Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, My Daughter is 5 YO and has been through some trauma (family deaths and a messy divorce from me and her mother)
She's developed relatively normally (Almost above average for a lot of things)
Noticed from young age some sensory issues (Noises, textures, certain foods). Mother doesnt see these but notices them
Signs are included but not limited too, forgetting to use toilet, soling and wetting and being too embarrassed to tell, panic attacks around even moderately loud noises, fixation on things being right (spoken or positionally etc), quite ritualistic and demands control of play.
Fear of speaking to teachers/family if something is bothering her. Nervousness, generalised anxiety around the unknown.
Very possessive (would not use ear defenders to protect ears because they were not HERS).
My paternal family recognises signs, maternal doesn't.
Doctors unwilling to do much as say have to wait for school.
School are being evasive and stating that children presenting their needs more loudly/obviously are more of a priority
CAMHS service only offering parent-led cbt for trauma
I'm at my wits end and don't really know where to turn. Is there any charities i can get advice? my daughter is masking a lot of the stimming she does at home (running in circles, picking fingers, spinning, repetitive words) from school, where she tries to fit in, although after her nan died last year, the mask fell at nursery and they noticed signs, but school is unwilling to listen,
What can i do?
A GP can refer to a diagnostic service without the school. And the criteria for whether they should do so or not is purely medical not a question of what other services or professionals think.
ultimately you don’t have a lot of levers to control the school making a referral. You’d have to tell us a bit more about why CAMHS is refusing to refer before we could say much about that. But again as mental health professionals they are only meant to take into account medical grounds.
those are your options at seeking a diagnosis within the system. there is of course the option of seeking a private diagnosis but of course it costs a lot of money. As I understand it if you have joint custody you don’t need your ex spouses permission to take your child to be examined by a private doctor. So if you have the money to arrange a private diagnosis you can just do that.
The diagnosis having been made the school then has to adapt to it whether they want to or not. And if they refuse to be cooperative there is the option of seeking an ECHP.