Majority of child autism referrals will be rejected under new criteria SW England

[noblegiraffe]

A story in the Guardian says that on 1st March, NHS South West England introduced, without warning, new criteria for accepting autism referrals.

These include risk of education breakdown, risk of family breakdown, or very low communication levels, which is an extremely high threshold.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/26/children-put-at-risk-as-nhs-autism-assessments-are-cut-back

As a teacher, this is horrifying. A child being diagnosed with autism means that the support can be put in place that may prevent an education breakdown or family breakdown in the future. This will mean that things have to reach crisis point before a referral is even accepted.

Schools are supposed to provide support per need, without a diagnosis, but resources are so scarce that those with a diagnosis are obviously prioritised.

The story also says the new approach brings the SW in line with services in the rest of the country. So autistic children are being denied a diagnosis across the country?

@MonkeyChiselTree what support are you finding it hard to access specifically?

I accept your apology. To point out, the thread isn’t about rape and you cannot extrapolate what anyone writes here to what they would write on a thread about a totally different situation. And, in all that you still miss that I did not post anyone must do anything, and I did not accuse you of enabling anyone. Clearly you are not involved in the SEN world if you don’t know the difference between “must” and “should”.

MonkeyChiselTree DC don’t need to be high enough up the list. Anyone who needs the SEP in that quote should have an EHCP. SEP in an EHCP must be provided. Waiting lists are irrelevant. Yes, parents may need to appeal in the first place to get an EHCP and the SEP in F, but once it is there it can be enforced with and without a diagnosis.

The benefit of this is it can be quicker (even with the waits for SENDIST), the therapies available can include ones not provided on the NHS (e.g. SIOT which isn’t commissioned by all ICBs or animal assisted therapy), DC get longer sessions, more frequent sessions and ongoing rather than just a block of e.g. 6. The therapists (or 1:1 for some of the other SEP) qualifications, training and experience can also be stated which can mean a specialist therapist delivers it (especially relevant fro things like SIOT). Not to mention, it means DC who are awaiting diagnostic assessment can still receive the SEP they require.

At the end of the day anybody with a condition should have the right to know that for a whole host of reasons. No other debilitating condition would be met with “you don’t need to know or have a diagnosis”. Great if some don’t want one, crack on,but for those who do want to know( and many many people with autism and their parents do )provision to have one should be readily available.

Our area is another area where you need EHCPs to access anything so much so the numbers are too high. SEND provision has been rated inadequate. If you are a masking girl with autism just about holding it together in school you absolutely do need a diagnosis to access anything. Leaving it too late when these young people fall to pieces further down the line from years of not knowing and no provision isn’t the answer. Professionals know that as it’s the message we’ve been getting loud and clear.

Even masking girls can get an EHCP and thus SEP. Yes, it can be harder when DC mask and often parents have to appeal (whether there is a diagnosis or not), but it is more than possible. EHCPs are based on needs, not diagnosis.

Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I am not saying don’t pursue a diagnosis. I am pro-diagnosis. What I am saying is a diagnosis isn’t required to get SEP because it isn’t, and that is beneficial as it means DC can receive the support whilst waiting for a diagnosis.

is This based on practical experience? It’s meant to be the case but I’d be interested to know how many children with high masking actually successfully get an EHCP?

I have supported many parents with DC who mask to get EHCPs. Many have to appeal (ime more have to appeal compared to when DC don’t mask), but all have been successful, so, yes, it is more than possible. Also, DS3 got his EHCP when he was masking (he is less able to mask now and his needs have become far more obvious as he has gotten older, so I wouldn’t put him in that category now, but when he got his EHCP he was).