Interesting first CAMHS appointment today

[debs40]

We had our first CAMHS today. I was amazed at how thorough the whole process is going to be given the stories I have read/heard about people receiving 'dx' after a chat on the telephone or one appointment with a paed!

We did a history check and went through sensory, play, routine issues etc. Psych spoke to DS and watched him play. I ducked out with her for a while so that we could talk privately. DS is 6 and not srupid and it seems odd to talk about these things in front of him!

It all took about an hour and a half. She had already told us at the start of the appointment that this appointment would lead to others as the local protocol was to go through a variety of assessment levels which includes interviews/observations by other individuals on the team, computer based interviews and questionnaires and videos to be made of DS playing which will be watched by 'the team'.

DS already has SALT and OT organised and this will feed in to the assessment process as there are various multi-disciplinary meetings as they go along.

At the end of it all, when all assessments are done, a decision is taken on any dx.

I am quite reassured that it is so thorough even it will be frustrating long!The psych seemed very switched on to SCD/AS issues too and said that DS was a happy boy as we were sensitive parents and were accomodating his needs which felt kind of nice!

I was so worried about the appointmnet so I thought I'd post in case anyone else is going through the same!

Careful Starlight - you'll be straying into the Munchausen's by proxy area - and I personally know many parents who have been accused of that

why do private psychologists seem to diagnose ASD more frequently than state sector/NHS ones?

donkeyderby I worked as a lawyer in litgation whilst training and when privately paid, experts usually come up to brief which I think is why LA's won't accept a bought dx.

I think the danger is more a parent's lack of insight into the nature of age appropriate behaviour or the effect of family dynamics more than MBP. As a criminal practitioner for many years, I spent alot of time working with families in crisis and some families suffer very complex problems and this can impact on children in a variety of ways.

I know I would certainly not have raised any issue about my son without first looking very closely about whether my actions, my stress level, my dealings with him, my relationships etc were the root cause. I'm sure we're all the same, but we can't pretend that everyone else is.

So while we are all comfortable in our own dx of our children, it shouldn't be forgotten that the process is there for a child's protection.

Starlight - Isn't the point that a dx shouldn't just be down to an interview with the parents? Hence, the protocols and the NAS's own detailed guidelines about the diagnosis process.

I've never heard of an ASD dx done solely by parental interview. In my experience parents views are not taken very seriously whether they are pushing for/avoiding dx . I think debs is right about private dx although that does not mean that NHS dx process is infalliable because nothing in life is. The criteria for ASD are now very much wider than in the early days of NAS/Lorna Wing so more dx is to be expected from all sectors.