Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all
My name is Sarah. I have a beautiful daughter who has gone through some extremely hard times during the past 5 years. Three months ago she was diagnosed with ASD at 15 years old. She was misdiagnosed 5 years ago by CAMHS after years of trying to get assessed. I feel very angry that the past 5 years could have been avoided or have at least not been as awful if she had had the right diagnosis and help and support back then. She is depressed, highly anxious, has self-harmed and recently spent 3 months in a high dependancy mental health unit (300 miles away from home) where she was finally diagnosed! As those of you in a similar situation know, we have good days and bad days and absolutely terrible days. The time that my daughter was in hospital was the worse time of my life and I almost had a breakdown with the stress and worry of it all. She is back home now and has tried to go back to school, however, she just found it too difficult and I will not, under any circumstances, let her get that ill again so one of us is going to give up work so she can be schooled online for her final year. Very big decision but it's too late to get her a Statement of Needs now which would have greatly helped 5 years ago and opened up so many doors for her. Her school have been OK but unless you have personal experience, you have no idea how the tiniest thing can make all the difference to her feeling safe and less anxious whilst there.
I joined this site as I haven't yet spoken to other parents who are going through similar situations and I think it would help to make friends and support each other so we don't feel like the only person in the world going through these hard times.
I look forward to making new friends!
Hi im Steph and in very similar way right now with my 15 year old daughter Emily at min she's very down not happy and has selfharmed finds it hard and difficult to go school it's just to much for her school been very understanding and now in progress of meetings and things to get her in to a special school for her last year at school she has a ehcp that was done this year she's on waiting list for cams not sure how long that going to take and if she will even be diagnosed we had very hard last few years trying to get where we are now . I could not help but when reading your article it sounded like my daughter we have few different things but basically the same my daughter has ehcp yours don't but you have the diagnosis we don't but your daughter sounds just like mine and they the same age anyway I would love to hear back from you kind regards Steph and Emily xx
Hi there nice to hear from you sounds like your up the wall at the moment.
my daughter has been at home since last December as due to an error on the schools behalf she refused. I then basically had to fight for an outcome. I found the school extremely unhelpful and very stressful.
meg is relaxed and chilled at home and we are currently waiting for an ehcp not that o can see Megan attending college in the future. It was school that was causing her distress now that’s been taken away
Hi it's nice to hear so many people going through the same or very similar things I thought I was on my own . We been fighting to get where we are now it all takes so long and by time anything is put in place kids are grown up and have nothing I'm worried for my daughter like you don't see her going on to do college or anything now my daughter is happy at home doing what she likes