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University extra support

NAS63996
over 4 years ago

Hi.  Firstly looking for advice on how to get a diagnosis- my son is 22 had a statement throughout school/college for ‘global development delays’ full traits of autism, never diagnosed with autism.. Now he feels he needs that diagnosis- where do I start?

Also wondering for those with young adults  in higher education/university. My son has just started a music degree in London we live in the north east of England, so it’s a nightmare, for me. As I am a single MAM with an adopted little 1 (I was previously a foster carer) with FASD.. his sister’s have been taking turns going up and down along with me, it’s so expensive..I am struggling to find funding for him.  He gets Maintenance and tuition fees.  His PIP has just been stopped (agsin- it ll be another tribunal) we have applied for DSA.. is there anything else? Iv been intouch with student mental health/finance team.. but not getting anywhere fast.

thsnks. K 

Parents
  • over 4 years ago

    Hi - welcome to the group. As previously suggested, it's worth trying to contact the university's disability department first.

    I went to my GP, but he was unhelpful and wouldn't refer me (he told me there were no autism services in my area, which was false, and he didn't seem to be interested in my need for autism assessment or for a mental health referral). I'm not saying all GPs will be like this and they're certainly the right place to start, but I just want to give you a back-up suggestion in case the GP is unhelpful. I self-referred to my local NHS mental health service for anxiety and what I know now is OCD (I wasn't sure what my symptoms meant at the time). When I went for my initial assessment with a mental health nurse, I raised my need for an autism diagnosis with him, and he was so helpful. He asked me lots of questions in relation to the information on the National Autistic Society website, asking me to give specific examples to help him build-up a case. He successfully got me an autism referral, in addition to support with my mental health. I've now been on the autism assessment waiting list for approx. 10 months, so it is a long wait, but I hope it'll be worthwhile.

     I hope your son gets the support he needs soon.

Reply
  • over 4 years ago

    Hi - welcome to the group. As previously suggested, it's worth trying to contact the university's disability department first.

    I went to my GP, but he was unhelpful and wouldn't refer me (he told me there were no autism services in my area, which was false, and he didn't seem to be interested in my need for autism assessment or for a mental health referral). I'm not saying all GPs will be like this and they're certainly the right place to start, but I just want to give you a back-up suggestion in case the GP is unhelpful. I self-referred to my local NHS mental health service for anxiety and what I know now is OCD (I wasn't sure what my symptoms meant at the time). When I went for my initial assessment with a mental health nurse, I raised my need for an autism diagnosis with him, and he was so helpful. He asked me lots of questions in relation to the information on the National Autistic Society website, asking me to give specific examples to help him build-up a case. He successfully got me an autism referral, in addition to support with my mental health. I've now been on the autism assessment waiting list for approx. 10 months, so it is a long wait, but I hope it'll be worthwhile.

     I hope your son gets the support he needs soon.

Children
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