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Klou

Is your GP asd friendly?

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Hi

 

Took DS to the gp today to check he hasn't got a urine infection that is causing him to wet himself and apart from the fact that I was told boys are late/too busy doing other things/aren't bothered. I asked whether it could possibly due to the fact he has AS and sensory issues and was this on his notes. I was quite surprised that gp seemed quite dismissive of the diagnosis, knowing very little about it. He stated that he prefers to veer away from diagnosing behavioural conditions for a child so young, he'll probably grow out of it/ it's very mild!

 

DS put in a stunning performance which after several minutes of almost impossible conversation. GP says he's quite a handful isn't he, then starts going through the standard list used my any one who knows nothing but he plays cars and trains doesn't he? Has friends? I felt like saying yes and we have been through this with the team working with one of the leading experts on ASD in the country and we still have a dx even if you don't agree with it. :angry: Then the man goes on to notice ds starts school in Sept and is whittering on about peer pressure having an effect etc and concludes that it will be interesting to see how a main stream school copes with him!

 

I am confused; angry though writing this has been a calming experience; and wondering whether conventional medicine has anything to offer us. I had to have this GP today normally I wouldn't see him as his clinic always runs late - hence the uncontrollable DS and unless you can write out a prescription he doesn't want to know. Same gp told DH his debilitating RSI/back/neck problems were pretty much all in his head and to take painkillers and rest/consider changing jobs.

 

Sorry rant over. Can I expect anything different from another gp? There are several at the practice and it was a different one who referred us for assessment but even he effectively dismissed my concerns and probably only wrote the referral to keep the piece - he expected us to be told ds was fine.

 

So I still have no extra help on the wetting other than a sample being sent for full analysis and a suggestion to find a reward system that motivates him more than a sticker chart.

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Have to say I've found my GP, whose a very nice chap, to be sympathetic but clueless! Anytime I encounter the kind of rubbish that you heard from your GP, I give a reminder that GPs are general practitioners and that when is comes to matters of ASD I prefer to go on the advice of an expert ? our consultant!!!

 

Sorry you've had to listen to that cr*p from your GP. As if we don't have enough to cope with?!

 

C.

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Sorry, can't help on the wetting issue but yes, a different GP may well have a different attitute. Our surgery recently merged with another and there are now so many GPs there that I seem to see a new one every time. There are definitely sympathetic ones and horrible ones who I avoid like the plague - there's one in particular who I refuse to see, even if it's an emergency appt. I think he prefers to avoid me, too, after I complained about him, so everyone's happy.

 

For the boys I think it's important to have continuity - OK, they may not be at the docs that often but it helps that they are familiar with the person poking them and asking questions.

 

No harm in asking for a second opinion or getting a further appt with someone else if you get no satisfaction re wetting issue.

 

As regards waiting, is it possible for you to get the first appointment of the morning/afternoon, so the GP won't have got behind? That can be difficult sometimes - we have to book up about three weeks in advance for that luxury!

 

Hope that helps. Remember, you are probably more of an expert on AS than the GP.

 

Lizzie

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Hi

yep my doc is lovely but again not got a clue about ASD and still says he thinks C has ADHD even tho' we have had our DX for two years.never mind you win some you loose some.

 

Sorry yours wasn't listening to you tho' I hate it when that happens.Could you poss ask his Ped' if he has one about the wetting himself???

 

Lisa x

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My GP (or rather, the locum who's filling in until mine comes back from maternity leave) actually seemed quite clued up about AS when I went to see him a couple of weeks ago - that came as something of a shock I can tell you :D

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My gp is fantastic I can,t praise him enough :notworthy: ............he has known my son since birth.He has a family friend on the spectrum so I think this gives a greater understanding, nevertheless he,s great and we,d hate to lose him.

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Our GP we had when the boys were dx was fab. He was knowledgable kind and very much on our side. Our new GP since we moved is ok ish but I think standards were set by the original one and it would take some one very exceptional to meet my expectations of a good GP. He's fairly sympathetic though and always willing to refer to specialists etc.

 

Lauren

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It has been an interesting journey for our pediatrician's office...our female doctor quit 2 years ago when her toddler son was diagnosed, and now she and I are friends from the autism mom circuit. Her dh and uncle still run the practice and are light-years ahead of where they had been with autism awareness, naturally!

 

I guess that's what it will take, more family members of doctors to be affected and thus educated. She said before she had her child she just didn't have time to learn much about it, esp when it came to early detection; in her words, the asthmatic child having an attack down the hall always took precedence over the late-talker having a check-up.

 

Interestingly enough when it came time for my younger dd to go through the series of check-ups/vaccinations, it was the doctor (in this same practice) who suggested to me that we hold off on the vaccination schedule because of our family history. I don't think he would have done that a few years ago...

 

(don't have a GP, I suppose it is the same there.)

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i really like our gp, but he has limited understanding and compassion for asd, but to be honest any child? i took my dd to the gp last week as dd had told me she had shoved something in her ear. so doc grabs her and sticks this thing in her ear to look inside them, not explaining to her what he was doing or even asking her if it was ok! luckily my daughter isnt tactile defensive(quite the opposite in fact sensory seeking,) or he may have got wacked, but he didnt know that did he? to be honest i thought it was wrong for him to do that to anyone, but asd is even worse!! im sure he will learn one day!!

 

on the other hand he was really supportive of getting her dx and never questioned our request for referal, when the community paed forgot to refer her!

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Hi Klou,

 

I think it would be benefical to talk to your health visitor about your concerns. A lot of health centres have special clinics run by specialist for bed wetting.

 

GP do not have any training in ASD. My friend is a GP and he did not notice his daughter had problems. His wife kept telling him she was worried about there daughter but he kept telling her she was just a slower learner. Eventually she was diagnosed ASD

 

 

Jen

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My GP doesn't know that much about ASD's but always asks after Rh no matter who is going to see her.I don't mind because at least she takes an interest and acknowledges that it must be difficult for us at times.xx

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I must be honest my GP is wonderful but he has been very honest with me and has admitted that he does not know alot about AS.... I thought it was very brave of him to tell me this not many would admit it, he also said that he has not had alot of dealings with any AS children and he would like to learn more...

Edited by justamom

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I have seen two GPs at my surgery with A. Both admit that they know very little about AS and will only see him for unrelated medical matters. However, they are both very good with him on these matters and treat him with consideration and empathy and do take account of his AS. Both have told me to tell the Receptionist to book his appointments as the first of the day so he doesn't have to sit in the waiting room and any problems with doing this to speak to their Secretaries who will make the arrangements. Anything related to his AS or anxieties I deal directly with his Consultant.

 

Whenever I see my GP, which is extremely rare, he is always anxious to ensure that I am getting the support I need with A and always offers to try and circumvent the system if I'm having problems.

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My GP is great and lucky for me she is young and has studied asd so is also very helpful when we see her

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Not sure how much my GP knows about ASD but I don't expect him to be an expert. However he's been very supportive and happy to refer us when we were concerned which is what his job really is and always been remarkably tolerant of DS repeatedly banging the cupboard doors in his room! The waiting room and appointment system is less ASD friendly and if he's running late I end up getting pretty stressed out with DSs antics.

 

Lx

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I was told GP's only get 20 mins training about asd's :o

How can they know anything in 20 mins and they think they know more than us!

 

I must say though, my GP is very understanding and will go out of his way to help :D

 

Clare

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our gp is tops..

when S was suffering in his old school and the senco brick walled us he gave S lots of signed time off, phoned the school to let them know he was on the case and says he will fully support us if we wanted to home educate.

 

I love him!! >:D<<'>

redberry

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one of the gps in our practise is very AS friendly as he did some training with a professor specialising in autism, but the other three are not so clued up. more often than not these days we only get to see a locum anyway, i havent seen one of the practices main gps for over a year. :o

Edited by elaine1

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I would say my GP knows very little of ASD's but that is based on being with the same practice for nearly 30 years and taking my AS son there regularyly begging for help and having all the wrong interventions. This usually gets described as a 'process of elimination' but my son showed all the characteristic behaviours almost from birth. It is true to say that I was not pleased and in the end pushed for private dx.

 

When I asked for a referral to a specialist in autism this was not a probelm, except that it was refused by the PCT. I asked for a copy of the referral and soon realised that here we were yet again being described as emotionally abusing our child, poor parenting blah blah need I go on, the classic old fashioned descriptions when a child is not responding and the support services cannot figure out why.

 

You can imagine how disgusted I was at this and this was not back in the dark ages but 8 months ago! This did not go down well as we had already been aksed if we 'locked him in cupboards' in a roundabout way by the senco!!?? The Ed Pych who based her report on what the senco told her having observed him for 10 minutes before he buried his head in tears suggested 'it was something in his past'?

 

So despite the wonderful things that are happening in some areas which I really am pleased about there does remain a lot of rubbish thinking when it comes to autism and I believe it needs to be challenged readily.

 

moan, moan, but I wanted to get that off my chest, have a nice day:):)

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Hi

 

My son has been to the GP regarding the same problems and I found the GP very dismissive the result being from him that his problem was emotional which is I suppose was right but I spoke to the Pead about the problems at our last visit and its got a name and happens during moments of great anxiety. My son is 5 now and its still on going.

Personally I don't BOTHER the doctor now with any problems regarding my son I just ask the Pead as she actually listens and relates far better and I don't get the impression I'm wasting her time.

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