Cost and timescale for ADHD/ASD diagnosis?

[MrsNouveauRichards]

Hi.
We are considering getting some help for our son. He's got a lot of issues which are not improving with age and maturity but are getting worse. We feel the time has come to try and get to the bottom of it. We feel there are lot of issues which may be down to ADHD/ASD/ possible dyspraxia. The school are not being particularly helpful.
What sort of timescale are we looking at if we go through school or GP?
And for Private? And rough costs involved?
Any info greatly appreciated!

[tartanterror]

It will all depend on the strength of your "evidence". If this is the first time that you have tried to access any help prepare yourself that the process will probably take a long time as you have to start from scratch. If you have previously accessed early years help/had hearing problems discounted/attended specialist clinics on food/sleep/toileting you will have a head start.

For school age children in our area, the "neuro" diagnosis pathway starts by requesting your GP refers you to CAMHS. If you do some googling you may be able to find out what the pathway is in your area and whether the diagnosis process includes a specific series of assessments or courses or observations. Some areas forget to tell families about the pathway which leads to quite a lot of stress and misunderstandings. So do your own research and make sure you keep on top of your contacts to keep the wheels in motion. It is easy to get sidelined or sent down false trails!

Going through a private routes has a different set of pitfalls. The main one seems to be that you have to make sure that you go through a well respected centre. It seems that diagnosis paperwork from a private source is less easily accepted than from the NHS. I suppose private people like NAS or GOSH? Hopefully other people can advise on this.

In parallel with the diagnosis, look into organising help at school. Are you in a state school? Have you asked for your DS to be put on the SEN Register? If they have not been helpful you will need to read up on the SEN Code of Practice. Look at the "4 areas of need" and try to think of which areas your DS has trouble with. Then think about which professionals you need to engage to help with those. If you haven't done so already keep good records - all papers from school; all reports, notes of meetings/calls - in date order. You need to look for evidence of "un-met needs" and "difficulty accessing the curriculum" in order to access support. Consider doing an IPSEA foundation law course (in person or online) so you understand your rights and can advocate for your son. It was the best £65 we have ever spent! Good luck!

[MrsNouveauRichards]

Wow! Thank you so much for all of that, it's really helpful! Lots of reading and I'll start writing things down.

[tartanterror]

I think the hardest thing is getting used to how long everything takes. There is a 16-20 week wait to access CAMHS in our area. Then the neuro pathway is based on a 14 week parenting course which runs 2-3 times per year so there is usually a wait to begin that. After which there can be a long delay before paperwork is typed up and posted. So that's basically a year on that part - plus however long it takes to amass enough evidence to be accepted on to the pathway to begin with! Best of luck

[MrsNouveauRichards]

Thank you. September is his absolute worst time (new school year start, new rules to learn, new teacher, new timetable etc...) So I'm trying very hard to get him seen by the school counsellor to see if it eases his anxiety at all. Hopefully then everything else will be more bearable.
He has an IEP in place at school for his speech, so I don't know whether that will help at all.

[JsOtherHalf]

The waiting list for CAMHS to assess for ASD in this area is currently 3 years.

Even children who have been under CAMHS for anxiety/suicidal thoughts are not assessed during the treatment for those issues.