DS assessed for ADHD twice - no diagnosis both times AMA

[CosmicVoid]

While it seems like everyone is getting diagnosed with ADHD these days, my DS has been assessed twice and both times we were not given a diagnosis. AMA

My son has ASD (diagnosed aged 5) and was assed for ADHD a few years later but not diagnosed, reason given was that his behaviour was due to ASD.

His behaviour was awful, throwing chairs, hitting teachers, hitting other children. The psychologist said it was due to him not being able to articulate his feelings.

As he's got older he is able to express his feelings more and he is the most chilled out lad, no bad behaviour, still awake far too many hours a day. Even now he often not awareness of his surroundings, it's like he's in his own bubble.

He loses stuff all the time and we have a check list when leaving the house - headphones, phone, bag, wallet, ID etc.

I didn't think too much about them saying he didn't have ADHD and just looked at support available and researched ASD.

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves Yes, they must have their reasons and I’m not an expert so I don’t disagree but a lot of people do seem to get diagnosed with both.

It’s made me question AuDHD - I thought for sure DS had ADHD, more so than ASD. Everyone I’ve encountered who has AuDHD appears to be much more similar to my DS in presentation than people I know who only have ASD.

(admittedly I only know 2 people irl, I’m mostly talking about from what I see online)

He did the Qb, which I was told would give a definitive answer but the results were inconclusive

I am in no way experienced enough to say what is or isn’t ADHD/ASD but I’ve worked with many people who are diagnosed ASD and not ADHD and act in similar ways to your son.

So perhaps these are signs of autism and not anything else too.

A lot of the autistic people I worked with could not keep themselves safe.

A lot of the ADHD people I worked with were medicated and still could not keep themselves safe.

If 2 assessments have not raised ADHD then it’s likely he does not fit the criteria and therefore doesn’t have it in a medical definition way.

Does he go to a SEND school?

My daughter was rejected for ADHD assessment as they said the traits were all due to autism (she has a diagnosis of ASD). She sounds very very similar to your son. We initially thought she had ADHD (though do now recognise she is definitely autistic) because of her non stop movement, energy, inability to not talk/ interrupt, focus, complete lack of organisation). She’s also very different to the autistic people I know (including myself) but I do recognise that all autistic people are different. She doesn’t ever seem to need any down time, all the autistic children I know need a lot of downtime to recover from school/ people etc. She also loves nothing more than spending time with lots of people. Again, very different to all the other autistic people I know. But we were told it’s all sensory seeking behaviour. We’ve never actually got to assessment stage for ADHD though. Even her teacher said she can see signs of ADHD but that didn’t help. It’s like they saw the form said she is autistic and decided that was the issue. Very frustrating as we are sure there is more to it. And I’d like to be able to get proper adjustments in place for secondary (she gets movement breaks and wobble cushions at school but she’s at a small village primary where they know her really well and it’s going to be a different story at secondary).

Oh yes, the point of thread was not to argue that I think he does have ADHD, I’m quite happy to accept he does not. (Although it does make me question AuDHD in general)

It was more to highlight that not everyone who gets assessed gets diagnosed, and it’s not always easy to get a diagnosis as some people on Mumsnet seem to think.

@FlatStanley50 your daughter sounds very much like my DS - he is also very outgoing and loves to socialise!

I do wonder if those that get a dual diagnosis get the ADHD diagnosis first. It seems like all ADHD traits can be explained by autism but not the other way round?

@Cucy he’s in mainstream school, the school has an excellent SEND department but it’s not clear if he will be able to stay there as they are at the max of what they can offer in terms of support and he’s already been suspended

If he did the QB and it wasn’t conclusive then it’s more likely it’s ASD. I analyse QB’s and it’s often apparent which is ASD vs ADHD response. Example lots of movement but good attention to detail.

I can’t remember the results but they said they didn’t feel the results were reflective of his usual behaviour. If I recall the said it did show more inattentiveness than a typical child his age but way less movement. After the test they had tried to play a board game with him but he fell asleep which was very unusual behaviour for him.

Following as we are beginning this process for DD

OP the eating non food items is a completely autistic thing.

I actually had it the other way round - I could have sworn my son was AuDHD (I am) and nope, ADHD only. I think it can be really hard to tell when you're so close to someone because so often the traits can be the same, but the cause of those traits different. I see in myself sometimes I have the same behaviour but the reason I do it can vary.

What non food items does he eat?

My son was diadnosed with ASD 2 years ago (which I have known his whole life anyway), the NHS dr said he definitely didn't have adhd as "he is able to focus sometimes" so i left it at that.

But it kept niggling away at me so i took him for a private assessment (the dr actually works nhs 4 days a week private 1 but he's very high up so i think he's quite hard to access usually). He diagnosed AuDhd, the medication has changed his LIFE, it's not perfect but he's 80% more able to behave correctly.

He shows both inattentive/hyper traits but is also able to hyperfocus.

When i was talking to the dr he memtioned that i also had adhd, i was like "oooohhh this explains a lot 🤣🤣🤣" im not exploring medication for me atm

My DS was diagnosed with ASD aged 3 and ADHD age 8. I suspected ADHD for years, it was his speech therapist who supported our referral due to his lack of focus during his sessions with her.

During the diagnostic process for ADHD the Dr thought his behaviour could be explained by autism, but his QB test was strongly suggestive of ADHD so he got the diagnosis. The medication has made a massive difference, especially to his progress at school.

My son is AuADHD and it is really odd because some traditional traits in each one can kind of contradict each other, I’m always trying to analyse which side a particular trait is (then have to remind myself DS is DS and it wont always be due to either!)

I understand the concern, for us, the ASD is much more easily socially managed, whereas the ADHD behaviours can be more problematic, and for us, medication has really helped.

How is he doing in school?

The doctor who diagnosed DS said 1 in 3 people with ASD also have ADHD, so co-occurrance is very common.

All sorts - paper, bar of soap, that foam polystyrene stuff, Lego, marbles.

He’s food obsessed, he’s obese, we’ve have to lock food away as he will eat whole blocks of cheese and when he can’t get the food he wants he eats paper.

He struggles at school both academically and socially. His attendance is around 70% and he’s working towards age-related expectations, he spends a lot of time in the support unit

He was assessed by an Ed Psych who felt he lacked focus and concentration, they found it difficult to do the tasks with him. But then the Psychiatrist said that’s him following his own agenda. I guess because the Qb was inconclusive.

It’s very difficult to tell because as you say @travelwaffle you can display the same behaviour but for different reasons.