Child says NO to assessments - what next?

[bochead]

Despite us not owning a TV I think DS must have been avidly studying a certain scene from Little Britain after this morning's NHS fiasco!

Once DS gets an idea in his head that an activity is utterly pointless, there's no shifting him & the NHS certainly won't let give him any therapy if he won't engage with their desire to formally assess him first.

WTF happens now? We are on a collision course to Tribunal already.

Am I expected to take him to several appointments where he repeats today's performance over & over. What happens when a child totally refuses to engage with the man at all - do I get the blame?

I really need your wisdom here.

Where was the appointment? Is it possible that he was uncomfortable wit some aspect of the location.

'do I get the blame?'

Of course. Just as you would get the blame if he subsequently tested as needing therapy.

Just accept that bit.

As for the rest, you could start producing evidence. Record what happened today in a journal and then attempt an exercise with ds (any exercise will do tbh) that seeks to identify the barriers for him to being assessed. He can write, draw pictures, make a video diary - whatever.

Evidence, evidence, evidence.

Then, the very least you have is a child who is extremely complex and requires vast amounts of specialist resources to engage. Demonstrate that and hopefully they'll fund whatever cheap thing you want if you promise to go away.

His reasoning for his behavior today is that he is totally fed up with stupid people who pretend to be nice asking him loads of questions that just prove he is stupid when everyone already knows he is useless anyway. He has no intentions whatsoever of complying in future for any reason, under any circumstances, and has now given me formal notice to this effect.

DS has simply decided not to engage - he's rising 10.

I'm stuffed aren't I?

'His reasoning for his behavior today is that he is totally fed up with stupid people who pretend to be nice asking him loads of questions that just prove he is stupid when everyone already knows he is useless anyway. He has no intentions whatsoever of complying in future for any reason, under any circumstances, and has now given me formal notice to this effect.'

Nowt wrong with his reasoning skills then!!!!! Tell him that is what they have come to assess and he can explain it all to them as he has to you.?

Video for next week's annual review?

DS has always been a logic based thinker - hence my comparison to little Britain - the computer in his head "says no".

ds2 now totally refuses to engage with any professional - at best there is non-communication and hiding behind a chair. Luckily, I persuaded the EP that this was a symptom of his high anxiety and she wrote a good report for his statement anyway based on what we and school told her. ds1 is not much better - we had all of the CAMHS office searching for him in the carpark after one appointment as despite both me and dh accompanying him he still managed to escape. It has been mutually agreed that CAMHS can do nothing for them at the moment.

Oneineight - cheers for that.

Sometimes this sn malarkey just makes you feel so isolated and alone. As a veteran of assessments this is the first time DS has EVER pulled a stunt like this.