To want to take son to A&E because I literally can’t get any help from anywhere?!

[Mamatoautisticson]

The title may seem drastic but I am literally at my wits end!

I have an 8 year old autistic child with ADHD who is aggressive and self-harms (head banging, hitting etc).

I have tried everywhere to get help - GP who referred to paediatrician, paediatrician who have got a huge backlog and even with an urgent referral you still have to wait months and months, CAMHS who can’t see him for a matter of weeks either.

He is literally getting worse to the point where every single day it’s a constant thing - hitting themselves, throwing themselves on the floor, throwing things at other people to injure them, aggressive and destructive all day long!

We live near a paediatric A&E who have a specialist unit 24/7 assessment type thing and I’m wondering whether this will help us get any help sooner?!

I literally feel like packing up his bag and sitting down there until someone either medicates him so I can cope with him until other interventions can be put in place or this can help him be seen sooner by other agencies?!

"Us" ??

Fuck off.

Here you go, OP.

www.nhs.uk/medicines/risperidone/

So sorry you are having such a tough time, I haven’t read the whole thread but I have been in your shoes and know other parents who have been close to the edge. I have 2 dc with autism and there have been days where I just wanted to give up.

I do know a parent with a child with sn’s (not just ASD) who took her child to A&E and threatened to leave him there if they didn’t help. Social services were called and they were offered help, the hospital also pushed for medication to help with sleep as the child was not sleeping.

Do not be afraid to ask for help but do tell it as it is, to get any kind of help you need to lay it on thick, if you want respite care then you need to say your not coping, tell them your depressed and feel you can’t continue. I get respite for one of my DD’s and have just recently asked for more help, it has been denied on the grounds that I’m not desperate enough. I am a single parent to 2 Autistic teens, I have no support from family or their father but apparently I don’t qualify for over night respite 😡, I begged them, told them I hadn’t had a night away from dd for 15 years other than when I had emergency surgery but apparently my needs are not high enough.

DS1 takes Risperidone and has done for years, including when he was your DS’s age. He doesn’t has ASD, but does have complex MH difficulties. Risperidone hasn’t been a miricule cure, but has been worth it and prevented an inpatient CAMHS admission. However, it shouldn’t be prescribed without DS being assessed by a paediatrician or psychiatrist.

What is DS’s sleep like? If it’s a problem there are medications you could try to improve his sleep which if you could all get more sleep would help you all cope better.

In answer to whether the private diagnosis was for ADHD. Yes it was. Now I know how quickly it can be done, I would have made myself available for a earlier appointment.,

Oh OP, this sounds like such a tough situation. Yes go to A&E. It is appropriate for mental health crisis. They can make safeguarding referrals for immediate support if needed too and will have access to paeds, psych inpatient etc.

I have a 10yr old very similar. I would dial 999 if they are self harming. Yes it might seem like it is a drain and resources but actually he needs help and help that you can't give at home.

I rang 999 last week as he had tonsillitis and had worked himself up so badly about the pain and started to not be able to breath. I had previously been to the pharmacy and also to our GP but he was in complete meltdown and violent. Paramedics were brilliant and totally understood why I'd phoned.

At our local a and e there is a team to assess children in crisis with MH issues. Do not feel this is not an option for you if you have reached the point you cannot wait any longer - you may get help, you may get help while you wait for CAMHS you may get nothing but it’s worth a try if you have reached that point. It’s a mental health emergency - therefore A&E is suitable.

Risperidone - I worked in adult services and there was a lot of controversy around it. Do your research look at the positives and possible side effects as well as how easy/hard it is to stop. Only you can decide if you feel it is right for your son.

People experiencing a mental health crisis and people with ND who are in states of high distress are an emergency.

I believe that self harm in younger children with ASD is often part of ‘stinking’ behaviour rather than the causes for older children. I expect you already have fidget toys/ sensory things like lights, weighted blanket etc. but you may get some good advice from parents groups or the ND board on here of things to try. Likewise the risperidone is quite in usual in a young child so you might find some useful experiences there. Everyone reacts to these things differently though. I would personally be willing to give it a go if I was in your shoes. It’s not addictive you can stop if it’s not helpful/ you start getting effective help. I don’t think a GP would recommend it without good reason

Sorry bad autocorrect- should be stimming behaviour, not stinking 😧

Haha…@BungleandGeorge I’ve called DS’ stimming much worse than “stinking”!!

OP - Risperidone has been a lifesaver for us. I used to administer Piriton when DS was hurting himself/smearing, but he became desensitized after a while. DS now takes this alongside Ritalin and it’s saved my sanity and probably my marriage. He is calm and sleeps for 8 hours a night. It would be unusual for a GP to prescribe Risperidone without advice from a pediatrician, but I really hope you get seen quickly now things have escalated.

It's worth a try. X

Go - a&e did help dd, they accessed community resources for her too. Had unfortunately a few experiences there, never had anything but sympathy

I'm a children's nurse, go to a&e - they will be able to help

How have the last few days been? Did you get the prescription and did it make any difference?

Just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking of you and hope life gets easier soon.