ASD assessment, GP hasn’t processed the referral from 5 months ago

[vestedinterests]

Child is 10, in March I made an appointment with Senco to discuss ASD assessment and obtaining the diagnosis. She explained that the school would provide me with the forms which I had to complete and take to the gp practice. The gp would then pass the paperwork onto a panel who would decide whether or not child could be assessed. She said the process is lengthy and it would take at least 18 months. I completed the forms and took them to the practice the following day. The practice was undergoing a refurbishment and I was asked to go to the back office and wait whilst someone scanned the forms in. It was the same room where the nurse was taking calls from patients. The receptionist emailed the forms to gp and asked me to hang on as she wanted to double check with the nurse that I didn’t need to do anything else. The nurse confirm the forms should go to the gp (he is also a partner) and that they would call me if anything else was required. Senco emailed me a couple of days later to check if I had dropped the forms off. I confirmed in the email that I had. She emailed me back linking some websites she thought I would find useful. I rang the practice this morning to check on the progress or who I should be contacting whilst the assessment is being processed. I have been told that the forms have not been sent off as there is no school report and I also need to discuss the referral with the gp. I asked why I hadn’t been told this earlier. They couldn’t advise. I drove to the practice on my lunch break and submitted a complaint to the practice manager. She called me just now to advise she was in receipt of my complaint but I still need a school report, another report that I have to complete myself and that even if she had everything in place, she will not be able to do anything until the 4th September as she needs to discuss the referral with the gp partner but he is on leave until then. I broke down whilst on the phone as so much time has been wasted and the referral is still not done. She confirmed that the forms had been emailed to the gp but not on the day I dropped them off which suggest no one is telling the truth, the staff are disorganised if not negligent. I don’t know who else to speak to or what to do next, other than wait until the 4th when the gp comes back from leave.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) referral pathway - Hertfordshire Grid for Learning (thegrid.org.uk)

1. Guidance for making referrals
2. ASD pre-school/school questionnaire (completed by schools)
3. ASD parent/carer pre-assessment information (completed by parents with support from school)
4. ASD referral forms (completed by GP/health professional once parent and school information received)

So SENDCO should have filled in referral as well as your parental feedback

So you should have filled in this one
asd-parent-carer-preassessment-information-nov-2020.docx (live.com)
School this one
asd-sq-nov-2020.docx (live.com)
and GP does this after getting yours
hvccg-referral-form-nov-2020.docx (live.com)

To be clear the doctor's hands are tied - they cannot submit their form until they have both yours AND the school's. Teacher input usually includes a Plan/Do/Review.
The SENDCO should know all this.
Unless they filled in their form separately and emailed it?
but you should have been able to do yours with the school/info shared/translator on hand if needed.

they had one on one support in y2 and some additional support one morning a week before school but it was during 20/21 when we were in and out of lockdown, the only other support since was a weekly session with Senco

Okay, so they have had some interventions so there will be some evidence.
What is unclear is the type of intervention. Literacy/EAL/Phonics etc
ASD - they will be looking at social communication issues.
Your SENDCO/year 5 teacher should be able to give their input on what they have observed and what they have done so far (quality first teaching strategies).
Their form is needed alongside your pre-referral questionnaire.

The school needs to fill In the school report form not you. Am confused as to why the senco at the school didn't refer you, have you asked them why they couldn't do it? I sat with our senco lady we went through the forms together she sent them off 2 months later i had letter to say dd has been accepted for assessment, I would definitely speak to school again sounds like they are also giving you the run around.

Thanks @Bouncyball23 & @SequinsandStiIettos. I met with Senco via zoom, the meeting was less than 10 minutes as that's how the school schedules them, you then get cut off. Senco said that she would email me the forms which I would need to complete and take to the gp. She never mentioned the school report. Senco emailed me again a couple of days after the zoom call asking if I had submitted the form. I emailed back to confirm. Her last comms was an email with some links to some websites. I don't know why I didn't schedule gp appointment but when dropping the forms off, I asked both the nurse and the receptionists if there was anything further I had to do. They said know but that the gp would contact me if there was. Gp did not contact me and the school has not said anything further on this

They said no, but that the gp would contact me if there was.

once the referral is accepted i would simply ask the department if they could backdate it 5 months
the wait is long mostly so i think in the scheme of things it wont make Much difference

I@vestedinterests you need to find someone who follows nice guidelines then it willl be recognised .

We paid for dd juts before she went to uni after 5 years of MH issues .

It was £2500 but worth every penny to get her the support she needed.

The right to choose pathway is a far quicker route to diagnosis at the moment. My DS was diagnosed this year and it was six months between the referral and a diagnosis. The NHS essentially pays a private clinic which is an approved provider to carry it out. I accessed it by finding a local centre that did them, and then had a phone appointment with my GP to refer. It was a really positive experience for us, definitely worth looking into.

If you can find any way to fund a private diagnosis then do it. (I know with cost of living that's easier said than done right now but it's such an important time).

Another example here of private being accepted for everything my DD has needed it for (SEN school application, referral to NHS specialists, DLA etc). I think historically it perhaps wasn't as I also had this concern, but as waiting times have become ridiculous LAs etc have become more accepting of non-NHS diagnoses. Try to find a well known local private clinic so that it's also likely well known to the people you will then be in contact with for support.

Good luck. It's not an easy battle at all. There is lots of support out there though, lean on it and ask for help.

CCAS Charity funded autism assessment - Caudwell Children

These might be able to help if he's still ten and your household income is below 45k. They are in Keele. A doctor or teacher would need to refer though.
Also, although 100% charity funded was mentioned somewhere on the site, it now says 80% so you'd still need to find £900 if their assessments are £4500.
A private Educational Psychologist report I think costs less than that but they cannot diagnose autism only provide back-up evidence.

The NAS Lorna Wing Centre for Autism
I know these have a good rep for private diagnosis but no idea what they charge.

But here's the thing - even with a diagnosis of ASC your child does NOT automatically get an EHCP as it is needs-based.
A diagnosis will give you just that - that your child is on the spectrum - it will inform your child's Learning Plan at secondary school but it isn't a magic wand and in secondary, there are many pupils with ASC who have no 1-1 or interventions as such. Your year 6 teacher ought to be passing on all info to your chosen secondary for transition purposes and your secondary SENDCO will look at what interventions/support are needed.