echelon

thank you, I will contact them.

My son is now 14 and we've been referred back to CAMHS by the school nurse. We're currently seeing a consultant psychologist who's whittering on about 'attachment disorder' now! We want him to be assessed for ASD. He's been having problems since he was about 2.5. Everyone I describe him to mentions ASD and how we really need a comprehensive assessment. It's so obvious that he's not wired up properly and this isn't down to poor parenting or anything like that - we've been assessed. What do I do? How on earth can I be referred to someone qualified? I really feel as though I'm going mad. I live in the NE near Newcastle. He doesn't present typically because he has good eye contact, is very intelligent and expresses himself well. He has problems socially and the teachers have picked up on his problems as well as his peers. I'm so scared that we slip through the net yet again. 12 years we've been trying to get help. Please, any advice? I don't want to go back and see this psychologist, but I know we have to. I don't want a statement or anything like that, I just want a proper assessment.

Hi, thank you both for your replies. I don't know whether I have restricted interests. I do music and like visiting the countryside. I'm not overfocused or obsessive about anything in particular, but I do get very stressed if the house is a mess and tend to clean stuff over and over again. I go to the same places all the time and avoid busy times so that I don't have to come across too many people. I do need structure and routine. I tend to do the same things at the same time each day. I hate chaos, but I'm a bit more spontaneous than my husband. I like my home, but often suffer from cabin fever. Perhaps I just really detest social situations

I would be interested to know what people would think about some stuff. I'm not into 'internet diagnoses', but would appreciate it if you read this all the same. Are people with aspergers able to 'read' others or are they totally unable to? I'm 41 and all my life I have avoided social interaction and just seem to have no real interest in other people. I prefer being by myself or just to remain with my husband and children. I have some social phobia, but it's more than that, it's just no interest in others. I find them boring and irritating and I can't relate to them. I sometimes find others threatening. I have no need for a social life and never go to parties or meetups. The thoughts of them turn me cold. I am able to go through the motions of being sociable when I need to be and I can empathise with people if they're upset or something. I am good at interpreting others body language and emotions. I hate smalltalk and never socialise outside of work. I can't stand being in social situations. I avoid crowded places and will always gravitate towards quiet things and empty places given half the chance. I can only cope with work because my workplace is predictable and there is very little deviation from the routine. I am a nurse so manage to 'hide' behind my uniform. Colleagues know very little of the real me. I get on well with them and am popular, but I usually feel that I'm putting on an act when at work. Take me out of uniform and I clam up like a shell. I feel uncomfortable and unsure of myself. I chose nursing delibrately so that I could have an occupation where I wouldn't have to be myself, but instead step inside a role and kind of hide behind that. I only realised this a few years ago. I have been like this all my life, even as a very young child. Am I just antisocial or does this sound familiar? My eldest son has some aspergers traits and also has adhd. I've always believed that I couldn't have aspergers because I can communicate okay providing I'm making the effort. I just feel that I'm a constant outsider looking in. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hi, I'm a 41 year old mother of two boys. My eldest son has aspergers traits but the LA haven't shown much interest in having him assessed as they say he's not affected badly enough. We manage okay from day to day though and he's achieving well at secondary school. He has difficulties with social interaction, but has managed to make a few friends. I am also interested to know if I have any aspergers traits and I have a few questions if nobody would mind. I'll post in the general discussion area. thank you for reading.

Well, I'm not impressed at all with CAMHS. There doesn't seem to be a doctor or specialist in sight apart from to write the scripts for Ritalin for the adhd kids. This wretched so called 'specialist nurse' seems to run the joint. I think that we're going to get fobbed off again. I shall have to try and get some help before we see them in clinic next Tuesday. I can't stand going through all this battle again.

No, he hasn't seen any specialist speech or language therapist. He doesn't seem to have been seen by anybody with any credibility at all to be honest. I think that we're getting a raw deal. The parent support advisor who came out to the house today seemed appalled by CAMHS behaviour throughout all this. She can't believe that a student nurse is making decisions like this. I feel quite despondant about it all. The more I described his behaviour to her, the more she thought that he needs an ASD assessment. She's going to speak to CAMHS and go into school to do an observation as she thinks that they are missing things. I shall contact the people that you have suggested and seek some proper advice. Thank you for your reply.

Thank you Caroline. I agree with everything you've just said. I also feel very belittled by CAMHS and I hate seeing them and having to go through this process.

Yes, she is a student nurse, she told me. She is working under the supervision of the nurse at CAMHS who is qualified. I still think that she is stepping out of line by telling my son that he doesn't have adhd before the cognitive test results are back and also by telling her superior that she doesn't think he communications badly enough to warrant an ASD assessment. I just feel railroaded by these people and I don't think that a student nurse should have so much say in things. She doesn't have the experience to be deciding these things. I am a qualified nurse and I certainly wasn't allowed to take decisions of this magnitude when I was training.

The student nurse has decided that they are not going to test for ASD because my son is demonstrating 'normal' communication. Since when would a student nurse be in the position to decide something like this? My son has also told me that he hears strange noises and voices sometimes. Would this be usual? I don't know what to do and I am very depressed.

Thank you caroline. The paediatrician did tell us that he is able to cope for reasonable periods due to his IQ. I have also witnessed him 'faking' communication with his peers - it's kind of forced and you can tell that he's holding himself back.

Oh, thank you so much for that. I have heard of Contact A Family and I'll phone/email them today. I can't sleep each night for worrying about all this. I'm terrified that they just push all this under the carpet and we end up spending the next few years struggling on. I don't think we're gonna make it as a family if they don't get to the bottom of these problems.

I've found 5htp to be fantastic. I had to stop taking SSRIs due to the side effects, but the 5htp has been fine. Its effects don't wear off either. I've been taking it for 3 years now. I use the Serotone brand. 100mg each night.

My kids are asking for Wii Music. My eldest son played it with his cousin over the summer and he was really enthusiastic about it.

I paid £1300 for a full days assessment - that included seeing an educational psychologist and a consultant paediatrician. They were very good and she conducted the cognitive tests in front of me so that I could see for myself where he was struggling. It would have been £200 for a review - every 3, 6 or 12 months depending upon the severity of the problem - she recommended a 12 monthly review, but my husband was made redundant in the meantime and I couldn't afford to attend. I have heard that local authorities completely ignore a diagnosis made privately! I am furious that people should be treated like this. Another boy in my son's class has aspergers and he gets everything going - his parents are coping fine and are quite happy with things when I speak to them. We're on the verge of collapse as a family and my husband has lost his job. thank you for your reply anyway. I'd never have considered that resources would be rationed to children.