Fonagy report due this week

Or, as in our experience, you wait three years for a diagnosis and then there's no help available anyway.

There is no version of solving this problem that doesn't involve putting a lot more money into providing support, and unfortunately I don't think it's very likely that an appropriate level of funding will be forthcoming.

This starts earlier than teens. Childhood has changed completely. Children no longer play freely without adult supervision. They can't develop the interpersonal skills involved in solving disagreements. Not allowed to take calculated risks.
They don't walk to school alone. Can't build up the self confidence required to meet challenges. I used to ride my bike around alone or with friends. Not possible now even on country roads.

We've built an environment that works against children thriving and growing into independent adults. We really need to focus on younger children's resilience and confidence.

I'm partly in favour, as we cannot continue to diagnose in those numbers in the absence of postdiagnostic support, and the higher the diagnosis numbers, the less support will be available overall. There is no point spending money on assessing if there is none left for follow up support.

I believe however there is also a fair degree of sexism in the way neurodivergence - or assessments - functions in practice. Maybe because of my personal experience. Men are statistically more likely to act out distress (rather than internalise it as women tend to) in a way that's socially problematic to others. I'm tired being asked to be kind and understanding of males who are unpredictable or aggressive and who may or may not be autistic or ADHD.

I’m smiling to myself as Fonagy and David Bell were my uni lecturers together a million years ago.

I generally have a lot of time for Fonagy; he does all sorts of interesting work and has been at the coalface of his profession for decades.

An important discussion that highlights the need for better understanding, accurate assessment, and timely support for children and young people. Behind every referral is an individual experience, so improving access to appropriate care should remain the focus.

Unfortunately past experience suggests that it might be 😔