I need help - anyone in N. Ireland

[Cosmo74]

Well have just found out that the referral that our GP sent to the paed. for DS assessment in Feb has been sitting on a desk somewhere doing nothing - the Paed. psychologist has retired and while there is someone covering his reviews she is not doing new patients - they do not know how long it will take to replace the consultant and there is no other consultant that does these assessment in our area.
This also is the same doc. who does the assessments through school so that is all on hold too. I really need to get this sorted ASAP as Ds will be going into year 2 in September and I really do not want his school work to start suffering.
So does anyone know of another Doc. in N. Ireland who does these assessments or where do I go for help from here??

Thanks in advance

anyone give me advice on where to go next for help???

Contact NAS and they will look on their PARIS index to see if there is anyone local to you.

Thanks for the reply - Sorry for my ignorance what is NAS and how do I get in contact with them?

Ta again

NAS is the National Autistic Society. If you look at their website you can actually access the PARIS database there. Sorry, I can't remember what SN your DS has, not sure if it is autism, but in any case the PARIS database will probably list Paed Psychologists appropriate for any kind of SN.

If you are talking about Autism, there is a very good parents' and professionals' group in NI called PAPA, prob get to them via NAS's PARIS. If not, let me know. But it may not be ASD you are talking about....

Hi all thanks for the advice - we don't really know what DS has - his head called us in just after he started school and she talked about ADHD - I do not think he has ADHD - he has concentration/attention problems and some slight gross motor skills problems i.e can be very clumsy hold pencil funny etc... I think the more I read Dyspraxia is sounding the nearest match for me with slight ADD but hey who am I to DX him - and that is why I want him assessed too - his head thinks he is ADHD but I would like a professional opinion.

I will check out the links.

Hi Bethron

Nice to know someone else is from here. I am from Newry - not much in the way of health services around us - I am asking my GP if she can sent the referral to Belfast or anywhere else in the North - but she has asked if I have the name of a doc... hope you do not mind me asking where did you get your DS assessed and would you have the name of a doc that I could pass onto my GP?

Thanks again

Well spoke to my GP again and she says that they are advertising for 2 new Community Paed. in the next few weeks and the best thing would be to stay on the list - she will not refer us to another - I have found the names of 2 other Community Paed. in N. Ireland but both work for the NHS also - it will likely take about 4/5 months to appoint a new paed. ( I work in the health service and know how long they take to appoint new staff!!!) then the list I was told in Feb was over a year so what must it be now - we are probably looking at waiting another 18 months before DS is even first assessed by then he will be 6.5 and I feel will have been given a bad name at school as being a disruptive naughty child and no-one will take the time to give him the little help he needs to just settle him!!!

I guess I have hit a brick wall here!!!!

Bethron - I talked to my GP about going private at the start of all this but she said that the paed. in our area did not do private work and that he once he got assessed he would need to be seen by other professionals which would mean going back into the system? Now we do not even have a community paed. in our area to even discuss this with - the trouble is that he is on an IEP in school (Primary 1) he is getting on grand at school with his work but his behaviour/concentration attention span is the problem (doesn't help that he is on his 3rd teacher this year!!!) but in promary one there is a classroom assistant that gives him one-to-one during the week when they are doing their work but the primary 2 classes do not have classroom assistants - I am afraid that he will get left behind in his school work because he is seen as a disruptive child - which he is not - well of course he is disruptive because he has difficulties in sitting still etc..

I am waffling now - one of the teacher he has this year - who was excellent and she sometimes still fills in for the other teacher is brilliant with him - she always settles DS before talking to the class or gives him something to occupy himself while she talks to the class about the exercises - she says DS can work on a task and listen at the same time whereas some of the other kids can't - she says the DS is very bright and one of the top kids in the class as far as ability is concerned but then when he got another new teacher and My mum tried to explain how the previous teacher worked the new teacher said 'Well I have other children in the class!!' so I take it from that she will not be putting in the extra effort with DS - she then sent us home a note after having him for 2 days saying that he was disruptive as he wouldn't sit on the mat at story time - he has never been able to sit still on the mat at storytime - his other teacher use to sit him on a chair beside her which seemed to work fine.

OK this has turned into a rant - maybe I expect too much from the teacher but all I want is to know if he has difficulties and how we deal with them!!!

Cosmo, if there's no Community Paed in your area don't they have any back-up ideas? Its ridiculous that you can't get any further because of a post being vacant. I know that doesn't help, I just can't believe that its left like that and you have to struggle on.

Davros - tell me about it - that's the NHS in Northern Ireland for you!!! I am looking into getting a private assessement done if I can find a doc that does private work!! but my Gp says even if I get an initial assessment that if he needs help from other professionals he will go back on the list at the same place - so I don't know what the point is paying money for an assessment that will not do any good. The problem is that the school use the same doc as their Ed psychology so there is no point even phoning the LEA about the assessment - I guess all we can do is find out as much info. we can on how to deal with this and hope that his teacher next year is helpful and knowledgeable about his difficulties.

Ta for the support though - but expect me around asking various questions about dealing with this!!! I don't know how we would cope without the support here.

It does stink but I suppose you're best to get on with what you've got and make the most of what's happening at school. Have you contacted PAPA? Now I've seen their website (tx for link trefusis) they look very impressive. I know Ken Kerr a little who is involved and seems to be a wonderful person.

Davros - I have been reluctant to contact and of the ASD support groups as DS has no diagnosis and I sometimes think that they will see him and think he is just a naughty boy - which he is not - I think it may be too that I am afraid to admit that it is ASD - Oh I do not know that is why I wanted the assessment so badly so I would know for definate - instead of people just saying to me 'Oh he will settle down and grow out of it - xx was like that at his age' problem is I know xx and they were nowhere near as bad as DS - I just do not know where to go from here - do we just trudge along trying to put in all the practices that I have learnt from here and other sites or should I contact a support group without a dx?????