Going Private...

[neverputasockinatoaster]

Am currently trying to get DD assessed for ASD.
We live in one county and she goes to school in another but this will change in September.
When DS was assessed we went round in circles for months with the county we lived in refusing to assess as he went to school in a different county and the county he is at school in refusing to assess because we didn't live there......
I went to my GP recently and he agreed she has some issues. Because of the cross county thing he tried to refer her directly to the paed who saw DS but the referral has been refused because we haven't been through a long list of thigns like having a key worker and filling out a form about getting to know you.....
I am going to ask the GP to now just do what ever he would normally do as we will be educated in county in September.
However, OH and I were wondering about seeking a private assessment to speed up the process. DD is already 6 and will be going into year 2 in September. She is struggling more and more and needs support and I need support and advice in dealing wiht her.
Maybe a new school will get past the fact that she has DS fro a brother and stop telling me it is all because she has learned behaviour from him....
(She refused to leave the house this morning because she was bitten by an insect yesterday and there will be more of them outside.......)
So, I suppose I'm asking if any of you have experience with private DX. Was the process of being seen faster? Was the DX believed or did you ahve to jump through NHS hoops anyway?
And who might be worth seeing in the Lincolnshire area?

We saw Margo Sharp earlier this year. We waited about 10 weeks maximum to be seen. Report has been accepted, but dd2 is in an independent school so not sure if this makes a difference.

Dd2 is 7, and in year 2. We wanted it sorted before she got to KS2. School had previously dismissed all concerns and thought I was seeing things which weren't there due to dd1 having severe ASD.

we waited 3yrs for my dd to be assessed for asd... we offered to go for private dx but lea and school wouldn't accept private assessment so would of been money wasted.
her dx still isn't recognised as it's not worded properly. paperwork says dd meets criteria for asd....it doesn't say dd has asd.

My local LEA and some local GP's don't recognise a private diagnosis. We were lucky and only waited 9 months to get diagnosed.

davidsotherhalf Our letter is worded "panel has concluded that meets the diagnostic criteria for ASD. He has now been discharged from the social communication difficulties pathway."
This is accepted as a diagnosis here and is how they word the letter.
What reasons have they given for not accepting that as a diagnosis where you live?
Its got me really worried now :s

Davidsotherhalf your LEA are taking you for a mug. Do not stand for those shenanigans

I'd be tempted to put in a complaint to the GP and Paed I am pretty sure the NICE diagnosis guidance doesn't specify having a key worker as part of the criteria!
I would write to both referring to the guidance and how it has been since you first raised concerns and say if the referral isn't accepted you will be asking the local CCG to fund an out of area assessment.
Sheffield is often used here for referrals (NHS created a 2-3 year backlog here by deliberately keeping posts empty so CCG is now having to fund out of area assessments and sending people to Sheffield but I think thats still NHS, just out of area NHS)

davids Dd3's dx says that aswell!!

I agree that your LEA are taking the p..s

OP if going private is really an option for you then I would go for it.

Dd3 was in the system for 3.5 yrs and notdiagnosed until she was 9.

Even if you dont go private you could still start using strategies that work with children with Asd. But her school probably wont get on board without the diagnosis.

Good luck

OP i forgot to add earlier if your in Lincs then there is the Elizabeth Newson centre just in Notts that might not be too far for you to travel for private assessment. I only know about it because its based at the indie special school that DS goes to, although i haven't had any dealings with the centre itself as DS was diagnosed by NHS.

www.norsaca.org.uk/diagnosis-and-assessment

dd attended a sn residential college (120 miles away from home) they wouldn't accept the dx paperwork as it's supposed to say dd has a dx of asd... not meets criteria for asd... our lea, social services, and gp won't accept dx either because of wording....the (nhs) psych won't re word the dx and nobody will accept the wording.....so annoying

davids all these people are behaving like twats. Can you not take the lea to task on this? Through SENDIST? I am on your behalf. It is utterly, utterly, indefensible.

Thank you everybody.

I am going to write to our GP and ask him to refer to our local Paed as she ill be in a local school by September.

I do tend to use ASD strategies with her already. I feel that because of her brother her issues are overlooked. School keep telling me it is learned behaviour BUT her issues are so totally different from DS's

All she has talked about today is mosquitos. Why do they exist? Will one sting me if I go outside to walk to the car? On and on. So anxious.

mhs take dx as it suits them. before dd left residential college she had a mh assessment, got dx of ptsd anxiety panic attacks (causing her to pass out) some other mh issues causing suicidal thoughts and she self harms, she was referred to mhs at home with recommendations for treatment. mhs are refusing treatment as she's got asd, they can't treat ppl for mh issues if they have asd... now they are trying to get round this by doing more tests, if they dx adhd she can access mh services.....I have tried everything to get her treatment but just keep getting doors slammed in my face, just get told to carry on with suicide watch 24/7, whatever I do don't leave her as she's high risk suicide.