ASD assessment - private or CAMHS?

[LucyAnnTrent]

DS has recently been diagnosed with ASD, following an assessment by a team of HCPs (I'm being deliberately vague to avoid outing myself!) who also do ASD assessments for the NHS.

His school referred him to CAMHS for ASD assessment ages ago, and CAMHS have now written to us to say that they anticipate seeing DS in about one year.

They also ask that, if DS has since been diagnosed privately, we let them know so they can take him off their waiting list.

Should I do this, or not mention it and let him have the NHS assessment too? I have heard that NHS assessments carry more weight than private ones, but is this also true when private assessments are carried out at weekends by staff who work in the NHS during the week, doing the same assessments and using the same tools (ADOS and ADIR)?

I don't want to use up NHS/CAMHS resources unnecessarily, but nor do I want DS to be disadvantaged by not having an NHS diagnosis.

Thanks in advance! This is all very new to me and my head is still spinning with all the information we've been given.

We paid for private assessments (it was 2020 - no other option) and 2.5 years later had rhem rubber stamped by the NHS (the paediatrician said the assessments were excellent quality and no need to do them again). I wanted an up to date report for EHCP and also to be on the pathway for ADHD medication if we later decide to do that.

You have saved the public purse time and money - you may as well keep the referral.

Thank you.

Hopeful bump...