my son needs to be seen by someone else but she thought it would go through CAMHS.

Hi, thank you for taking time to reply

The letter says this....

RE choose and book appointment

Further to your recent referral through the choose and book system, your childs referral has been reviewed by our community paediatrictions. Following review of this referral we are cancelling your childs appointment on (date) as the referral has not met our criteria for a paediatric consultant assessment. A more detailed response has been sent to your childs referrer (GP)

With best wishes, yours sincerly     (Dr xxx)

Hi, thank you for taking time to reply :)

The letter says this....

RE chosse and book appointment

Further to your recent referral through the choose and book system, your childs referral has been reviewed by our community paediatrictions. Following review of this referral we are cancelling your childs appointment on (date) as the referral has not met our criteria for a paediatric consultant assessment. A more detailed response has been sent to your childs referrer (GP)

With best wishes, yours sincerly     (Dr xxx)

Have they said that he doesn't meet the diagnostic criteria or that he isn't severely enough affected to merit treatment? you have a right to a second opinion - see the results of this search for more info

community.autism.org.uk/.../"second opinion"

He sounds as though he may get several labels if he was seen by a psych.

Personally I don't really understand how camhs can refuse to see him but you are not the first person on the forum to hit problems with referrals like this. I think the next step may be to wait and discuss with the GP as they will have an opinion about what to do in this situation.

My son has to have everything hidden away in his room, all shelves must be empty and he then uses towels even scrap wallpaper to cover his units.

He has no sense of danger, leaves gas on, he has to be supervised if he wants to cook, he gets muddled up when cooking, will have everything on high thinking it will cook quicker. Leaves plugs in and turned on, even when we continually tell him to turn it off. Found an electric blanket in his room turned on and it had been like that for days!!!

He makes himself ill, if his HSP flares up he will self harm to make more liasions on his arms, If GP prescribes meds he will hide tablets so we are none the wiser and will say hes still unwell so needs to go back to the GP (he has a huge fasination with GP) Eats foods which will make him ill (lactose) Its all an attention thing. If I'm talking to my girls he will but in and want the converstation moved to him. He stole his sisters birthday chocs and ate them all. He has no empathy whats so ever, His dad and grandad both have major illnesses and hes never bothered about them.

Just recently I've had to confiscate all gadgets as he was being unsafe on the internet, chatting to lads and exchanging photos via snap chat (my son says hes gay, not a problem with that but I do have a problem with him sending explicit photos so have safe guarded him and stopped all his ways of communicating)

He lives in a fantasy land, hes almost 16 and likes to play schools or pubs, if his sister don't join in he will get very angry with them (they find it childish)

He steals money - doesn't spend it just hourds it, steals marker pens from school and collects them. I have to return them once a month as soon as i find his new hiding place.

He has no friends apart from 2 girls at school, but he doesn't see anyone outside of school. spends his time in his room or with me.

He won't go on any public transport unless an adult he knows accompany him and even then its a struggle, he either wants to go in the car or get a taxi. Won't even walk to our local shop on his own. Costs me a bomb every week as i have to drive him to school as he won't catch the bus.

Hes a complusive washer, he showers every evening at 8.30pm and he goes through a whole bottle of shampoo and body wash a week, we tried portioning it out for him but he started using everyone elses, said he doesn't feel clean using small amounts.

His obsession is car badges and deal or no deal!!

Theres so much more but I'm sure you need a cuppa!!

Please what can i do with regards to getting a diagnosis.