Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all, I've never posted in here before and I'm really hoping someone can give me a bit of advice.
I already have a son (11) who has asd and had been diagnosed since he was 4. With my daughter the situation is a bit different as it's only recently that I've suspected that she also is on the spectrum. She has a lot of traits that have become more and more apparent in the last year or so and this has kind of blindsided me.
My question really is where do I go next. She obviously will need to be assessed but is this something a gp will refer for or does it need to go through her senco at school? It was a lot different with my son as it was the health visitor that referred him
If anyone could shed any light I'd be really grateful.
Thank you x
Yes go to the GP. The Senco probably won't be able to do a referral to a paediatrician (I am a Senco and I can refer to speech therapy, occupational therapy and CAMHS but not to a paediatrician). You might want to talk to the Senco to ensure they are aware of how autism presents in girls and can provide you with supporting information about how she is in school. As you have another child with asd, I would hope that the GP would refer your daughter with little resistance but you may need to be armed with information from school and information about how autism presents in girls as some professionals are still very ignorant about this. If the GP isn't helpful then you could try going through the Senco to CAMHS.
Hi CharlyArly,
This is a common situation with autistic girls! We tend to be able to mask our autistic traits very well and the early teens is often the time that falls apart (basically, the social landscape changes and becomes so much more complicated when everyone hits puberty, plus there is an increasing academic workload, and we can no longer keep up with it all at once)! I was referred to CAMHS by my GP (because as a side-effect of my increasing social challenges I became very depressed- self harming, etc.) and they were the ones who first suggested I might be autistic and started me on the diagnostic process. Your GP should be able to make the appropriate referral straight away if you ask about it specifically, though!
Hiya, make an appointment with your GP I would recommend and tell that you think your daughter has asd and tell them the traits, they should refer you. My GP did with me, (never heard of senco) but definitely go see your GP