ASD is the new ADHD

[Mick4Jue]

I have just joined (I am Grandma to 8 week old 1st grandchild)
I was the 1st person in England to be awarded DLA and Care Allowance for my son..who was 13 at the time...and he is still getting DLA now at 33 years old.!
It took 18 months of (embarrassing) honesty..insisting the DWP spend time at my home watching him..school reports..home diaries...doctors reports et al.
When his DLA came up for review last year it was 'rubber stamped' and awarded for a further three years because the DWP regard a diagnosis of ADHD as unquestionable.!

It seems to me that we are still lucky enough to be bringing up children with ADHD...and yes it is very challenging.
I have answers to lots of your questions about behaviour because of my experience and my regrets for not standing my ground and insisting he was nothing more than an individual.

It seems possible to me that the DWP have renamed ADHD to ASD(Autistic Spectrum Disorder) in order to test you to the limits to allow you to be awarded what is rightfully yours. Indeed..his award notice stated he had ASD...which I vehemently denied and insisted they got his diagnosis right and amended his records to show ADHD.

There is much to be discussed on this issue..and maybe I could offer some words of wisdom and some ways to deal with behaviour issues..not just with the child...but also those who will at times be responsible for him (i.e Schools)

Talk to me please.....

You are talking rubbish.

Ye s...thats what they all said...until I sued for negligence......goodness me..wasn't it great to prove a point and get their apology.

Which bit is rubbish then

They haven't renamed it. If it said asd instead of adhd it will have been an error or based on reports from people involved with your son. My youngest has a dual diagnosis of autism and adhd. Nothing's been changed regarding the names of the conditions.

There are a lot of very very knowledgeable people on here about asd and adhd but you won't find them in the mental health section since neither asd nor adhd are mental health issues.

there is a sn section. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs_chat
I am sure you will find it interesting to browse. You will find lots of people who really know their stuff and who are dealing with all manner of issues, including legal matters, challenging behaviour, inclusion, etc etc. not that they consider themselves to be all knowing experts of course, nobody does, but it is about mutual support and exchanging information. It's a really good place. I am sure you will gain a lot from it and give a lot too.

You vastly underestimate me and talk like so many people I have endured over the years.
FYI...the DWP HAVE reclassified ADHD as ASD and it is only on my insistance that they amended his records.
Do not for one minute suggest I am not Knowledgeable about this.I am part of a support group which talks to Headmasters..all manner of doctors....Prison Governors...and employers with fantastic results.
For you to suggest that ADHD/ASD is not a mental health issue just shows your ignorance.
Perhaps it would help you to know I am in my late 50's......you sound a lot younger

Do not be so arrogant as to assume you know more than anyone else and have nothing to learn from anyone and there is no value to you in mutual support and exchange of information and that you can drop onto a website and say hey everyone, here I am, I am the world expert on this, learn from me.

You obviously cannot read or have simply come to fight. "I am sure you will gain a lot from it and give a lot too." is what I said to you, after telling you where you could find the people on this site who are talking about asd and adhd. If you chose to not understand what I am saying, that is not my fault.

I am in my 40s and raising one child with autism and one with autism and adhd. I am far from ignorant on the issues. I am very up to date with the way things are currently for children and teens in the system. Far more than someone who went through it a decade ago, if we're going to be snippy about it.

Neither asd nor adhd are mental health problems. Mental health problems can be experienced by people with the conditions but they are not mental health problems in and of themselves.

No, ADHD and ASC are not mental health issues. You sound very angry and defensive. Sometimes it's good to take other people's ideas and experience on board rather than only giving out your own advice. Have a read of the special needs boards; they're full of educated, understanding and supportive people.

.....and by the way....no-one is involved with my son so no error of diagnosis was made....the only 'evidence' I gave was a very confused letter he wrote me which fits very well into mental health issues.
He was also diagnosed with CD(Conduct Disorder) and ODD(Opositional Defiance Disorder).

Could someone educate me how the 'Autism' shows itself...and how it is connected to ADHD

As has already been said the DWP have no jurisdiction to reclassify diagnosis, sounds like there was an error. Though many children have a dual diagnosis of ASD and ADHD they are two separate conditions with different diagnostic criteria.

Well this is bonkers....!

Perhaps it would help you to know I am in my late 50's......you sound a lot younger

I have been here for 3 years, and this is the first time I have ever heard someone use their age to back up their argument. Who do you think you are?

How was your son diagnosed if there was no one involved with him? ASD and ADHD (two separate things) require diagnosis from various people.

I won't claim to know as much about it as most on here, but I know enough to know you are talking nonsense.

I'm not the least bit angry and I am insulted by your suggestions that I am not educated..understanding or supportive. Trawling through loads of chat today...things havent changed much with peoples attitudes. Mums are still being brushed off with kind words and not a hint of how to manage this mental health condition...or being made to feel inadequate.
And snippy.?????...Try 3 decades ago....still involved with ADHD......and 3 more decades to go.
I reckon ....for support reasons...I could identify with current child behaviour..around any particular age.....and share my experiences of how I overcame the challenges....right up to age 33.
If you have a school age child currently being medicated....it was due to MY campaign that schools accepted the condition and were aware of the medical needs of the child....but there....I'm being arrogant again.
Not only am I much respected for my knowledge..my ability to be confounded..my listening ear with free coffee included...but as a (retired) journalist I have helped a great many to understand..accept and learn to be respectful of individuals.
Word of mouth has meant a lot of people have got in touch with me...and remain that way.....and I am touched that my experiences...NOT knowledge has helped them so much.

Footnote....If you want to consider that ADHD/ASD could be a mental health 'thing'...it will open the doors to vast amounts of good support which you wont be told about if you show your head is in the sand and you are afraid of the words Mental Health..

Sorry, you've misunderstood me; I have not suggested that you lack education, understanding or are unsupportive. I said that the SN boards here are full of that type of poster.

Also, I repeat, these are not mental health problems, although like a previous poster said, mental health problems can also be experienced by those with ADHD/ASD. I'm not afraid of mental health; I've had depression and I have had support from people on here as well as in real life.

This is bizarre.

Bonkers..yes...you lot are taking the work done so far.. backwards..
I have experience..not knowledge.....and intelligence.
OF COURSE there were doctors on board in the early days.....but if you read it properly I said he has NO support now..and no medical evidence of his condition but is still rubber stamped by the DWP.

All I can do is wish you all well and hope you will all carry on fumbling your way through this. It was like this decades ago and your opinions are still common and of no help whatsoever to getting the best out of life.
I am sorry you took it all the wrong way..........there is obviously still alot of work to do to restore your confidence in yourselves and to show you how to stop you all feeling so frustrated.

ADHD cannot be cured....it can be accepted if you stand your ground....you need to be very strong......Good Luck..

"Look...out...Batman!" Robin shouted, "You have it backwards...."

Tune in next time.... Same BAT-TIME!
..... SAME BAT CHANNEL!!!!

DLA isn't awarded on the basis of any condition or disorder - it is awarded on level of care need / mobility need, so I don't understand your point, OP .

ADHD and ASC are two separate conditions, although dual diagnosis is not unusual.

So he was diagnosed as a child, but now there is no medical evidence of his condition.

You say yourself it cannot be cured, so clearly the medical evidence is the dx he received as a child. Accompanied by, I assume, some statements about how his daily life is affected now.

Regarding the rest, there just are no words.

DLA's also being replaced by PIP which has different criteria. My eldest has his pip assessment next week and it's all about how a person is affected by their condition, not the condition itself.

But thanks for patronising us all, telling us that nobody knows anything near as much as you do about it all, that we can't cope without you and how we're moving backwards without you to save us from ourselves and we'll just fumble around in the dark because only you know anything at all.

that wasn't hilarious at all and didn't leave me snorting.

I'm not at all afraid of the words 'mental health', I've had plenty of dealings with CMHT myself. I am fairly certain that neither ASD nor ADHD are classified as mental health issues.
Could I suggest you start again on MN. whether you've intended it or not your posting style has come across as arrogant and antagonistic.

Have a look round the site. If there's help you can give, give it. But do it in a way that's less about you being an expert. If your advice is usually helpful you'll earn people's respect. But no one ever takes well to a newbie coming onto a site an announcing themselves as an expert.

Mick4Jue, you have a really unusual style of writing which is quite difficult to read. I have little experience of ADHD but know that there are other parents/carers on Mumsnet who also have decades of experience of ADHD and use their knowledge to support each other. It really feels like you just want to tell people stuff.

or just shout it in their general direction.....

you have a really unusual style of writing which is quite difficult to read.

That's becuase she random places bits of morse code into her text, it adds character.