Looking for any experiences out there to do with the NHS Right to Choose screening for autism and ADHD compared to private screening…
My son is 10 and has a diagnosis of ADHD. We waited 4 years on the NHS (Mindworks) and decided to go private earlier this year because his behaviour was worsening. At the same time, I also had myself assessed for autism and adhd due to recognising things that came up in my son’s assessment, and also because of worsening panic attacks and depression in my own life. I have diagnosis’s of ADHD and autism now.
About 8 weeks ago we were contacted by a Right to Choose assessor called Psicon as had started this route for my son around a year ago when Mindworks wasn’t getting anywhere. They said he had reached the top of the pile for screening, so we filled in the screening forms for autism, and explained he didn’t need the ADHD assessment through them anymore.
Today I received an email back saying he does not meet the criteria for further assessment. While I’m happy to accept this (and glad for him if he isn’t autistic as well to be honest) I am surprised. In the forms I had detailed:
- speech delay until age 8
- physical tics that are sometimes quite bad depending on if he is stressed / tired / excited
- mild verbal tics occurring every day
- obsessiveness about certain topics (football, Pokémon, rocket league, Lego) beyond what I would consider normal
- litttle social reciprocation - while he is socially interested and does want to hang out with friends, he doesn’t seem to create warm and close friendships as I’ve seen his peers do with each other
- explosive temper, emotional dysregulation daily over small things. His siblings often saying they hate having him as a brother because of the way he treats them
- sensitivity to noise, smells, clothing textures
- social burn out - refuses school and after school clubs
having been through the process myself, I know how the ADHD can often warp a little how the autism presents and I’m concerned this is what has happened here. But I’m not sure as we havent been through the whole assessment process to properly work it out.
im wondering if it’s worth saving up and having him assessed privately for autism with the lady who diagnosed ADHD, but it is a lot of money and I don’t really want to push something if it doesn’t exist.
does anyone have experience of not reaching criteria via NHS but then going private and being diagnosed with autism (or adhd?).
Same thing has happened with his younger brother but the other way around - he has reached criteria for an autism assessment via Psicon, but not for ADHD.