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Late onset of symptoms - is this possible?

Completely In the Dark

My 12 year old daughter has had a rough 15 months since starting high school. She has a good mix of friends and a good range of hobbies outside of school. She has been struggling to cope with growing up however resulting in panic attacks, self harming and a number of suicide attempts. We have been seeing CAMHS for 8 months and she has had several counsellors trying to help her. The last CAMHS assesment mentioned that they now believe that she could be somewhere on the autisim spectrum. We have looked at the symptoms and apart from not maintaining eye contact when she meets strangers, she displays no other symptoms ( this has been backed up by school and relatives with experience of autisim in their professional field). My question is, can a 12 year old start to display autistic symptoms when she has never shown anything during her developmental stages?

  • Mods - how about just blocking anyone who repeatedly uses this forum as an advertising medium?  This "aspecialist" has tried it on several times.

  • Hi! There are certainly cases of autism spectrum disorders that are only diagnosed later in life. Don't make yourself overly worried as this could somehow open doors for your daughter to address the difficulties she's been having with the help of some trained specialists. Just in case you haven't tried, you may consider some natural interventions that could make your daughter feel better. Take time to visit leading naturopathy expert [Deleted] web sites for more information.

    [Deleted]

    5. You can let people know about a service, book, telephone number, etc, that you’ve found helpful. However, if you have registered in order to advertise or sell products then your account will be closed. 

    Bob Mod



  • Hello,
     
    Please see the following links for information about autism which may be of help:
     
    is­autism.aspx
     
    and information specifically for parents:
     
     
    To find out if your son/daughter has autism/Asperger syndrome, they would need to go for a formal diagnostic assessment. There are two routes to gaining a diagnostic assessment. You can either go through the NHS where you will need a referral from your GP to see a diagnostician (e.g. a paediatrician, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist with experience of the condition) or pay to go privately where you may not always need a referral. The cost of a private diagnosis can vary. We have heard cases of some local authorities not recognising a private diagnosis and for this reason some people opt to also stay within the NHS system.
     
    Please see the following link below for further information on getting a diagnosis:
     
     
    If you choose to go through the NHS, you will need to talk to the GP about some of the characteristics and behaviours that make you suspect your child has the condition.  It is very important that your child is referred to a diagnostician with experience in the field of autism spectrum disorders. Details of diagnostic services can be found on our 
     
    directory www.autism.org.uk/directory  
     
    It may help to pass on information specifically for health professionals when seeking a diagnosis:
     
     
    The main things parents should be expecting/asking for during assessment are those outlined in the National Autism Plan for Children. Please scroll down to page 3 on summary report, page 11 for full report for the Essential Components for a complete multi agency assessment: 
     
     
    You may also find it useful to familiarise yourself with the NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) guidelines that focus on improving recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people with autism in England and Wales, and will bring about a far more consistent approach to referral and diagnosis, and mean more children get quicker access to necessary support services.  
     
    These best practice guidelines are useful to show you what you should be expecting from an NHS diagnostic service:  http://www.nice.org.uk/cg128
     
    I hope this is of some help to you; please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or concerns.
     
     
    Regena

  • I work as an outreach teacher with children with ASD in mainstream schools.  Girls with ASD often go under the radar.  They tend to present differently to boys, and are often social chameleons.  They are usually very keen to please, and can have wonderful coping strategies, being able to recognise and copy what other children do and how they behave.  This can lead to their condition not being recognised, even by professionals, until a time of elevated anxiety (starting secondary school is a common one) rocks their word and causes them to struggle to cope more. 

    Clearly these are generalisations, but I hope this may help you to understand some reasons why your daughter has suddenly started struggling.

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    There is a saying that "if you have met one person with autism then you have met one person with autism" Which means that it is hard to identify autism even if you have experience of autistic people - we are all very different. Identifying it in girls is even harder than in boys so it is really not obvious in many cases and can only be diagnosed by experts.

    The underlying cause may have been present from birth but it is common for this to be overlooked. I managed for 56 years without anyone suggesting it! I have had repeated social issues over the years but am otherwise entirely functional.

    The behaviour of someone with autism is largely determined by their environment so a child may be entirely fine and comfortable in home, primary school but may really struggle in a new senior school. It is possible that a different school will transform her happiness and her behaviour.

  • Hi, I'm certainly no expert, but my daughter was diagnosed with ASD at 14. Much as your daughter, she had a circle of friends and multiple hobbies outside of school - mainly creative (drama, dance, singing etc). The only indication I might have had during my daughter's developmental years (but post 3) was that she was 'a highly sensitive child' and sometimes displayed an extreme behavioural response to relatively minor issues. My daughter's issues became unmanageable when she transitioned to High School from Middle School at 13. She became very anxious in her new school, didn't feel safe, couldn't concentrate in classes and quite quickly found it difficult to attend at all. My daughter also received counselling, but with Younger Mind for 9 months. The School Nurse suggested it would be beneficial for my daughter to see a peadiatrician 'to rule out any underlying condition', she was however diagnosed with ASD almost straight away. To me as a Mum, 18 months later, I see that the diagnosis sometimes fits my daughter but also confuses me when it doesn't. I currently Home School my daughter and as her anxiety deteriorated after she was discharged from counselling and she is about to start CBT at CAMHS after a 7 month wait. My parents and friends still don't reallly believe my daughter's diagnosis, but as I was told on an Autism course I recently attended as a professional myself, no two children with ASC will present in the same way...they are, as we all, are unique. I dont know if this helps at all? I am still very much floundering myself! Whatever the outcome regarding the ASD diagnosis, I hope your daughter is able to overcome her mental health issues, I understand how totally devastating it is to see your child suffer in this way.