'Increase' in ASD/ADHD

I didn’t focus on my child having autism for money I focused on it to save her life. Actually We were strongly advised to apply for pip by Cahms and other professionals who sent letters. The enhanced bit actually isn’t t for her autism but for another condition she has too.

No. Are you going to engage with the substance of what I said to you?

Also, I am not disdainful of autistic people. It is offensive to me that you have said that to me. You have done so with no basis whatsoever.

My child is thriving. Why would I want to change anything now?

and for the poster who made the snide remark that I should hand the DLA money back, that’s odd, I thought nobody every did it for the DLA money. Which is it?

honestly, like I give a feck about a few hundred quid a month versus my child’s well-being. Deary me.

That is a personal attack and a clear breach of the rules.

Can you explain how you get enhanced pip just by having a diagnosis of Autism? You've clearly never filled in a form or been through an interrogation assessment for PIP

And my bingo card is full!

This is always trotted out, but the truth is that a diagnosis alone isn’t enough to provide evidence of needs that leads to a DLA award. You need evidence from OT, SALT, school, paediatrician, anyone else involved. Not enough evidence to back up the claim, no award.

Ds had several private OT sessions - I literally wasn’t allowed to be a part of it (as is standard round here), so his very thorough assessment had zero input from me.

DLA (and PIP) are incredibly hard to get, the odds are stacked against a child getting it. I don’t believe (having completed several forms in the last decade) that you could fake it.

The inconvenient truth is some people push for diagnosis for theit children for MONEY.

The real cash in claiming benefits comes from premiums and enhanced PIP

FWIW I think masking could also be framed as socialisation or conformity, which is what the vast majority of NT wind up doing eventually and is not without its toll for many of them too.

Had this discussion with senco that the majority of parents come in disbelieving of problems and saying “nope, not my child, you’re wrong”. They fight against the teachers, the medical people involved, the diagnosis, everything because they don’t want to face their child is disabled and will be for life.

She said it was refreshing to have a parent with a can do attitude, supporting of the school and knowledgeable about autism. As having to fight the parents makes it more of an uphill struggle and thwarts the child’s progression.

@Westernesse if you are so doubtful your child has autism then get a second opinion. But to my mind if the school and medical assessment are in agreement it’s likely a second assessment will be also.

Please don’t be so disdainful of autistic people. Getting a diagnosis was one of the hardest things I’ve had to face and immeasurably painful to go through.

No, the increase in diagnosis is because it was chronically undiagnosed before.

Its also possible there’s been some fake diagnoses at private clinics as highlighted by panorama.

We just spot it better now

@Westernesse so you are a disbeliever of degree educated teaching professionals and medical professionals and of your child’s diagnosis and others diagnosed/seeking diagnosis..

Thats alright, you can hand back all the DLA money then if it’s all such a farce.

What’s that your say? No?

Ah thought not 🙄

Westernesse

You did, hence the post being deleted. Posts don’t get deleted because other posters simply don’t like them. Aside from being ableist it was also offensive which is enough to warrant deletion.

Do you have concerns about the legitimacy of your own child's diagnosis if the process was so bad?

Have you asked for them to be reassessed?

Because presumably you may be wrong about your child's diagnosis too.

Would you call a physical disability a label?

“Masking” is a very convenient catch all which means that absolutely anyone can be diagnosed with anything. We haven’t had problems at home. Nothing from health visitors, nothing from nursery. Struggled to settle at school and “autism”. Honestly, my concern is this. If my kid can be given an autism diagnosis then the bar is very very low.

I am only glad he is thriving and if the diagnosis has helped that, then that’s wonderful. I have real concerns about the wider issue based on my experiences. I genuinely believe a lot of people in his life, including teachers who had claimed he was autistic, would have been gutted by any other outcome.

I did not break any of those rules.

I don’t agree with you. Is that not allowed?
it’s never a label? Says who? Teenage kids might see that differently in a few years.

The entire premise of this thread is about false diagnoses, but you seem to be of the view that every single person who thinks they are autistic, or decides to say the are autistic, truly is autistic. I think that is unrealistic.

my child’s assessment was not during the pandemic and still was not face to face. And the provider would but say how many times, if ever, the find that a person is not autistic.

these are legitimate concerns.

@newbeginnings20 Masking is very common. The whole world can see no issue with your child, but in your home there are issues. Because children mask when they’re around others. Just because no one else can see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You clearly just don’t understand how it works. Some people mask their arses off. I know because I’m one of them. A lot of people in my life would be very surprised to know I have ADHD. You cannot simply say your friends child shouldn’t have a diagnosis because no one else has seen the traits yet.

@Westernesse using the term ‘label’ when speaking about autism is so low and even worse when you claim you yourself are a parent of an autistic child. Just because some people may believe they’re autistic due to a lot of current talk about it doesn’t invalidate the diagnosis as a whole. It’s never a label. Quite frankly I don’t even understand why an adult would actively want to be diagnosed autistic like it’s getting a golden blue Peter badge. ADHD I can understand more people getting confused as to what the traits actually are as opposed to some ‘quirky ditziness’, but what exactly would be the end game of being diagnosed autistic for an adult that would make it such a fashionable ‘label’?

So Westernesse you did break rules clearly outlined.

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