Published on 12, July, 2020
My 11 year old son has been seen by a school Dr, which was instigated by parents and school head. The school Dr said she thinks he is somewhere on the spectrum and he will need to go to a multidisciplinary assessment for an official diagnosis. What we can’t find out is how long this process can take. Our county is Derbyshire.
One of our concerns is, he is starting high school in September. He is already struggling with the transition and past experience suggests this may be a difficult time for him.
being new to all this we are finding some information or decision making difficult. Would anyone on here know what the average waiting time might be or an 11 year old ( we have been told 18months for adults in our county).
There might be an option of a private assessment in August. The clinic have said their assessment team are recognised by NHS authorities, LEA’s etcetera. But we have not been able to confirm this by the relevant departments. The cost is quite high, for us, so we are at a bit of a loss of what to do. I am sure this forum must get these questions all the time but I could not find specific answers relating to us.
Hi, 18 months seems to be the default length of time that they tell everybody, no matter where you are. I was told this but it actually took less than 12 months. I don’t think they are able to accurately tell you due to all sorts of reasons.
If you are able to take the private option, I personally would go with that, for all sorts of reasons and it also puts you more in control of the situation. The financial cost might seem high but I think it is worth it for many reasons.
What I would highly recommend is joining a local support group, ASAP, for parents of children with autism. This will prove invaluable to you for so many reasons, over the coming years. Not only will this give you access to valuable first hand experiences, it will also provide you with friendships that you will come to treasure and a place where you can share your concerns without it feeling like you’re simply moaning.
Going private won’t exclude you from accessing support from your local authority, you can take a joint approach. You could contact your local education authority, in writing, and ask them if a private diagnosis will enable you to access local support, so you have their answer in writing. You can also contact the NAS helpline for any questions you have.