help getting an ASD diagnosis for my daughter.

tiggywinkle

hi, I'm tiggywinkle, i have a nearly 10 year old daughter and i suspect she has autism with a pda profile. the problem I'm having is she masks really well in school and they don't agree with me but she is totally different at school than she is at home. I don't know how to go about getting her a diagnosis without the schools help. I have been to the doctors multiple times and all they say is she needs referring from the school.

thank you 💚

Mary_Scope

Hi @tiggywinkle and a warm welcome to the community from me!

Unfortunately, what you described is quite common especially with girls with autism so you're definitely not alone in this! It can be a really stressful time trying to get on the pathway.

I'm wondering if there any other professionals involved with your daughter such as CAMHS or a family support worker that may be able to provide further evidence? It also may be helpful to reach out to a local autism charity if you do have one near you as they will probably have first hand knowledge on the autism assessment process in your area. Especially if the GP says they need a school referral. If one of these organisations are near to you then they should be advertised on local offer or local parent carer forum

It can also be really helpful to keep a diary of how your daughter is outside of school so things like meltdowns, sensory issues, demand avoidance, how she recovers after school as this builds evidence for your daughter outside of school for the GP.

If you haven’t already then it may be helpful to contact your local local SENDIASS as they will be able give free advice on getting assessments and support when the school isn’t backing you.

Hope this was helpful, please reach back out if you would like more support or have additional questions😊