Anxiety & overwhelmed with care

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Hello

I'm not sure if this is the right place to be I just need a fellow sen parent to reach out too. My son,6, has recently had a ASD diagnosis. We've been trying to find 'answers' since he was 16 months so it's not a huge shock to be honest. He is speech delayed and has dyspraxia.

I'm having awful panic attacks with what I can only describe as the overwhelming care needs, life admin and paperwork of my life now ontop of caring for his siblings and working full time. I'm currently sat on the bath side trying to do deep breathing with little affect!

I've applied for an ehcp (school identified he needs to apply for higher needs funding but feel that we should wait until next year to apply for an ehcp) I became a bit worried at the waiting times in our LA after reading other parents experience so I sent a request yesterday. Now I feel like I have gone behind the schools backs. I'm constantly worried about doing the wrong thing, upsetting people and second guessing myself that he's not struggling as much as I think.

I rarely have time for myself, by the time my son goes to sleep and stays asleep I'm up usually filling in paper work (dla?) or requesting help, filling forms, researching OT therapies. I'm shattered more so than when I had newborns and just needed to talk to someone.

Thank you for listening.

It’s exhausting isn’t it? I have found the paperwork and relationship management surrounding my ds’s disability brutal. The only way I can cope is by ruthlessly compartmentalising my life so that I don’t spiral into an exhausted heap. I regret letting it takeover so much of my life.

Thank you I'm really struggling - it seems like since he was born I've been, as you say, managing all the communications with HCPs and none of the paperwork is straight forward it's hours and hours of work. I feel like it's taken over my life!

At some point you just realise it’s not going to change so you have to. It’s a horrendous workload and practically invisible. The goose and carrot thread is a virtual pub where you can find people who know, and will listen.

If it is something you would be interested in Scope offer mentoring to parents whose DC have recently been diagnosed.

You have done the right thing in requesting an EHCNA. You haven’t done anything wrong.

For the DLA form, are you using the Cerebra guide? That will make completing the form easier.

Have a look at your local short breaks offer.