Made me feel uncomfortable should I make a complaint.

[Singlemamabear]

Hi, my 5 year old dd has been seeing a male dr for autism. We’ve gotten a diagnosis and went in to see the dr for a meeting. He done a physical exam, her height, weight etc.
he then said that in the previous appointment he wasn’t able to check her skin and needed to do it so I agreed. He checked her skin and then attempted to take her knickers off which I could have done ? And if he’s checking her skin why did he need to see her genitals? I stopped it there it made me feel uncomfortable. What does a test for autism have to do with her genitals ?
am I being unreasonable? I hope I’m just overthinking because of my own trauma but he did makes me feel abit uncomfortable… he also commented on me and my daughters lips… I really hope I’m over thinking

Hi OP

When my DD was going through her autism assessment between the age of 4-5 her female paediatrician asked to check her skin. This is was to check for cafe-au-lait marks on her body which can be an indication of certain genetic disorders that are linked to autism and learning difficulties. As it stands my DD does have multiple CAL marks.

I hope this gives you a bit of clarity on why her doctor may have asked to look at her skin.

There wasn’t

if It was a nurse would have made me feel better. He didn’t say anything and tried to pull down her knickers. I thought he would just check her back and arms etc not her genitals

Wtf yes complain and say you need a full explanation as why the hell he would do that.

Call the practice and ask to speak to the practice manager. This is in addition to the email.complaint you've raised.

I am retired but headed up an autism diagnostic team. I dealt with patients from 18 months to 16 years. Not once did I ask a patient remove their clothing.

I know the spine will sometimes be checked as there are apparently links with autism and scoliosis.

He wouldn't have needed to actually remove her pants to do this though!

Its irrelevant whether it's a nurse or a dr nobody should be asking to see your daughters genitals without a valid reason. Don't ever think this is OK just because it's a nurse

Thankyou

I’ve got 2 children both diagnosed with autism and no clothes were asked to be removed report him immediately

Not sure if it's been said but there is a genetic condition that can cause brown patches/moles on the skin, a friend of mine has it. She has mild learning difficulties caused by this.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)

Not sure if he is just being over thorough and keeping an eye out for other things.

Wow. I knew my gut was right. Way before he’s done this I had a bad feeling about him. One of our appointments he kept adjusting his crotch area which I fount odd. Complaints been done we will see what his excuse is

Hi yes it’s been said but he literally tried to pull her knickers down. Without asking me too

And OP, don't feel bad about "not getting it" right away. With a doctor we are all in a vulnerable position and we tend to trust them (and thank god most times we can!). ❤️

I'm so sorry this happened, and I'm glad you've complained. I'd report to the GMC as well.

My DD had her autism assessment recently, no clothes removed and no touching of her done either.

She's spent her life in and out of hospital and has never had her genitals looked at. Yes, as a baby she was weighed naked, but I undressed and redressed her. I've had doctors need to feel her abdomen and pelvis, but always with permission and never with pants/nappies removed.

My daughter has Autism, she also has Neurofibromatosis Type 1, she had to have her skin checked for Cafe Au Lait spots, they tend so show up on groin area and the armpits. The consultant in charge of her care told us it's the area the Cafe Au Lait spots are most common and where they first appear.

Shouldn't you call the police or am I overreacting? Even if he needed to check her genitals, another female hcp would need to be present surely

What the fuck.

Two of my children and I have an NHS diagnosis of autism.

Not one of us needed our genitals checked for that! Please report this doctor straight away, for the 'lips' comments too.

this is awful I’m so sorry you and your dd experienced this. I hope something comes of the complaint and it isn’t brushed under the carpet. Please find a new gp to register with, I wouldn’t be within a mile of this ‘doctor’ ever again.

if It was a nurse would have made me feel better.

Why? Why would it be ok for a nurse to check her genitals? Or do you mean 'a woman'?

Then they would usually have asked the receptionist to chaperone

And have a nurse present. Even when I was getting breast checks my doctor always brought a female nurse in.

I wish you well with your complaint.

As someone who works children's and adult clinics, chaperone rules are VERY clear. It doesn't matter if there is someone with a patient, you still have to ask if a chaperone is required.
In this instance I would absolutely be putting a complaint in. I would also ask for a copy of their chaperone policy. Under no circumstances do genitals need checking in an autism assessment. Not only in my professional experience, but my personal experience as a parent of children who have undergone assessment.

In my opinion, this is a serious incident that needs investigating. How many other parents have just allowed this to happen when it's completely unnecessary!

Both my dc have autism no pa. The only time they have looked at their skin was when 1 asked about marks on their skin. Ds has a birthmark on 1 of his legs. She asked to see it I showed it to her. Told me it’s a Café-au-Lait Spot.

Never looked at anything else definitely not their genitalia’s. The only paediatrician who has looked was when they were newborn. To check they have everything they should. There was a chips in my dc school born without an anus.

Chips no anus?