COVID tests for kids

[Chickychickydodah]

My gs is 7 and has asd, we have just taken him to the local testing centre and was told that I had to do the test myself. I was told that they do not do children under 12. One member of staff said we had to do both nostrils for 15 seconds or 1 nostril and a mouth swab.
I tried the nasal swab but he totally freaked out and was nearly sick in the car.
The staff member was very unhelpful so she had to get a manager as I said that he was freaking out. He eventually said that just a mouth swab would be ok and we managed to get a test done .
I can’t understand why there aren’t different tests for younger kids and why they can’t get a trained member of staff to do it?
Before you all flame me about costs and nhs etc this is a genuine question.

We have just not done them for our asd child if he’s been unwell. It’s impossible as causes a meltdown so we just assume it’s a cold / other virus.

What different tests would you expect for children?

@BabyhereBabythere

We have just not done them for our asd child if he’s been unwell. It’s impossible as causes a meltdown so we just assume it’s a cold / other virus.

Really, you put others at risk? The alternative to not testing is isolating.

I had to test a 15-month-old. It would have been easier trying to swab a feral cat. The whole time the chap explaining the test was stood over me warning me not to let him tough the swab or we'd have to start over. Which inevitably he did.

The whole thing was incredibly stressful. My DC is strong, I can't physically restrain him with one arm while trying to swab him with the other (and stop him trying to grab the swab with my imaginary third arm). All the time he's screaming and thrashing around. Hope I never have to do it again but already decided we'd isolate rather than put him (and ourselves) through that test again.

Thats interesting - I live in another European country and had to take my (young) son for a test. You book them seperately but they are the ones who do the swabs. Surely most parents would struggle to actually get it far up enough for the results to be reliable?* So you could have a load of children "tested" that actually havent been properly.
*And if it isnt necessary for the nose swabs to go so far up why the fuck do they always do it that way?

In our case they allow a bigger time slot for testing children so they can take it more slowly/allow for meltdowns. And they got a colouring in certificate (just a computer printout) which obviously isnt vital but really helped.

Children are generally more calm when with their own parents. Mine don’t have SEN but have hated Covid tests but would still prefer a trusted parent rather than a stranger to do them.

I think a healthcare profession restraining a child inside a car to do a swab would end in all sorts of issues around assualt/safe-guarding. Under normal Circumstances, we would usually have them sitting on a carers lap with the carer holding arms down but we can’t do that in a car. You’d really need a nurse or doctor and the NHS really couldn’t spare them for this purpose at every test site.
There is no alternative option for kids as the swab has to be taken from those areas which is where the virus is found

@BabyhereBabythere

Regardless of your kids needs it they have symptoms and can’t test the whole household needs to isolate for 10 days.
Hopefully you’ve been doing this.

When we booked for our 3 year old we got the option to choose a site where we did it, or one where staff did the swab. We let him choose and he said mummy do it. Next time I’ll go for the other option - it was not the best!

Unless it was a joke about the anal swabs ? A poop sample from a toddler would be pretty easy compared to nose or mouth.
Certainly saliva would be best.

If they wanted to keep covid out of schools that would be the way with pooled samples

byhereBabythere
We have just not done them for our asd child if he’s been unwell. It’s impossible as causes a meltdown

We had to do it because school requested it.

We got the results and they were negative thank goodness. Peace