DD16 yrs finally diagnosed ADHD . A.I.B.U to complain to her school for not referring earlier, or should i be grateful that they did?

[Quirkyones]

It was not for the want of trying to get dd diagnosed; i had a feeling since early primary but was met with brick wall , or told, 'everyone's looking for a label'. DD passed 5 G.C.S.Es at C level, so did well but I am really sad to think that maybe with added support or understanding, then she may have done better and her self esteem might not have been as low as it has been.

I am thinking of complaining , with the intention of making girls with A.d.h.d noticed earlier. I would also now like other screening done to see if she has mild autism /dyslexia as she has traits of both. Or would this become a set back for DD in sixth form?

Schools don't want to notice these things because diagnosis stretches their budgets.

Love, a diagnosed ADHD parent of a dyslexic child and an ASC child.

Can I ask what was stopping you asking your GP for a referral for assessment?

Why did you have to wait for your school to take action? Couldn’t you have brought her to GP or found some other way to seek diagnosis? I don’t think you can blame the school for this.
Although I do agree that it’s very important that girls are not overlooked in the ADHD spectrum

Complain all you want but surely it's your responsibility?

would also now like other screening done to see if she has mild autism /dyslexia as she has traits of

Mild autism is a myth. It's autistic or not autistic. Autism or no autism.

Or would this become a set back for DD in sixth form?

Why would it set her back?

I'm not sure if a complaint is the right way to approach it as I don't know the intricacies of the system but YANBU that you should absolutely flag the fact your DD was let down by not being diagnosed earlier. It sounds like the school was dismissive of your concerns for a long time. I know a few other girls who have had similiar issues and lengthy processes to get diagnosed with the school putting up barriers because they didn't present obvious issues for classroom management. One primary aged girl was actually self harming at home but her parents concerns were dismissed as she didn't appear anxious in class (she masked well).

Given it must have been at least five years ago that she left school, why?

I’m afraid I agree that I’d expect a parent to be going to the GP for ADHD, whereas I’d hope a school would perhaps pick up on dyslexia/dyscalcula.

This, you could also have picked it up too and gone down the GP route.

If it is a large Secondary School she is likely to have stayed under the radar.

It is the government that have failed your DD, there simply isn’t enough funding in schools to support SEND children so if your DD was “coping” the school will have focused on the children that weren’t. It isn’t right so many children are being failed.
Well done for fighting for your DD, concentrate on her future because you can’t change the past.
I wish your DD all the best for her future.

@tikkititi
A "diagnosis" has no effect on a school budget, it is need that informs provision, not diagnosis.

Without wanting to derail massively... do you mind me asking op (and pp) - what her main symptoms were and how you got the diagnosis in the end?

I understand where you are coming from as I felt like this about my DCs primary school but complaining won't really make a difference although may make you feel a little better, I would focus on helping your DC now.

Primary school can only talk to parents about what they see in school. If a parent was to say that they struggled with their child at home, we could suggest Early Help for support but schools can't diagnose. In fact we have to be very careful how we word it as we can't be seen to say that a child has this or that, as we are not the experts. We can only say what we see.

Parents themselves should be referring their DC for assessment if they think it's ADHD, ASC etc.

I say this as a parent that self referred for my DD to get a diagnosis of autism (I know not all areas offer this but worth looking into).

Yeah I feel like YABU here I'm afraid.

If you had suspicions what was stopping you approaching the GP for a referral? Could you have afforded to start the ball rolling privately? How much of a fuss did you make when you though she needed a referral? How frequently did you meet with the head or the Senco to put forward your case?

Schools are chronically under funded and I fortunately you need to advocate loudly on behalf of your child.

I say this as someone who is currently trying to get my just turned 6 year old assessed as she clearly has ADHD!

People talking of "schools putting up barriers to diagnosis" have no idea.

All schools in my local area have to jump through hoop after hoop to even get a referral to CAMHS for ADHD or ASC diagnosis. Then the children sit on the two year waiting list to get a diagnosis of a condition that we could have told you at least three years earlier was inevitable. And nothing changes for the child within school, because support is based on need, not diagnosis.

Diagnosis is the job of trained doctors, psychologists, etc. Schools cannot diagnose, unless they have given up on the systems designed to diagnose and paid for someone to come and diagnose. If they do that, it takes funding away from actually supporting children.

Oh, and diagnosis has no impact on budgets.

I'm not sure how a complaint would achieve anything in this case. Maybe a complaint to your MP? If CAMHS and the NHS weren't so overstretched and didn't put up so many ridiculous barriers, children may be able to get timely and meaningful diagnoses.

You are responsible for your dd's health, not the school. What has changed since she was diagnosed/ Is she now on medication?

You could have taken the initiative and taken her to the GP but you didn't. That's on you not the school

@solidaritea - agree entirely.

To refer to our Community paediatrician ( which is the gateway to diagnosis for ASD or ADHD in my county) requires a 36 page referral form. Before it can be submitted, we have to rule out any behavioural issues, trauma induced responses, environmental effects, anxiety or depression and have evidence that all these have been ruled out. It takes FOREVER just to gather all the information the CP requires before it gets anywhere near triage. If it is accepted for consideration ( and most are returned as " behavioural" ) then parents can wait 2-3 years. It is definitely not schools that are putting up barriers!

One of the things that the twat gove did was redefine the parameters of what constitutes SEND.
We lost quite a bit of support and funding due to having some pupils that until that point point had a SEND.
My school regularly requests assessment and regularly gets no were.

Don't blame the school, blame the successive governments that have hamstrung schools.

your child is your responsibility

I hear you OP.
I have had to apply for an EHCP myself as school wouldn't, request continuously a wide range of different health/developmental assessments that I knew my DC needed, request to be put on the ADHD & ASD pathways (which they eventually agreed to - it has to come via school in this area).

While I know, now we have the EHCP, that the support DC gets will not change with a diagnosis, I do know that this "label" of ASD/ADHD is needed to get any medication or special adjustments in the outside world (eg in the workplace).

I don't think complaining will help unfortunately. In your shoes I would put my energy into helping get your DC the support they need now.

I think you’ve been quite negligent as a parent actually. Why is it always the school that’s at fault!

I teach children with many traits of many disorders, none of it makes any bloody difference! I still have to find a way to teach all of them, diagnosed or not.

I need to add that i did ask G.P for a referral. She told me that my dd was just quirky, and that school needed to raise the issue. I asked school over the years. Despite reports stating distracted easily, daydream no eye contact throughout school reports, no one said, you know what, i think you have a point.

Bad behaviour was never an ongoing issue.In fact I am super proud of how well she behaved. Sensory issues were her biggest difficulties, but she learnt to be the queen of masking. Her inattention to detail and lack of focus made me believe that she was a.d.h.d inattentive type- until the qb test through c.a.m.h.s shows that high impulsivity and hyperactive @Troubledteen (inbox me if i can help)

Even if you win, you'll just get a paste of the "lessons will be learned" letter. Then nothing will change.

We had a similar situation with my daughter. I went to the GP who made the referral, but it was rejected as they needed supporting evidence from the school. It might vary in different parts of the country, but here you can’t get a referral without the support of the school. I keep raising it with the school and get nowhere, although my daughter is actually managing pretty well these days, so there is less urgency (or evidence). My son on the other hand, that paperwork got filled out pronto! Fun times.