My daughter (almost 14) has been struggling with functional neurological disorder, including tics, for about a year. We got the diagnosis privately and have been seeing a private psychologist while we waited for point one for anxiety and then CAMHs. We asked for NHS help last December and finally saw CAMHS last week. The suggestion from the private CP and CAMHS is that she is showing autistic traits and that probably CAMHS won’t see her until she has a diagnosis or it is confirmed not to be ASD. They feel that her being overwhelmed and masking all the time is the reason for her anxiety and subsequent FND.
I am a teacher and know children locally are waiting between 2 and 4 years here for diagnosis. Her FND means she is struggling massively at school, has episodes of paralysis, muscle locking and sometimes constant violent and loud tics. Regardless of whether she is on the ASD spectrum, she needs help. There is no way she can wait another 2+ years for an ASD diagnosis only to then wait another year to see CAMHS again.
Does anyone know, if CAMHS refer, is the wait as long as the wait via GP referral? If so, does anyone know if CAMHs would have to accept a private ASD diagnosis (or confirmation that ASD isn’t the issue)? She needs the multidisciplinary team of CAMHs, but there is no help it seems until we know if she has ASD or not.
I am so lost and so desperately worried for her mental health.
can anyone help please?