AIBU to write back to CAMHS?

[debs40]

Stupid, stupid, blardy CAMHS consultant psychologist. She is a deeply useless but profoundly patronising woman who seems to have little practical experience of ASD beyond administering a few ADOS tests.

Anyway, we've been on the waiting list for over a year. I kicked up a fuss as this clearly was not acceptable and DS was getting no help or support.

Eventually, stupid blardy head of the ASD diagnostic team agrees to see him and visit school. She is a very odd woman. Not very likeable or warm and completely self-obsessed (prattling on about her back and the take over of her team by another mental health trust). I was reluctant to let DS be seen by her but it appeared to be the only way to speed things up.

She saw him and thought ASD was 'very clear'. Then saw him in class and was not so sure - he didn't lash out and gave good eye contact to friends .

Anyway, we told her not too bother writing a letter about her visit as she didn't appear to understand why she was there. I think part of the problem was that one of the teachers she spoke to (DS has 2) had played the 'everything's fine here and la di da' card.

Anyway, she has written a letter which is a useless pile of crap. She lists a brief column of 'strengths' e.g. doesn't lash out, gives eye contact and 'weaknesses'e.g can't sit still on his seat.

I know from talking to her that she had not read the other reports filed by professionals e.g. SALT, community paed, or looked at DS's IEPs and she wasn't aware that school had referred to the Ed Psych and ASD outreach team.

What was particularly galling was:

1. She mentions how well he concentrates and does things without assistance seemingly unaware that his report says the exact opposite. She might not have seen this, but she does not limit her judgments to her one hour viewing, they are made as evidence of his 'strengths'

1. She mentions that the teacher has said DS comes in late sometimes and she wonders whether we are missing an opportunity to allow him to follow his friends' morning routine. There is no reason given for his occasional lateness although we had discussed this with her. His sensory/routine issues are so intense that often a drop of water or thw wrong socks can mean we almost don't make school at all. I pat myself on the back that I get him there at all sometimes. This has all been written down many times, yet she fails to address it or offer strategies.

1. I wrote and told her DS was coming home for lunch and having problems in the playground. None of this is covered. Nor is his need for routines which have resulted in him lashing out when put into a different class without warning.

Her report is a page long. AIBU to write back and clearly set out what she has failed to consider or investigate? I think it is atrocious that she has made so little effort to make herself fully aware of what has been happening. I would not want this to feed into any diagnostic assessment

You should definitely write back and put all of these issues on record. You could ask if there is another CP who could work on the case instead?

However, as you've been waiting so long already and there are clear issues of arrogance/misunderstanding, I think you will be wasting a lot of time trying to change the system. If you are able to bypass it by going private, it's what I'd recommend. Think of it as spending money but saving time and stress levels.

Keep going with the NHS, as you often need the confirmation by them, but any private reports will have to feed into that if you get one first. You could get a private dx in a fraction of the time it takes to wade through this mess with CAMHS.

I think you are right sugarcandy and we are looking at the most effective option for doing that.

Didn't you go to Daphne Keen? I quite like the Dyscovery Centre as DS has some profound DCD issues but I'm not sure whether they are as hot on ASD and you pay for each professional which soon mounts up - 3.5k was the estimate!

Yes, we went to Daphne Keen. She is very well respected, but there's no detailed OT/SALT info that you'd get from a multi disciplinary assessment. It was £700 for 2 hrs and we got a 9 page report about a month after the date of assessment.

You could also consider I CAN who have SALT/EP/OT, that was about £1600 over two (school length) days. But I'm not sure they can dx as they have no paed or psych. Moor House School do a similar assessment service.

Have you looked at London Children's Practice? I've not had any dealings with them myself but I've heard good things about them.

Thanks. I will check them out!

It's pretty shocking that someone who has probably read a bit of a book or attended a lecture, ages ago, has so much say and can almost immediately negate our own experience of the lives we lead - not just one bloody hour.

We're lucky our CAMHS don't deal with the autism side and that we have a lovely and knowledgeable community paediatrician who immediately gave our CAMHS a kick up the arse when we spoke to her about how long they're taking to do anything, last week. DS1 was only referred for ADHD, but his anxiety and oppositional and aggressive behaviour has escalated since the original referral and she wants them (as we do) to take a bit of notice of that.

A friend who works with families with ASD recently reminded me that our local team really is useless as I think they are and that if we don't get satisfaction that we do have a right to ask for a second opinion from another team.

Anyhow, we've been slipped in for another appointment before the school observation finally takes place (it's been cancelled twice) and since I'm currently writing a diary for DLA (reading here makes me realise that since we're applying for mobility for DS1, we have a strong case for higher rate) we'll be taking a copy of that with us, so that they have more examples of what we're dealing with on file.

Thanks ouvyre. I have written a long, but hopefully rational letter setting out all the things that the consultant had knowledge of but ignored. She hadn't read any of the reports of looked at the issues relevant to him - just watched him for an hour and noted what she saw. Fat lot of use....we never said he was throwing chairs or not functioning.