how to get a refal to another out of arear test for autism

[unhappy123]

i have been to gp twice now to ask to have my son tested for autism. cyps will not test him . and gp stated that he can not refer him to another service. and my son cant get the help all thay keep saying is he is a naughty boy . have even done a test online which has come up as a high level of autism and I have told gp. he told me not to keep going back asking for refal as he will not do it. need advise.

[Mill06]

Hi I'm sorry your gp's aren't any help, I would recommend looking at reviews of other doctor surgerys around your area. Changing GP's can seem a lot of work but I done it recently and went as smooth and quick as I could hope, I got an appointment with the new surgery within 2 weeks of signing up!

Hope this helps x

[M0AL61 Moderator Volunteer]

I would agree with Mill06. It might be time to look for a new GP. The only other thing I can suggest is speak to your surgery's Practice Manager and tell them your GP is not giving your son the level of care that you feel he deserves.

Good luck x

[deejames]

Changing GP may help or change to another practice. Unless your GP is epically trained in childhood developmental disorders then he cannot make a judgement like that.

Don't be guided by these online tests. I am afraid they are not very reliable. Only a train ed professional can make that judgement and it woukd be based on observations at home and at school as well as questions that you would be asked.

Are you getting support from his school ? If it is being said that he is just 'naughty' then ask for help addressing that difficulty. Services are stretched but the school should advise you on things to try at home. If he is a problem in school then then the school need to be working with you on strategies that both home and school put into place to try to help.

Do let us know how you get on.

Dee

[Hidden]

Your son's school can't just say he is "naughty" and leave it at that.

As you probably know the autistic soectrum is huge and it is often difficult to diagnose people who are at the " less severely affected" end of the spectrum. It's quite common to hear of people being diagnosed in middle age.

You do have back up in law so I'd suggest first tackling your son's school and say you feel your son needs a " statement of special educational needs". Put this in writing so a paper trail starts.

Contact the Autistic society. It may well turn out your son doesn't have Autism but they will be able to offer you advice and support until you have a diagnosis either way. If your son is still young 5-6 you may get help from a health visitor but again, where services are stretched I don't know how many of these are still around.

All behaviour has a reason. If your son is " naughty" at school there is a reason for it and until the school finds the cause, they cannot treat it effectively so it is in their interests to find the cause.

Feel free to send me a PM if I can help at all as I have personal experience of autism and Asperger's.

[Veggiehog]

I so feel your pain .I went through this with my own son some years ago . I found getting the school on board was a great help . The SENCO , teacher and head teacher , plus any teaching assistant that might be involved . The school can refer to an educational psychologist to start things off . Don't give up , it took me 6 years to get a proper evaluation done. She spent 10 minutes in the room with him and diagnosed him with Aspergers Syndrome .

[troland]

you can ask for a second opinion from any other medical professional even if it is not in your area

NHS must provide this for you and incur costs so don't be fobbed off I live in Scotland and got a referral to St Thomas's in London for my husband and NHS covered all expenses. so be persistent about getting your son the help he needs

good luck

[rebelist45]

Hi

Get in tour with the national autistic society. They should be able to advise you. My daughter was diagnosed 26 years ago but only because I had read an article that I showed to the neurologist she was under. There were very few cases then . My sister was diagnosed at the age of 56 with Asperger s

[Judyb6767]

Keep fighting it took me 10 years before I got my son diagnosed I had to kick fight and plead until I got someone to believe me it was only when i had a major nervous breakdown that people started to listen

[Charob2]

I have an autistic son and can sympathise, unfortunately GP's sometimes do not want or know how to. I made contact with my local CAMHS as you can self refer in some cases, especially if it causing difficulties for son. I know its hard but perseverance and definitely a change of GP, it can also depend where you live, good luck the support is out there.