My 8 year old was referred to CAMHS by his school where he is on their SEN register for suspected Autism but has no diagnosis.
We have had a few sessions now - 1 initial telephone assessment, 2 child present and 1 parent only. I’ve noticed that there’s a lot of conversation around parenting and how we respond to certain behaviours - most of which I have already done as I am also trained in the parenting programmes they’re discussing. But I am doing the activities suggested and taking on board their advice, but because I have already done these things I know I’m not going to see much improvement and that his difficulties will still be present.
He struggles with emotional disregulation, social cues, paces and fidgets a lot, has a poor attention span, is possessive of objects and some people, has some sensory behaviours like chewing, sucking, stroking, likes blankets wrapped around him and rubs against soft toys, and is very specific about certain things which then lead to breakdowns.
I am going to the sessions to get the support and diagnosis as school have recommended but I come out of the sessions feeling really upset and judged and that this is all going to be put down as parenting.
Is it normal for them to explore this first or not?