Cahms

concerned43

I was told my son had Aspergers in November 2011 but was not formally diagnosed as I did not want it. Then CAHMS said in January that they do not think its Aspergers but they are not ruling out him being on the autistic spectrum. Since that meeting DS has been receiving cognitive behavioral therapy - with no other tests being done.
I had a meeting at the school this morning to discuss DS support plan and CAHMS were present. CAHMS told the people at the meeting that DS does not have ASD and that they believe that DS has an attachment to me and that the cognitive therapy will stop and instead they will encourage DS to become independent of me.
i am furious - they did not speak with me before the meeting, they have never mentioned 'attachment' before and they have put me through a roller coaster of emotions since first raising autism with me.
I know my DS has an attachment to me and relies on me a lot for comfort/security etc but i do not believe this is all that is wrong.
I then had to sit through a meeting that laid all the blame at my door and it was obvious that CAMHS had spoken to the school about this prior to the meeting as they also said that according to them that I was the 'problem'.!
I have now lost faith in the people at CAHMS but do not know where I go from here?

bluebluecow

Hi

Do you have a gp you can talk to, we never went down the CAHMS route, we where told by our senco to see a gp for a referal to a consultant.
We have now been under our consultant for 4 yrs almost and have gone from autistic features, to behavioal problems, to now being asd. lol.
It will be a fight, but it is better to go and see a child consultant then Cahms, trust me, as even if it isnt asd then they will have a wealth of things that can help, we see a support team for his anger management at the mo.

As I said please see your gp and ask for a referal. I have lost some trust with my school in the past but now with the consultant getting parent partnership involved things have got better.

If you ever need a chat then I am usually around

meritaten

Who did you get the diagnosis of Aspergers from hun?

daska

Personally I consider that very unprofessional. They should not have sprung a change of diagnosis on you in a professionals meeting. Unfortunately it happens all too often.

I'll PM you a copy of the complaint letter an ex SS friend wrote for us when a similar incident occurred. Keep the tone the same but adjust the content and send it to everyone who attended plus your GP and other involved professionals.

squirrelchops

Dear OP

You probably slightly misheard what CAMHS said. A secure attachment is positive and what every child requires for healthy emotional development.

What they may have said is that are some attachment difficulties or concerns regarding his attachment.

Attachment difficulties are often confused with signs of a child being on the autistic spectrum and vice versa.

In short attachment is much more than just the 'bond'. It is about the child during particularly their first 2 years of development having all of their needs met. Things that can interrupt a positive attachment are notorioulsy parental mental health issues, domestic violence or substance misuse - this list is not exclusive. Attachment is about reciprocity - the child knows absolutely 100% that should they require the care givers attention they will get it 100% without fail. I have used very basic terms here.

Evidence has shown that even brain development is effected if the childs early attachment needs are not met - there has been a lot of research in neurological development

Attachment also is about the child developing a secure base from which to explore the world. The ability to learn that they can go off and explore around them but have a reliable care giver to return to when they are unsure/frightened etc.

Attachment is so significant as it effects the childs ability to form relationships with others if they have issues with it. A child with an insecure attachment will not be able to emotionally regulate - by this they are in a constant state of hyper arousal constantly trying to understand if their needs will be met/how others project themselves/what people are saying -- are they being threatening etc. For children with significant attachment issues the world is a scary and unpredictable place - things such as education become impossible as all their time is taken up trying to regulate their emotions.

There is also a lot of documented evidence between the links of attachment issues in children and personality disorders in adults.

Im my opinion if CAMHS are using CBT (cognitive behavioural therappy) the attachment issues are unlikely to be that severe as other methods of therapy would be used.

concerned43

meritaten wrote: »

Who did you get the diagnosis of Aspergers from hun?

got it from CAHMS - the same people who now have changed their mind.

concerned43

the only reason they have stopped CBT is that my DS asked for it to be in verbal form rather than written work as he finds it difficult to interpret written work, this annoyed the social worker and she can't be bothered with it now.
The only thing they want to work on now is 'empowering' him to become independent...
therefore..
no help with his sleep
no help with his anxiety
no help with his communication skills
no help with his inability to understand others
my DS has never been a good sleeper and has been on medication since the age of eight...but then that must be an attachment thing
my DS has been in hospital with panic attacks...again attachment

pulling my hair out here!!

concerned43

bluebluecow wrote: »

Hi

Do you have a gp you can talk to, we never went down the CAHMS route, we where told by our senco to see a gp for a referal to a consultant.
We have now been under our consultant for 4 yrs almost and have gone from autistic features, to behavioal problems, to now being asd. lol.
It will be a fight, but it is better to go and see a child consultant then Cahms, trust me, as even if it isnt asd then they will have a wealth of things that can help, we see a support team for his anger management at the mo.

As I said please see your gp and ask for a referal. I have lost some trust with my school in the past but now with the consultant getting parent partnership involved things have got better.

If you ever need a chat then I am usually around

my DS has a very nice GP and will give him a ring and see what he says. many thanks

concerned43

should i put in a complaint?
don't really want to go back to CAHMS

iwilldebtfree

concerned43 wrote: »

got it from CAHMS - the same people who now have changed their mind.

The last I knew CAHMS are not in a position to diagnose ASD! It's been recommended to you to go and see your GP... I would do that and ask for a referral to your local paediatrician who specialises in ASD. There is a process they will go through which will involve contact with yourself, your child, a speech and language therapist, the educational psychologist and the school before a diagnosis is given.

In the mean time are you getting any support from parent partnership? might be worth a chat with them

esmf73

Concerned43 - Look into Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome. The only reason I say this is that it was thought that my son was autistic / Asperger but the diagnosis didn't quite "fit". When I was given information on PDA by my CAMHS lady it was like reading a description of my son. Any help I can give please PM me.
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