Published on 12, July, 2020
Good evening My name is debbie I have 16 yr old daughter who has been declining since she turned 13 years old. We have been under Camhs for the last year without much progress. It has come to light with sessions my daughter has with a mutual friend who is a Senco that he feels she is autistic. We met and the more questions I answered the more he is convinced. I would like to know what the diagnosis process will be with camhs? They have been so far unhelpful and have never really looked into my daughter and her issues and just gave her medication which hasn't helped at all. I am worried that they will not listen to me when I ask them to test her? At present she is in a PRU as her secondary school felt it wasn't a safe environment for her. The PRU is like a prison and are totally ignoring me at present. With GCSE exams fast approaching and her being so far behind I am pretty desperate for advice. Has anyone else been through this before?
Hi debbie76,
This following link provides further information on getting a diagnosis for your daughter:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx
It is very important that you see someone with experience of autism spectrum disorders. Details of diagnostic services can be found on our Autism Services Directory:
http://www.autismdirectory.org.uk/services/autism-services-directory.aspx
It might also help to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals:
http://www.autism.org.uk/Working-with/Health.aspx
The main things parents should be expecting and asking for during assessment are those outlined in the National Autism Plan for Children. You can look at the NAPC using a link at the bottom of the following page:National Autism Plan for Children (2003): executive summary, full report, details of speakers, appendices.
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx
I hope this information is useful to you. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to post them and a member of the community or a moderator may be able to answer them for you.
Best wishes,
Nellie-Mod
Thank you so much for your comments. We have an appointment this week at Camhs and I will be discussing our concerns.
I would really like to know my legal rights as far as her right to an unbiased Diagnosis. As the tone of voice her councillor used when I said my concerns was very off putting, almost implying I was ridiculous.
Is there time frames/protocols they should follow? I want to be well in formed so they don't fob my off.
Hi Debbie,
I have a 12 year old girl that has only just been diagnosed and it has presented many challanges. However my persistance is beginning to pay off. So my advise:
Get a referral to a Paediatric Consultant and get a diagnosis asap.
Once you have a diagnosis have a local multi agency group meeting at the school with SENCo and set out a plan to support your daughter. Then apply for an Education Health Care plan. Get the communication and autistic team (CAT) involved. Occupational therapy, CAMHS, SENCo etc to do reports.
Read your LA strategies for SEN support in and out of school.
Contact the support networks within your LA and get a family support worker.
Those things will create a wave of actions, information and support.
I am still battling, but am in the middle of an EHC plan assessment and it's my persistance and shere bloody mindness that is beginning the process of us as a family and my child to get the support she needs.
As a parent, I would suggest following Ferret's advice.
If your daughter does have autism then having this diagnosed is far more important than the GCSE exams, especially if she has fallen behind. Neither of you need this added stress and there are alternatives post 16 regarding education.
A lot would depend on the individual unit, but overall I am far from convinced that PRUs are the right place for autistic young people. For one thing they are often used for students with EBD and other behavioural issues, this can create a volatile and unpredictable environment in which autistic people do not usually do well.
Diagnosis can take a while, it took two years for my daughter to be diagnosed and for much of that time it seemed very little was going on, and that was after the educational psychologist told her school he thought she had Aspergers.
We were told anxiety, depression, other mental health issues and OCD type behaviour is common among young autistic people. My concern is that diagnosis among girls can take longer and could be disguised by these other conditions, so getting the right diagnosis is important.
I hope you get your answers soon, and things improve for your daughter.
have not been through what you/your daughter are going through, but am autistic. as such, i hope i can offer you this: i believe that you require some form of independent advocacy that will do two things: 1. act independently for you and your daughter and in your daughter's best interests.
therefore: this link: autismeducationtrust.org.uk/good-practice/written%20for%20you/children-and-young-people/yp%20advocacy.aspx - as they also have Senco, and from what you have written, the Senco seems to be 'on your side', therefore a good place to start.
if no-one is listening, at Cahms, then they need to. advocacy may help lay the ground for you/your daughter's rights, and also help shift things along the correct channels with cahms. people sit up and listen when 'rights' are involved.
equipping yourself with all the information, the correct information, is half the battle when dealing with any obstacle.
i very much hope that your daughter's well-being is achieved.
each process is different based on which local authority is involved. diagnosis for autism is not a national standard unfortunately.