Mental Health in Autistic Children, sign petition to help us
Discussion
Our middle son was diagnosed with Autism 3 years ago but for the last 12 months he has been increasingly suffering from Anxiety and OCD behaviour to the extent that he has not attended his specialist school for the last 8 months. We have battled with the local NHS services to gain access to Mental Health Care and have been passed from pillar to post, service to service. We are told that Anxiety is part of Autism! It is not. We are told Autism is not in their remit, it is! To date we have still not been referred to a service to help us. We are not the only family struggling to get the help our children desperately need, understanding, funding and commissioning are very lacking and things need to change.12 months ago we had a happy son who happened to be Autistic, now he is a shadow of the child we once knew who suffers from daily meltdowns and is increasingly isolated. Please could you follow the link to the petition we have created,it would be greatly appreciated if you could sign it and share with friends and family to try to right a wrong that many families are struggling with on a day to day basis. https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-jeremy-hunt-mp-mak...
Edited by maxxander on Wednesday 27th May 13:12
have to disagree with the statement that anxiety is not a feature of autism (Pervasive Developmental Disorders). Further to this, repetitive and compulsive behaviours are by-products of increased anxiety and are clearly identified as part of the triad of impairment commonly encountered in PDD. avoidance is a common feature of high emotional arousal/anxiety (i mention this as you report 8/12 out of school - are the school intervening btw?)
whilst anxiety is an entirely normal and necessary bio/psycho/social clinical entity, depending on the study one chooses to cite, co-morbidity rates in PDD are anywhere between 7 and 34% above rates in the general population. the higher rates are more commonly encountered in higher functioning PDD. (Must confess that i couldn't find a study citing co-morbidity rates of 40% as per the petition; i'd appreciate a reference for that to use in my own sphere of clinical activity)
clearly this will impact significantly on adaptation and adjustment but treatment would be entirely coterminous with that offered to the general population. i suspect that a block that many in your position encounter when seeking help is that, quite frankly, the majority of anxiety/mood presentations simply do not meet the criteria for specialist mental health services. Neither anxiety nor mild (or even moderate) depression are classified as "severe and enduring". Anxiety and mild-moderate depression will cluster at "2" using HoNOS (Common Mental Heath Problems With Greater Need) and, by definition, would be signposted to primary care.
Some CCGs are much more attuned to the needs of PDD but, nationwide, cover is patchy at best. in my own locality for example, there is a small assessment service but any subsequent treatment is provided or withheld based on the eligibility criteria of the relevant secondary service. there is no specialist service for PDD and i suspect that this will be the norm.
frustratingly in practice we, just like you, find ourselves repeatedly banging our heads against the very same walls.
signing up now !
paul
whilst anxiety is an entirely normal and necessary bio/psycho/social clinical entity, depending on the study one chooses to cite, co-morbidity rates in PDD are anywhere between 7 and 34% above rates in the general population. the higher rates are more commonly encountered in higher functioning PDD. (Must confess that i couldn't find a study citing co-morbidity rates of 40% as per the petition; i'd appreciate a reference for that to use in my own sphere of clinical activity)
clearly this will impact significantly on adaptation and adjustment but treatment would be entirely coterminous with that offered to the general population. i suspect that a block that many in your position encounter when seeking help is that, quite frankly, the majority of anxiety/mood presentations simply do not meet the criteria for specialist mental health services. Neither anxiety nor mild (or even moderate) depression are classified as "severe and enduring". Anxiety and mild-moderate depression will cluster at "2" using HoNOS (Common Mental Heath Problems With Greater Need) and, by definition, would be signposted to primary care.
Some CCGs are much more attuned to the needs of PDD but, nationwide, cover is patchy at best. in my own locality for example, there is a small assessment service but any subsequent treatment is provided or withheld based on the eligibility criteria of the relevant secondary service. there is no specialist service for PDD and i suspect that this will be the norm.
frustratingly in practice we, just like you, find ourselves repeatedly banging our heads against the very same walls.
signing up now !
paul
Edited by paulmakin on Sunday 31st May 01:27
Edited by paulmakin on Sunday 31st May 01:52
Edited by paulmakin on Sunday 31st May 01:59
Sorry to hear your problems. why have you not been referred to your local CAMHS?
I'm on the autistic spectrum and so are both my kids. Both kids suffer anxiety type symptoms and both on medication thru CAHMS. Once you get that sorted you then have the battle once they hit adult services. You have to be persistent.
I'm on the autistic spectrum and so are both my kids. Both kids suffer anxiety type symptoms and both on medication thru CAHMS. Once you get that sorted you then have the battle once they hit adult services. You have to be persistent.
Have you tried changing the diet of your son to at least a gluten & dairy free one? One of my best friends has an autistic son and this is exactly what they did from an early age, from around 3-4 years old. Changed his behaviour completely from having regular 'meltdown' as you put it to being generally calm. Of course he still had moods but everyone has those anyway. It was a strict diet nd performed over a 6 month period to see the effects. He's now 21 years old and is a great young man. He lives in assisted accommodation but is largely independent, visiting his parents at weekends.
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