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Second opinion?

Weaver76

My son was assessed by a NHS paediatrician and told he didn’t fit the ASD criteria because he is too verbal and can hold a conversation and eye contact. (He can on his terms with familiar people) 

She met my son twice, for 30 minutes, in clinic. Told me she thought he was showing more ADHD than ASD. 

I completely disagree with her, 6 months ago she told me that she was nearly satisfied he fitted the criteria and would almost definitely be diagnosing him as Autistic, But would need to speak with his SALT and Ed Psychologist first. Since then, she has changed her mind. It’s infuriating, they see a different boy to me. He’s incredibly able at masking. 

I have approached my GP to request a second opinion but she says there is nobody in our county! 
What do I do? Continue to push?

  • You should be entitled to an NHS second opinion, but not so. Heavy sigh! It's not right. Certainly 2 x 30 mins is not enough to diagnose any one either way! I was in there 5 hours after a review of a ton of paperwork.

    All you want is the right diagnosis for your kid. But some NHS assessors haven't caught up with the training yet. Now there could be more behind her decision, for all we know, and you need to press the assessor for clarification as to why they have come to those conclusions.

    But male or female, more subtle presentations of Autism can mask eye contact (generally looking at some other part of the face), and communication difference, not speech delay, is the criteria. Some of us, like me, were even precocious in our linguistic development, albeit that was functionally not socially driven. Yeah, I could sustain an extensive dialogue at 18 months, if I was in the mood.. So those grounds are not valid alone for disqualification from a diagnosis.

    If your assessor has no other reason than that you need a second opinion to be sure. But you may not get one on the NHS, grrrrrr on your behalf.

  • It’s probably just down to budget, and the ones to ‘fail’ are those that ‘look and act NT’. You can ask for a second option and explain why you feel you need one. If you are able to choose outside of your  postcode, do. Failing that, try getting assessed privately.

    I’ve explained on here the sort of ridiculous things they told me when they said my daughter wasn’t autistic or anything else. I did ask a GP for a second opinion, and was told that because of how she presents, the outcome will probably be the same, despite them actually reading the report, and agreeing with me that she was on the spectrum. We had to go private in the end.

  • in reply to Pennie_Jane

    Hi. Yes I’m pretty sure they did persuade her otherwise, that and she has a very outdated outlook on autism. She’s discharged my son now and the reasons she gave was that he is “too verbal” , can hold a conversation and hold eye contact. 
    My son is 7, I’ve already done a lot of research and he fits so many of the ASD criteria that his paediatrician did not even acknowledge. My sister is also autistic, so I know what to look out for. (She wasn’t diagnosed until she was 25)

    My sons paediatrician had a “one size fits all” criteria which in my opinion just does not work for autism. I feel after waiting two years to be told he’s “too verbal” that it’s absolutely ludicrous to be honest! I’ve worked with autistic children and many have been chatterboxes! 
    We also don’t need a diagnosis to tell us he’s autistic, we know already and I manage his behaviour and sensory needs well. However, I would like the diagnosis as I feel it will benefit him as I can apply for extra help . I’m a single parent so any help would be beneficial to the quality of his life. 
    I think I need to push his gp for another referral to a different paediatrician, out of our county if we have too! 

  • Hey Weaver!

    Perhaps the psych and SLT persuaded her otherwise?  I'd ask what made her change her mind... (if you can)

    How old is your son?  Can you do some more research on both ADHD and ASD to see if you can match any symptoms and then ask for a retest?  Forearmed is best when taking action is required.

    Is your son troubled by life and/or his behaviours?

    I went through similar with my eldest daughter who was very difficult to manage as a child but now at 24 she says she knows she's autistic and has ADHD and doesn't need a diagnosis to tell her that.  So, in essence, could you ride the waves for a while?

    Pennie x