Autism and ADHD Assessments
Debate between Elliot Colburn and John Howell(1 year, 10 months ago)
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John Howell (Henley) (Con)
My postbag has been full of people writing in with examples of how their child has suffered from a late diagnosis of autism. Does my hon. Friend accept that the younger the child is, the greater the problem for the parents and the greater the loss for the child?
Elliot Colburn
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Of course, that all comes back to the very important point that early intervention and diagnosis are key, because then there is the potential to prevent problems from escalating to crisis point.
One of the respondents to the Petitions Committee survey echoed Jess’s story, saying:
“My daughter has been waiting almost 4.5 years for an NHS ASD assessment. In this time, she has spent 1.5 years out of school, 6 months being unable to leave the house, had no social life, had severe anxiety, is depressed and had suicidal feelings.”
Jess also shared with me her experience of the referral consultation and the assessment itself. She described the process as “antagonistic” and said it was
“almost like the parents are on trial”.
Many parents, like Lisa and Jess, have also described the questions asked during the assessment process as a box-ticking exercise that played heavily on stereotypes about autism and ADHD. An example I was given by another witness I spoke to included a question asking the patient if they liked to put things in order.
As with ADHD, autism can be misdiagnosed or overlooked. Often autism exists alongside other conditions.