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?

there was a feature on Women's Hour this morning about late diagnosis of ADHD in women and girls - won't give you any answers on this particular question, but you may find it an interesting listen

(BBC radio 4,www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001g95z )

OP whilst it’s not what you want to hear, the vast majority of us with children who have been diagnosed have been palmed off in some way. It often takes a hell load of research and evidence and pushing on the parents part before anyone does listen. It shouldn’t be that way, I know.

when a diagnosis comes through I understand you start looking at all the time wasted, and where people haven’t listened. My husbands diagnosis was last month, I feel like I’m grieving for what could have been better times had we got a diagnosis soon. I think it’s natural to start feeling this way but it will pass. Best looking at what you can do now to reframe things and make a supportive family unit.

A GP will state referrals will get rejected without the school input. So for all those judging. When it has probably been a really hard 16 years with no support. Please don't!

Yep, this is what happened for us, but with ASD.

My GP sent me back to the school stating referrals needed to come from them.

School refused.

Went back to GP did eventually refer us, but school just didn’t supply any of the supporting evidence needed other than “Mum seems anxious”

DD had a complete mental health breakdown, got referred to CAMHS, who were more than happy to refer her, diagnosis last month.

School also failed to refer for a dyslexia assessment - agreed she needed one but kept putting it off - SENCO was off sick, then covid, then SENCO was off sick again, then DD left. One private assessment later - she’s very severely dyslexic.

Sorry, posted too soon, but just wanted to add, I’d been pushing for years, she seemed to cope fine in primary.

Our catchment primary is the best one in the area for children with SEN so she was really well supported, she’d had several assessments and had lots of traits of different things, but nothing of any one thing for a firm diagnosis

It wasn’t until the step up to secondary that issues really became apparent

God, my phone has gone mad.

To cut a long story short, I was really angry with school and with myself at all the time wasted, the struggles she’s had to go through, I felt o should have pushed harder and that I’d failed her but she’s getting support now, and we’re slowly getting there.

It shouldn’t be that way, and I do understand the frustration

There are times, as a teacher, when you are asked to complete forms that parents have been given, for a range of assessments and to access financial support. There have been many times that I have been shouted at because the form I completed didn’t meet with parental expectation. I could only answer questions about my experience in school with that child.

If a question asks whether they can fulfil a task independently, I have to comment on what I’ve observed. The experience of the family might be very different and so might their responses.

Services that used to be regular in schools, now no longer are, so the avenues of support are much reduced if not altogether removed. I think it’s wise to focus on how your DD can be supported from now.

Back in September you started a thread about how despite doing every test, a leading clinician had concluded that your DD did not have ADHD. So can the school really be blamed??

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4638836-to-ask-for-a-second-opinion-for-add-assessment?reply=

To quote you Op

We have been through a very timely parent course, voice of the child test, parent history, and a leading clinician and nurse have decided that she is not a.d.h.d. inattentive and is discharged.

so I don’t think the school can accept any blame

In my LEA, schools cannot refer for ADHD-it has to be the parents going through the GP. It’s a medical diagnosis.

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

Mild autism?!

In my LEA, parents need to go through the GP for an autism assessment and need to pay privately for a dyslexia assessment as our LEA no longer provides this. There is no accurate ‘screening’ for either.

Completely agree with this!

I agree - I am an educator, not a health care professional. I have listed up to 60 separate diagnosis among children on my register at a time, some years.

How am I supposed to know about all these medical conditions? I dont. Not my area of expertise. Not only do I not remember the diagnostic criteria or the support guidelines for the vast majority of medical conditions I come across at school, but even if I did, it would be of little to no value, as no two children are the same, even with the same diagnosis, and very few are "text book" typical

I need to know the students I teach, what works or does not work for them as individuals. Yes, I will likely reread the basic guidlines for each condition when I get my new registers, but that is really just the starting point, and in any case, with the number of conditions I am dealing with each year well up into the dozens, I wont remember that much anyway.

I might remember something like - 11D is the class where a student wants a bright white back ground to power point slides, instead of the usual pale blue, or 9F has 6 children diagnosed with autism, or children J,K and L must never be allowed out of the room without an adult, etc. But not necessarily the diagnosis for each one - Maybe one had diabetes, one has attempted suicide, and one has specific bail conditions.....

You need to know how to teach and care for each child - you dont keep diagnosis or medical information in your head, particularly

If a parent asks the GP for a referral for ADHD, or even pays for one privately, then the assessor will say that they cannot diagnose ADHD without the opportunity to observe the child in their school setting, and will ask permission to visit the school. If (like my school) the head doesn’t want a diagnosis because they can’t afford to fund more SEN support, then the school will refuse to allow the assesor in and just say there is no problem so no need for assessment.

It’s basically impossible to get a ADHD diagnosis unless the school help.

OP you don’t need our permission to complain, go for it. But the head will ignore it unless the you escalate to governors and even then, they’ll just back up the head 😔

I suspect the OP, if she returns, won’t!

If a parent asks the GP for a referral for ADHD, or even pays for one privately, then the assessor will say that they cannot diagnose ADHD without the opportunity to observe the child in their school setting, and will ask permission to visit the school. If (like my school) the head doesn’t want a diagnosis because they can’t afford to fund more SEN support, then the school will refuse to allow the assesor in and just say there is no problem so no need for assessment.

I have been a senco for a long time, I have never had anyone from paediatrics come into school to assess a child for ADHD.

Children also don’t need a diagnosis in order to be added to the SEND register.

SEN suppot isnt based on diagnoses, its based on the need the child displays

In addition I have never known an assessor either for ADHD or aSD observe children in school

A huge proportion of the children I work wtih are not even in school, either waiting for a school place or having been excluded or parents withdrawn them and yet private and CAHMS assessors still manage to diagnose

How many times did you attend GP surgery asking for assessment?
How many times did you seek support from school if that’s what the GP needed?
What other avenues did you look into?
How did you eventually get referee for assessment and how long did that process take?

YABU.

People want schools to be all things to all people now. They can’t be.

GP does fuck all for ADHD/ASD in children.

I hope someone can tag all the snarky commentators.

@Shinyandnew1 -you're exactly the reason I am talking about. Maybe you can read this thread and learn?

Yes I started a thread previously, well done for spotting that Sherlock. So she had been discharged, wrongly. Test redone and results overwhemingly ADHD. Is that actually alright with you or you have some weird conspiracy thing going on?It always helps to be open minded in this world i find. B.t.w she was always on the SEND register- just no strategies in place. Let's pray that she does not get your kind of support. We all know that worker that's been there for years.....zzz

Read the thread and take in what other posters have said. If i knew the school you were at a big fat complaint would be going your way!

Why was that directed at me? I was pointing out the referral process in my LEA. I will always support parents in seeking support but school cannot make the referrals themselves.

Yes I started a thread previously, well done for spotting that Sherlock

I didn’t. That was someone else.

*Read the thread and take in what other posters have said. If i knew the school you were at a big fat complaint would be going your way!*oh listen to yourself op 😂!

A leading clinician said the daughter did not have adhd despite a wealth of tests

if they couldn’t, why blame the school?

I'm conflicted to be honest. With ADHD the behaviour needs to manifest in both at home and school settings, so it's not really just the school to blame. My DD is diagnosed with ADD which is now called ADHD inattentive type. When the school was asked for a questionnaire, a lot of teachers thought we were mad. Very few are aware of the symptoms in girls and even the questionnaires are centred around symptoms classically exhibited by boys.
Schools get blamed for a lot but you've been failed by the very boy centred world of psychiatry, not your school.
CAMHS is also a joke. They still won't accept our private diagnosis, instead sticking DD on a waiting list that's 3 years long and wasting a space for a child that doesn't already have a (very thorough) diagnosis.
The whole system is broken OP, your school is not at fault here.

I’m going to stick my head above the parapet and say when you look at the astronomical increase in kids being diagnosed with ASD or ADHD, it isn’t surprising resources haven’t yet caught up with the huge demand. I’m in my early 30s and it was a rare diagnosis when I was at school - some 12 years later and it just seems so, so many parents are pushing for diagnosis. It doesn’t surprise me it’s not a smooth and well oiled path.