CAMHS refusal of ADHD assessment for autistic/LD children — York/North Yorkshire experiences?

[YorkSENDCarer]

Hi all - I'm hoping to gather some information about similar experiences....

We’ve had another refusal to assess or diagnose ADHD for our son because he can’t “meaningfully engage” in the assessment process, e.g. non-verbal, unresponsive to questions, etc. Our son is completely non-verbal, has a learning disability and does not respond to instructions/questions, but clearly has many ADHD traits.

I know many families have faced similar barriers, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone (especially in the York/North Yorkshire area) who has:

• had CAMHS refuse assessment due to engagement or developmental level
• been told their child must “wait until they reach a developmental age of 5” (or similar)

If you’re comfortable sharing, it would really help us build a picture of how many families are affected as it will help us argue for the commissioning of appropriate services to support assessment for ADHD for young people who are non verbal and/or who have a learning disability.

Thank you so much.

Just adding that I’m particularly interested in experiences from the last two years, as the pathway seems to have changed recently. I’d also really welcome hearing from anyone whose child was accepted for ADHD assessment in a similar position before this change, as it looks like this did happen in the past.

It is deeply concerning that non-verbal children or those with learning disabilities may face barriers to ADHD assessment simply because they cannot engage in the standard process. Hopefully, sharing experiences like these can help highlight the need for more inclusive and appropriately adapted assessment pathways.

Feel free to ignore if you only want personal experiences, but you could try asking for a referral out of area. Maybe to a more specialist service.