should I dx my son?

[dana]

Hi,

I dont know ,I am confused and afraid for some reason to do it although rationally I think maybe I should do it.The arguments are which some of you gave me: th doors open for all kind of help, it is btter to do it while he is a child because it is diffcult to obtain dx when he is adult etc. From the other hand I also read here (many times) that CAMHS dont really help,that dealing with profesionals can be very stressfull ,dx can be very long and hard, not to mention an impact on the child self-esteem. I read from some dx adult posts that geting label AS or ASD affected them very much and they recovered with great difficulties (if at all). I know that there are people (even some GPs!) who choose not to dx their children.

The school wants my son to see Ed.P. after Easter in order to help him .His behavour is not good. He was bulied receantly but he also keeps calling other children names even spitting on them and hitting them! His teacher told me yesterday that this is going on for some time, he finds hard to focus on hiswork. And it was after she made me beleive that my son is getting better the last half term .She told me that and also he did well assesment and was moved level up. But obviously the problems are still very much present, especially with focusng , behaviour and socialising.

How much Ed.P. can help? Can he do anything without my consent? My problem is also that I find hard to argue ,I keep quiet when I shuold speak up and regret aftrwords. I have a feeling that I might not be able to cope with dx process although I desperately want to help m dear son.He is very afectionate ,caring and behaving at home.

Please tell me : how much really CAMS help? Is the whole dx process that hard and is it really worthy at the end?

I dont know what to think!

Would be easier for my son to be dx now when he is 9 than later? Would he accept that he has AS or ASD easier now then when he is teenager or adult?

 

dana

 

 

[bid]

I guess the real point is that if your son has an ASD he will always have it, and the attendent difficulties, whether he has a formal dx or not. Not getting a dx won't stop him being autistic, IYSWIM.

 

IMO it's far better to have an accurate dx rather than inaccurate labels, such as 'disruptive' or 'naughty'.

 

Good luck

 

Bid

Edited March 10, 2009 by bid

[cmuir]

Hi

 

I personally am very much for seeking a diagnosis because it did open doors for us and it's a label that people cannot argue with - it's true to say that you can get support without a diagnosis, but I've found we received more support with a diagnosis (some of which was specialist support, and that's key!).

 

Irrespective of having a diagnosis, my experience of CAMHS hasn't been a positive one. They questioned my son's diagnosis and at every opportunity have tried to find fault with me, rather than looking at my son's rather complex needs. CAMHS needn't necessarily become involved (seems to depend upon where you live) - I've heard of some that have received a diagnosis years ago, yet never having had dealings with CAMHS.

 

I've heard of some that are fearful of labelling their children, and feel that it could be detrimental having a label in adulthood. I think this is actually about acceptance - accepting that your child has a disorder and taking everything one step at a time. I also think that it's about having realistic expectations about what can be achieved later on in life, etc. Having a label needn't be a bad thing, in fact quite the opposite. It's a very personal decision, and ultimately it's your decision.

 

An Educational Psychologist's job is to assess a child and identify area of difficulty. They may assess the child on various levels eg whether or not they interact appropriately with others, assess whether reading and writing is age commensurate, assess whether the child would be better placed in a specialist school, etc. They can then involve outside agencies to assist the child within school. I'm unsure whether they can act with/out your consent, but try and be positive and trust that individual to prove themself (despite having misgivings, sometimes you have to stand back and allow some things to happen in order to discover whether these misgivings were unfounded or not) - they may help.

 

I note that you've commented that you've heard about some adults recovering - having an ASD is a lifelong neurological disorder and doesn't disappear. However, with a lot of help and support, good diet, maturity and experience that comes with that, people with ASDs can lead in many ways, near 'normal' lives.

 

Best wishes.

 

Caroline.

Edited March 10, 2009 by cmuir

[chris54]

I would say for a child, a formal diagnosis helps as it will help others understanding of him and open door to resources that may not otherwise happen.

 

I know that it would not be the ideal but there is no reason why you should not take a more passive stance.

If you find it hard to speak up at meetings, put what you want to say in a letter and send it into the school or whoever.

Or do what I have done in the past, email you thoughts to the school.

 

I have been know the think of something in the middle of the night and send off an email to sons teacher.(All the staff at my son's school have their own email address' which are know to parents)

 

The EP helps in as much as they are able to advise and help the school with their plan of action.

No they cant do anything with out your consent but I don't think you really have anything to worry about the EP seeing your child.

 

It is difficult to advise how much CAMS would help as the set up very tremendously from area to area.

(Who does what, the procedures and even the titles people/procedures are given)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Chris.

 

 

 

[bid]

Just wanted to say that we had tremendous support and help from CAMHS. In fact, DS' psychologist wrote a letter that, together with one from his other consultant, were instrumental in getting him his residesi placement I believe.

 

Bid

Edited March 10, 2009 by bid

[JsMum]

It depends on your area where he will be assessed, in our area CAMHS see children with ADHD and other behavioural and mental disorders, many areas are setting up what is called a social and communications panel, this is usually where the Autism and ASDs are assessed, so it could be you that your son is referred for a spersific assessment.

 

I have had a few problems with Camhs in that they where only interested in medication rather than theraputic interventions of which my son eventually accessed privately when we were in severe crisis from a clinical psychologist, my son was on NHSs clinical psychologisits list but it was so long, he was in severe need and left to get worse, so in the end I saught our own support which did help us for forwarding essential reports that later helped J get his needs met.

 

My son has a dx of severe Social and Communication Impairments, our local authority panel wouldn't DX Autism or Asperger's Syndrome though his passed both autism rating scales and so I feel that is to do with not wanting to spend money on funding provisions, though after gaining additional reports and private confirmation he is on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder plus more after going to tribunal for his special educational needs he is now in a special school that caters for boys who have a Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

 

I personally feel some authorities are holding back DX to prevent resouces and funding and long term implications, the only problem that is causing is that yes it saves money for the short term, but the long term it costs 1000 times more than that because undiagnosed children with Autism and co morbids have greater risk of falling into the Childrens Mental Health service requiring additional treatments such as medication or hospital additions for their own safety because they are so traumatised as there needs have not been met as a young person.

 

So personally having a dx as a child can be preventative and help both the child and the family, since I put in place programmes for children with learning difficulties and Autism and other co morbids it has really helped J move forward we dont sit in a heap with exhausted tears as often, we still have our moments that never goes away but with acceptance comes hope and creativity to help you throw those moments.

 

JsMum

 

 

Edited March 10, 2009 by JsMum

[joanne1]

Hi Dana

 

I have struggled on through school with DS for years, he is 13 now. I know that all the way through he was labelled as a naughty and disruptive child. And I really believe that this is why we have never had any help at school. He should have had learning support and other stuff since starting school, but didn't get anything. I think they just think that the kids are naughty, so what is the point.

 

We still aren't dx yet and ds is in second year of secondary school. It wasn't until he stated secondary that they approached me about getting ed psych to come and speak to him. They did ask me if I would like that to happen, they didn't just get on with it! Ed psych mentioned the autistic spectrum to me and I was in shock. BUT, if that is what it is, it isn't ever going to go away so IMO the right thing to do is find out. They need extra help and support and can we really do that if we don't for sure what they have? I think we need to know to move forward.

 

It is a long road, it's been a year and 4 months for us, to get this far(hoping for dx this week) and it is stressful and upsetting. But I wouldn't change that. I would rather school know that ds isn't just naughty and disruptive, and there are explanations for some of his behaviour. Also school will not help ds until we have dx. Even though he desperately needs help.

 

I have worried about allsorts of things for the future, like 'will he be able to drive if i get him dx', 'what about applying for jobs' but at the end of the day we are in this situation, he has a hard time coping, has temper issues and a load of other stuff. So we need to know to get him the right help.

 

My experience with camhs so far is good. They have even been in touch with school and said they need to start helping ds. It has made no difference as SENCO won't do anything, but at least they made the effort. I am not sure after dx, what they are like, but I understand what you mean, as alot of people don't have many positive things to say about them.

 

Its a hard decision to make but I feel that I have done the right thing by going for it.

 

Don't beat yourself up too much about it!

 

Joanne

[Lisa40]

I personally wish that I had had my daughter diagnosed earlier. She is 15 at the moment and reluctant to accept she has a problem. I think it may have been easier had she been younger and more accepting. I have mised views on camhs. The first time she saw them they were unhelpful but since her diagnosis they have been very supportive. Unfortunately, because of her age we have not received the help from school or the authorities that we might have had were she younger. She may not have struggled so much in school and may have actually got the help and support from her first school to the point she may still be there, but that is just speculation. I feel that had she been diagnosed earlier, perhaps coping strategies could have been put into place and become routine so that by adulthoold she could cope a little better.

 

You need to take everything into consideration and then do what you think is best for your son and your family, which may not necessarily be a dx.

[Kathryn]

Hi Dana,

 

It's so difficult to generalise: as others have said, experiences differ from area to area. We had ineffective support from the Camhs team who had no experience of ASD at all, and we are in the same county as Bid, so it can differ even within services, from team to team. Having said that, we then had fantstic support from the Camhs adolescent outreach team. In both cases, the difference was made by a couple of individuals - a completely useless psychiatrist first time around, and a wonderful one from the outreach team who knew her stuff.

 

Diagnosis helped my daughter work out who she was an what made her tick when she was 15. At 20 she has now more or less discarded the label. I don't think diagnosis really helped if I must be honest, as it came too late in her life at 15. If she had got it at 9 who knows? I'd like to think it would have helped her get through the really difficult early teenage years and with the transition to secondary. As it was, she went through a few years of angst feeling stupid and freakish and knowing she was different.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

K x

Edited March 10, 2009 by Kathryn

[jb1964]

The school wants my son to see Ed.P. after Easter in order to help him .His behavour is not good.

 

Hi Dana,

 

I think that your comment above really answers your question. Ultimately they can only do so much to help your son without accessing other support - whether the process is long or wrong or gives you the answers you want or not the school are saying they need support and they need your help to get that.

 

Take care,

Jb

 

[Sooze2]

I agree with the others. My son struggles in school and when in social situations or noisy places etc in a big way, he was diagnosed last year and it has changed the way I see him because I now know that a lot of the time he isn't just being naughty or just deliberately winding me up! His teachers are giving him the help he needs with focusing and sitting still in class so he can use his very clever brain despite all the inner distrations, CHAMs and Autism Outreach are going into school and telling them the best way to deal with him and listen to my opinions on how things are going. They also chat to him about how he feels.

 

He doesn't want to talk about his diagnosis yet, I have told him but he's not ready to discuss it yet. We talk about his dayto day difficulties etc and don't make anything taboo so he is starting to open up a bit more each day.

 

If he didn't have his diagnosis he wouldn't get the help he needs, the school (through parent partnership) are great and helped him before the diagnosis but I don't think they would have been able to do what they are doing now without it, at the end of year 3 he wouldn't write at all, wouldn't even pick up a pen because he was so fed up with trying and getting no where or being told he haddn't done enough. Last year he was a very very unhappy boy and angry at the whole world for everything and anything. This year he is much happier because people understand how he ticks and can work with him rather than feel that they are working against him. Now he his starting to write well (for him), if he can't do it due to losing focus or being too slow a TA will scribe for him so he can take part in the next thing rather than falling further and further behind.

 

He is also on Medication for his ADHD which we started a few weeks ago, this has made an amazing difference to how he see's the world too. An amazing thing happened today - he helped to run a bring and buy stall with me and a few others at school today, he was taking money and giving change and felt totally great about himself - this would never have happened before, he wouldn't have gone near the stall let alone run it! This happened because of the diagnosis.

 

You go with your instincts, I'm telling you what happened with us because it's positive but I try to only see the positives and it has been a long road to get here. It isn't all roses but we don't have so many black days now so I see that as a massive deal. Your sons teacher sounds really nice and supportive to you AND honest. If you decide to take things further then this may be your year to do it with such a nice teacher on your side, they sound like DS's year 3 teacher - we would have got nowhere without her input and she deserves a medal I can tell you.

 

Good luck what ever you chose, its a very hard decission to make and for me it was more about accepting that he needed help and wasn't changing like his freinds rather than getting the diagnosis itself. We all want our children to be perfect don't we?

 

OMG - how long isthis reply!!! Sorry

Edited March 10, 2009 by Sooze2

[dana]

Thank you all for your replies! You are really great support and thank you very much for taking your time to even write them long!

Maybe yo are right ,Joanne, I am beating my head too much about it and I need to step back a little, to see what EP will say as well. There are many strong points for getting it, all of you were very convincing and definitely, I will take them in consideration.

I just wonder ,Js mum, you dx-ed your son privately as well, is it too expensive ,if you dont mind me asking? I have been thinking to dx ds maybe privately in the idea that they will be more willing to take into acount what we are saying as parents and do it more accurately. How do you find good specialits (who exactely dx our children : pediatricians or psychytrists or psychologists?) ? If my son gets dx privately, can I ,for exampe, take it to his GPand she to reffer him to OT (or other specialists recomended by dx) on NHS? How much do they take into account private dxs?

 

dana

[bid]

I think some people have had problems with private dxs being accepted by their LA

 

Bid

[JsMum]

Thank you all for your replies! You are really great support and thank you very much for taking your time to even write them long!

Maybe yo are right ,Joanne, I am beating my head too much about it and I need to step back a little, to see what EP will say as well. There are many strong points for getting it, all of you were very convincing and definitely, I will take them in consideration.

I just wonder ,Js mum, you dx-ed your son privately as well, is it too expensive ,if you dont mind me asking? I have been thinking to dx ds maybe privately in the idea that they will be more willing to take into acount what we are saying as parents and do it more accurately. How do you find good specialits (who exactely dx our children : pediatricians or psychytrists or psychologists?) ? If my son gets dx privately, can I ,for exampe, take it to his GPand she to reffer him to OT (or other specialists recomended by dx) on NHS? How much do they take into account private dxs?

 

dana

The dx did come from a mix of proffessionals and he is DX as having severe complex special needs from the NHS, my son is a mix profile and it was difficult to get him to tick all the boxes, he doesnt meet Aspergers Syndrome because of the severe communication, Language and Speech impairments, he doesnt tick all the boxes for Autism as he has good eye contact and he is average to above average intelligence, so they felt he couldnt have Autism, though he did pass the Autism Rating Scales, especially the three triads, but he wasnt a precise case of Autsitic person. Jay has additional disorders such as ADHD, Severe Dyslexia, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and mental Health Problems, so he has a mixture of problems, the LEA suggested we place J in a moderate Learning Special school but that would not of met his other needs, he had been assessed independantly at a number of developmental centres that specialise in Developmental disorders and that was where he was assessed as having an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Intregration and Processing Disorder, we then saw private Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists, throw the tribunal as we were appealing at SENDIST so we could get Jay into a specialist special school that caters for children with ADHD and ASDs and the fees where paid throw having a solisitor, As I am on benefits I was able to get Legal aid and they paid for the assessments.

 

There was additional reports on Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Language, communication Impairments so these went towards evidence, I did see a private Clinical Psychologist too for emergency help and I paid for this, this cost us around �30 a session and we had 6 sessions and it really did support me as well as J and her reports went towards evidence that J needed a special school, though the LEA will say that private Reports cant be used the sendist read all reports and we had a good case and the LEA have now agreed that Jay needed specialist educaiton placement, the school identify his Autism and all the other difficulties he has and thats what is the most important, so I concentrate on that now, he has his needs met and thats all I wanted.

 

JsMum

xxxxx

 

 

Edited March 11, 2009 by JsMum

[dana]

Thanks!

dana

[smiley1590]

i was assessed and diagnosed with CAMHS and had different treatments offered and i got like CBT,family therapy all worked for abit! i feel CAMHS is weak system after itself and clients and families don't seek the positive 'rewards' of going there it's not geared at helping and supporting someone with both AS and MH probs of any kind! as such complex individual needs for them to know how to cope and deal with it! so why refer us there for then? doesnt't make sense! but got nowhere else to send us!

 

i feel CAMHS like many others had made matters worse for me and my family not better been such negative experience to be put in! im angry and bitter at whole thing! i made to feel so 'small' my pyschtrist now at adult MHT i feel scared yet so annoyed i feel frustrated isolated like i pushed away and not in any way supported,helped and understood or listened to! i feel he talks 'down' to me and asks me stupid questions! like someone said on here already he lowers my self-esteem knocks it down in so many areas! makes me disdaught crying,shaking anxious all time!

 

crazy,mad system to have and how can this carry on silenced hidden behind closed doors but outrage to behind every one of these forums mostly wrote because of disappointment,failings and let down of 'whole thing' and yet still practising! it be shocking to see if questionaire was made and given to clients i could predict on the outcome what the message would say and be and after reading stuff on here!

 

makes me me so mad and angry ,frustrated! CAMHS give you what you want to hear and don't carry it out whatsoever! they got their own rules just for themselves! i think it asbolutely disgusting the treatment they make people recieve until sorted should stop hurting and causing pain heartache to millions of families and clients all over they make life so much harder and difficult without regular access and support and i know i could better job on helping someone with AS/MH probs anyone doc,pysch can read a book on it any info at all! but you have to really live reality and personal experience which they obvoiusly havn;t got our government needs to stand up and create new system of fairness,equality and inclusion in it's own rights! and stop making feebale excuses to 'hide' behind come and live reality for day of me and my family then you'll know why i'm moaning about this it's ok they can go back and live their 'normal' cosy cute life we live it day in day out with no escape not breaks from this-this our lives it impacting and affecting negatively but obviously they laughing in our faces and just don't care!

 

how dare they do this but 'get away' with it so much! life sucks with CAMHS and here it shown up for the 'fast' and 'joke' it really is as an NHS system! it's sinking falling apart under pressure! we need answers to why,how but don't think going to get anytime soon if ever!just hope ,dream and pray sometime in future it will come out about what truly happens and we don 't make it up at all! you're the liars in hiding not us! why we made feel guilty,bad for having these problems in first place made feel shame to ask foe extra help and support! why we made feel being played like the jokers ,the fools! we're autistic sufferers and families we not stupid oviously you are cheaters and scamers! you false and make up all kids fanasties and promises but none turn out to be the truth never stick to your word keep stringing us along! i think bout time you showed up for what you feel are!

 

hope others agree with me on this matter

 

makes me sad we made to suffer in pain ,misery! you bullies cowards! that's what you are i hope you made to pay for what you've done over the years belittle 'different' people and their families! this serious matter that needs chasing up sooner rather than later!CAMHS need take us seriously or we will NOT be as sucessful as can be in life because you set our standards too low! told us we nothing no one you start to believe it the truth you know imagine you being told that how make you feel autism,MH prosb or not but with that extra pressure on top becomes unbearable we can't run away and pretend it niot happening to us cause it so is!

 

face up to your responsibilities and promises broken! hearts and lives broken aswell as dreams and hopes of sufferers and their families behind! you igorn our calls for 'help'! time to listen break the silence! speak out help us in this fight to live in 'mainstream' 'normal' society/world you don't make this possible as much you rob us as much you can take you will that fair?!

 

KLX

 

take care

 

[JsMum]

 

 

 

You ought to ask NAS to put that in the communications magazine, that is brilliant, from the heart too, well done, the system does let many down, its not fair, its not right, I like what you wrote.

 

Have you thought of been on the panel putting your thoughts forward, in our area they have clients to voice their concerns, what would you like to see change, what is it that you wanted from them that would of made the difference.

 

you need to get into a system as a voice, maybe your experiences could help the team look at ways of changing.

 

JsMum

xxxxx

 

 

[dana]

Thank you Smilie for your honest reply.You realy spoke from your heart and wish your voice is heard somewhere else as well as here!.I wish there is much more understanding and will to understand beiing different in this world.... That what you wrote about CAMHS is why I am still not sure to dx my son.

Do I have to accept CAMHS if my son is beiing reffered to them? Is there any other choice available (a part from private)? It is so annoying that everything differs from area to area! Can I choose the specialists to asses my son if I decide to do it? Do they have to be CAMHS? My son is very sensitive and I am struggling hard to help him build up his low self-esteem and I dont wont CAMHS to make it worse. If we are not happy with CAMHS can we take another road on the NHS?

Which kind of specialist they include?

 

dana

[Kathryn]

Phew - strong words, Smiley!

 

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with Camhs. The general lack of expertise in ASD within Camhs services overall is very frustrating and this does need to be addressed. However I think it should be stressed for the benefit of Dana and others about to engage with Camhs that this is your experience and it doesn't necessarily reflect the experience of others. As Bid and I have mentioned in the thread, our children had a lot of help from Camhs, and I know there are plenty of others who could say the same.

 

I agree there are some incompetent idiots within the system, (I've met some) but to brand everyone within the service as "cheats" and "bullies" is unfair. There are a lot of hard working dedicated people within the service, who do have expertise in ASD. My daughter's psychiatrist was such a person. She would turn up to our house and stay for hours if needed, just to talk to my daughter and me, and she did everything she could to help when the education system was failing my daughter. Even when my daughter was rude and aggressive and scared she treated her with respect and patience and never dismissed her views. You wouldn't have known she was a consultant psych - she did her home visits in big woolly jumpers and jeans and was never condescending or arrogant. We would have fallen apart without her - she helped set my daughter on the road to recovery from severe depression.

 

K x

[smiley1590]

i'm didnt mean it to sound like i was saying all maybe came out wrong soz X

[Kathryn]

Don't worry Smiley - everyone is entitled to a rant sometimes, just giving another view, that's all.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone, wherever they live, could have complete confidence in Camhs.

 

K x

[JsMum]

Phew - strong words, Smiley!

 

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with Camhs. The general lack of expertise in ASD within Camhs services overall is very frustrating and this does need to be addressed. However I think it should be stressed for the benefit of Dana and others about to engage with Camhs that this is your experience and it doesn't necessarily reflect the experience of others. As Bid and I have mentioned in the thread, our children had a lot of help from Camhs, and I know there are plenty of others who could say the same.

 

I agree there are some incompetent idiots within the system, (I've met some) but to brand everyone within the service as "cheats" and "bullies" is unfair. There are a lot of hard working dedicated people within the service, who do have expertise in ASD. My daughter's psychiatrist was such a person. She would turn up to our house and stay for hours if needed, just to talk to my daughter and me, and she did everything she could to help when the education system was failing my daughter. Even when my daughter was rude and aggressive and scared she treated her with respect and patience and never dismissed her views. You wouldn't have known she was a consultant psych - she did her home visits in big woolly jumpers and jeans and was never condescending or arrogant. We would have fallen apart without her - she helped set my daughter on the road to recovery from severe depression.

 

K x

 

I might move near you Kathryn, she sounds like an angel, it goes to show like you said it depends who you get, and it was great that you got a very caring one, J went throw a fair few in the camhs, the unit wasnt a pleasant experience, but he did get a dx, so I guess we got some support, then he went throw a handful of psychs as they kept leaving, the last one was supportive of Js special school and added reports to help us get support, but I wanted far more, like therapy, he did try to get him some urgently but the waiting list was so long, he could only do so much I guess.

 

I dont want to put you off going Dana because its a miricle you get even appointment, so at least its something, he will at least be able to add weight to what he needs educationally.

 

Psych will not do anything against your wishes and you sign a consent form for information to be shared, he wont DX straight away, either, and they will look at assessments of both ASDs and ADHDs, and other behavioural disorders.

 

It depends largely on your area what your CAMHS offer, you could ring them and ask them to send you further information on what services, provisions they offer.

 

The parent is in full control even things like medications or other referrals so they wont offer you anything you disagree with.

 

I guess you wont know what the process is like until you go ahead and use it yourself, its a personal experience at the end of the day, and a lot of it does depend where you are in the country and what facilities each CAMHS have.

 

I have to say though our psych is supportive I feel CAMHS could offer families a lot more, your camhs may be a lot more different Dana, so Id still look at going and seeing what they can do for your son.

 

JsMumxx

 

 

 

 

 

[smiley1590]

dana:

 

i think you should go ahead with CAMHS if negative experience for your son demand to be heard so go back doc and ask to be changed to some else if not happy or try get another worker within the system! or ring or email NAS and they'll be willing to help give practical sensible reasonable advise! didn't mean scare you off CAMHS though sorry if confused and coomplicated things even more so now! shouldn't have said anything at all!

 

kathryn:

 

just i have quite severe secondary depression and nothing really said or done but does depend on your area but was suicidal taking OD's ending up in A&E self-harming ,hearing voices just take meds nothing else offered! i had to ask for refers to other specialist teams/uints for AS to help me cope had to go else where! so do feel let down in that feel

have every right to be angry,disappointed! but know shouldn't tarr people with same brush wrong of me to do so i apologise sinscerly for that i do! i know every personal experience varies wrong me to judge everything same just hard to see any different as mistrust everyone now! sorry but can't help what i feel! but do hope CAMHS positive for people really i do! better than what i had with them!

 

 

[smiley1590]

thanks JS mum didn't mean to upset or offend your personal experiences kathryn just trying to explain mine did come out 'strong'! i feel bad now for saying anything! feel guilty!for opening my big mouth letting words come out!

[smiley1590]

just i been there for years feel CAMHS could done more for me way more my family feel isolated and frustrated too with systems in place so need improving! nothing really changed for me still got same MH probs and done most hard work and effort alone here!

[smiley1590]

our local support very restricted and not enough to go around really! so someone ends up going short!

[JsMum]

thanks JS mum didn't mean to upset or offend your personal experiences kathryn just trying to explain mine did come out 'strong'! i feel bad now for saying anything! feel guilty!for opening my big mouth letting words come out!

 

 

Dont feel bad, its your experience and you shared it which I felt a lot of similarities, I think Kathryn was just ensuring other new mums going down the unexpected road of camhs that though there is some poor experiences it depends on who you get.

 

I still think yours was relivant.

 

JsMumxxx

 

 

[Kathryn]

Smiley,

 

As I said, sorry to hear your experience wasn't good and you're entiltled to express your views. Often it's a matter of luck, whether you get the one individual you "click" with and who understands your needs - you obviously didn't. It shouldn't have to be like that, I agree.

 

J's mum, alas, the wonderful psych moved away for personal reasons soon after my daughter was discharged from Camhs and is now in a different area. Hertfordshire's loss.

 

k x

 

 

[dana]

Please, Smiley, dont feel sorry that you expressed your feelings about CAMHS! Although your experiance was not pleasant one I am grateful to you because I want to know how somebody who has AS/ASD feels about them. I am aware that CAMHS differ from area to area and that every experiance with them is unique,each team different,and of course,each child different .Still, it is valuble to me (and I think to other mothers who started thinking abou dx) how you feel. This helps me not to be too disapointed if my experiance with them are not good. The way I am I would probably blame myself if something goes wrong. But ,since every experiace is unique, I will have to wait and see.

I am really sorry that your experiance with them is so bad and I wish you, with all my heart, that you find somebody to help you the best way! You deserve that ! I wish you good luck! <'>

 

dana xxx

Edited March 15, 2009 by dana

[Mad cat lady]

It definitely seems to depend on where you live.

 

My boys were both dxd by an autistic assessment team, one of which is now under the care of cahms. I can't say a bad word about the treatment we have been getting from them, they have been great and have also helped in getting help from other areas which is outside their field. From what I have read on other posts and threads is that CAHMS in Scotland seems to provide a totally different role than in other areas

 

I hope you find help that is suited your needs. Good luck

 

MLC

[smiley1590]

i now under the NAS just got to BIg problem of funding but been reassured where ever comes from that i will get lots of help and support which i quite scared and yet excited about this new road and adventure from other negative experiences before! hard to chnage my thinking and trust levels in professionals is quite low but willing to move on and try however difficult swallowing all emotions and feelings it brings back strong i don't want to be bitter angry confused and lost but sometimes things in my mind get me this way i can't seem to express it 'well' it annoys as can't forget past events but been told is part of having AS! i get frustrated at myself!X