My son is 20 has autism,adhd and depression

ambermarie
ambermarie Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited January 2021 in Families and carers
My son is 20 has autism,adhd and depression,things are just getting worse and we get no support and never have. I feel so alone and I am thinking about looking into independent living with support but so unsure where to start.

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Hi and welcome.

    The first thing you should do is refer your son for a needs assessment by contacting you local council Social Services. For this you should start here. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/help-from-social-services-and-charities/getting-a-needs-assessment/

    Under normal times they would make a house visit for this assessment but because of Covid this may not be possible and all local councils will have their own rules regarding that, which they will tell you once you've referred him.

    Hope this helps.

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    Hi and welcome as above social services is starting point 

    Also look at some groups or specialist charities or advice groups on line 
  • Seanchai
    Seanchai Online Community Member Posts: 396 Pioneering
    Hi and welcome ambermarie....my grandson is 16 and has severe autism.  My daughter has had very little  help over the years . If you are managing ok the social services do not come near ( well ...my grandsons social worker anyway) ...she has visited three or four times in 16 years . Yet , there is another younger child in the street with autism and the social worker seems to help the family at every turn ...if they need anything , call the social worker and they seem to get all the help required . It's a different social worker right enough . I know that social workers are working harder under the restraints we all have at the moment but I think a lot depends on which social worker you ( your son) has. ??
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    edited January 2021
    Hello @ambermarie and welcome to the community.

    I'm sorry to read that you're struggling at the moment, is sounds like a very hard situation to watch your child go through, especially when you feel alone in doing so.

    As mentioned above, if you don't have a care arrangement in place for your son, the best place to start would be by contacting your local authority's social care team, to see if they can put in any support for you and your son. 

    I assume you may have already done this together, but has there been a conversation with your son's GP about what support might be available for him? His GP might be able to suggest possible avenues to pursue to help him. Is your son currently receiving support for his depression and able to manage this?

    As well as posting on this community, I would also recommend Scope's helpline service, which you can contact here. The supportive team would be happy to talk you through any of the advice mentioned above and your issues, as well as just provide a friendly voice and pair of ears.

    Just to let you know, I have moved your discussion to our parents category.

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