'Increase' in ASD/ADHD

[Sunsnet]

There are a lot of discussion at the moment on this subject and many people who believe that people are faking these conditions in themself or their children. This makes it very difficult for those with these diagnoses to be taken seriously and feels like a massive attack and dismissal of their genuine struggles so shouldn't the question actually be, why is there a massive increase in Munchausen's and Munchausen's by Proxy (child abuse)?

I was referring back to someone else who used the term “Blue Peter Badge”.

CoffeeWithCheese

I’ve reported the Blue Peter comment and no Westernesse that is not how diagnosis is done. Why would a social worker be involved in a private assessment? Sorry I’m starting to think there is little truth in a lot of what you’re saying. You definitely don’t have any data available to back up any of these offensive, inaccurate accusations.

Yes it is how it is done. How much would you like to bet?

Did you report the previous comment which used the term?

@Westernesse
So the child’s mother was the main force behind obtaining diagnosis, along with school who outlined concerns.

If, and I say if, you are male, your attitude doesn’t surprise me. We know a lot of people who have ND kids and sad to say the fathers for the most part have been lacklustre in accepting the need for diagnosis, accepting diagnosis and following through with implementation of strategies to help and sourcing further help. A lot have buried themselves in work. And in a number of cases the diametric position of the parents has led to divorce.

All I can say to you is please embrace your child for who they are and accept the diagnosis and that you need to read up all you can. The teens/early 20s are diabolically tough for autistics no matter how high functioning so while all is tickety boo now I wouldn’t count on that being a constant. Said as a late diagnosed adult - you know one of those awful label hunters ”don’t get me started on them”, you said.

Also, if genetically related to the child, you might want to take a look in the mirror when trying to discern where your child inherited autistic traits. You’ve shown lack of theory of mind, an inability to pick up on social cues and inflexibility of thought on this thread. That is not to be unkind but to point out the obvious. Take care.

@Westernesse

I think my child has one or two mild autistic traits which were a challenge in the early years of primary school but not so much now. Does it meet the diagnostic criteria for autism? I have some doubts. A few things had to be stretched (beyond credibility in my view) by those assessing

Have you told your DP to inform the DLA that your DC doesn't meet the criteria for benefits or are you happy to just take the money? Because one or two mild autistic traits would NOT entitle a child to benefits so something is really very amiss here.

Some teachers nowadays see ASD in everything and they don’t want to be wrong. The school contributes to the assessment process.

Sometimes they write a report but diagnosis is a multi disciplinary decision. It is not based upon the opinion of the school. Did you tell the assessor of your child that you felt the school sees ASD in everything and that they were wrong about your child?

No, I don’t think it’s double standards from me at least. I didn’t get much of a say, and was largely steamrollered towards a pre-determined conclusion.

I beg to differ if you think your child is wrongly in receipt of benefits you have at the very least the duty as parent to inform the DLA of change of circumstances. Why don't you do this? Why do you criticise others of obtaining incorrect diagnoses but keep taking tax payers money in unwarranted benefits?

@Westernesse

This just simply isn’t true - we had psychologists, speech therapists etc.

Mate a medical doctor doesn’t diagnose autism.

It is a psychologist mainly, yes some of them are “doctors” by way of PhD but not medical doctors.

This is increasingly looking like the child’s mother took the lead on everything and you floated along disengaged with the process because you don’t believe there is anything wrong. As a result haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.

What my reply to this poster? Why ever for? My response to them was saying that ASD diagnosis are not something an adult would try and gain for the fun of it, aka like a child trying to earn a badge 🙄. It’s this poster who’s called ASD being ‘labelled’, making a comparison to that is really not deletion worth is it.

Though the possibility this poster is male males a lot more sense now, if they indeed are.

People on my eldest DC's autism panel.

Clinical Psychologist
Mental Health Nurse
Speech and Language Therapist
Occupational Therapist

Not a teacher in sight. Though they did get a report from school, the school and the teachers in it didn't think my eldest was autistic. In fact the SENCO phoned my husband and asked him what HE thought of the fact that the school educational psychologist and subsequently the GP had referred him for assessment.

So much misinformation in @Westernesse 's posts.

I have not lied. The school provided a report but the “panel” for our private assessment was a “clinician” and 2 mental health nurses. Only the “clinician” ever met my child and then only online.

I asked about the background of the “clinician”. The answer was “social worker”.

this is the absolute truth, without any hint of a lie or exaggeration.

@Westernesse access your copy of your child’s report. The people involved in the assessment and their exact qualifications will be listed.

@Westernesse

I would suggest that if you are adamant the assessment was unprofessional that you make a formal complaint to them, request a refund and go forward with another assessment elsewhere. You can also check if the previous assessment followed NICE guidelines.

From the responses to you, you can clearly see that your experience is not the norm and that autism assessments - and certainly ones accepted for entry into NHS services are robust.

Now please can you find something else to obsess over other than commandeering this thread to vent your own personal grievances over being unable to accept you have an autistic child.

"Just incompetence and a desire not to be wrong." Projecting maybe... But I am extremely biased, my family is full of stubborn autistic men who just cannot admit when they are wrong!

Most people I know, me included, did NOT have the backing of the school. Autism is not always obvious in such a regimented, timetabled environment, it's usually only when a child isn't coping that teachers will even entertain the idea and even then there is a lot of push not to put a 'label' on it.

"I think my child has one or two mild autistic traits which were a challenge in the early years of primary school but not so much now. Does it meet the diagnostic criteria for autism?" Do you really think I can answer that with such little information? I assume that is deliberate as you have been deliberately vague throughout.

The assessment for an autism diagnosis is just to assess one thing, whether or not that child meets the criteria for an autism diagnosis. If it seems a bit narrow, it's because it is.

It sounds very much like you went into the process looking to be proved right, when you weren't rather than accept you might be wrong you started to pick holes. You think you are right and the assessors, your wife, your child's teachers are all wrong. Now put yourself in an outsider's shoes, would you believe you?

@TatianaB

How can you “get” a child diagnosed???

In the autism assessment there is independent evaluation of the child and teacher’s evidence in conjunction to parental evidence.

Same with ADHD. And the children very often are assessed using electrooculography devices too.

If the parental evidence doesn’t tally up with teacher’s evidence, classroom evaluation, psychologist, medic and computer assessment…. Then the child isn’t diagnosed.

To question the rigour of assessment, which is robust, and speculate that a parent can force diagnosis by being knowledgeable on the subject is erroneous.

The lady clearly has issues, possibly may be autistic herself which would explain the special interest in medical complaints, issues in self regulation/parenting and in not being able to pick up on social cues - you not wanting to be friends.

Are you autistic yourself? It sounds like you can’t see the bigger picture in this?
(highly detailed rambling post tends to be a trademark communication style)

@TatianaB

Ps autistics can have amplified response to pain/minor ailments, heightened anxiety, and tend to develop autoimmune complaints/fibromyalgia etc which come on gradually and are difficult to diagnose.

Honestly it sounds like this woman is struggling and needs support. If you don’t have capacity for that just make your excuses and disconnect.

If she does actually have MBP, that is a serious mental health issue by itself.

However, I’m sick to the back teeth of this narrative that ‘well the kids seem fine to me, must be bad parenting’. I have two children with autism. One is globally delayed more ‘obviously’ autistic. The other, you could have a full conversation with him and not think he is autistic or has adhd. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t. No one has been fooling doctors or the benefits office - in fact with the latter I applied for DLA thinking he’d get the lowest amount and cried in disbelief when he was awarded High Rate. What seems like lower care needs to a parent is obviously a lot more to someone looking in from the outside. He hadn’t been diagnosed with autism at the time, in fact he’d been dropped from the clinic. Having that recognition from DLA made me fight harder for his diagnosis, simply to further the support he needed.

Your opinion about a woman you obviously highly dislike is irrelevant. To what purposes do you believe she’s been chasing a diagnosis? What do you think is the longterm end game to this? You seem to seriously lack understanding about the ways autism can present simply because you have a very set idea about it from your narrow experience. It is so much more difficult to have ASD/adhd recognised in children who are verbal and more socially capable, people like you make it near impossible.