I'm hoping someone can suggest a way forward for my friend and her 13 year old son. After several years of trying to get support he has been seen by CAMHS and they have said that they don't feel an assessment for ASD will be useful. In a nutshell, I've known this lad since he was a bump. His difficulties around understanding others emotions, communication and needs and understanding/processing his own emotions are enormous and have led to him being violent to his mother on several occaisions. He doesn't cope well with transitions or change and sensory overload. His difficulties used to come out mainly at home which meant that he didn't get help earlier on as he appeared to cope at school then would meltdown at home. My friend and I both have a fairly good understanding of ASD because of our work roles, so I really don't think we're barking up the wrong tree. CAMHS have basically said that a piece of paper won't change the way he is.They're not specifically saying that they don't think he's on the spectrum. It is actually the young person that is keen for a diagnosis, as he wants to be able to understand why his behaviours are sometimes out of control, why he struggles so much with things that his friends take in their stride and why he often hurts the people closest to him, which leaves him feeling so bad about himself. My friend wants to write to CAMHS to challenge the decision not to assess. I'd really appreciate any advice and support around the best way to go about this. I'm posting here on my friend's behalf as she is quite exhausted with it all at the moment, and I have offered to help. Is there any mileage in challenging this decision with a letter? What would be the best way to word it? I understand it needs to focus on the factual rather than the emotional, but any advice from anyone who has been in this situation would be greatly appreciated. I am new to this site so I hope it's OK to ask for assistance in a situation where there is no diagnosis. Many thanks.
