CP/ADHD.

LeiiLeii
LeiiLeii Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
in Cerebral Palsy Network
Hello. I am a 47 year old female living with CP. I was officially diagnosed as a child and after some hospital investigation and Achilles Tendon lengthening Surgery I was discharged from NHS care at around 7 years old. The Consultant told my mother at the time to take me home and forget all about it. I believe I was neglected by the NHS in the 80’s and should have at-least had further investigation into how my brain injury at birth might have lead to other neurological conditions. I’m strongly convinced now that I have undiagnosed ADHD. Which unfortunately has hindered my life dramatically. I’m aware our family has a genetic disposition towards ADHD and Autism. I have also concerns that my daughter is also suffering from undiagnosed ADHD. I really feel at breaking point right now because I’m aware that being assessed for ADHD is a lengthy process and can prove quite tricky, but I think that myself and my daughter would benefit greatly from a diagnosis. So I feel stuck in a limbo and regret I was not diagnosed as a child with ADHD. My life would have been very different and that of my child. I’m extremely jaded and perhaps bitter these days because of it. I could write a book on the problems faced when you live with an undiagnosed neurological disorder. I definitely need some guidance and help so I can finally get control of my life. I have no clue where to start. Any advice or support would be extremely welcome.   

Comments

  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,740 Cerebral Palsy Network
    edited July 2022
    Hi @LeiiLeii
    Thanks for your post and a very warm (especially today) welcome to the community. 

    Autism and ADHD can co-exist in people that have been diagnosed with CP. In a study published in the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology journal, 7% of children with cerebral palsy who participated in the research had autism. In the children who participated in the study, autism was more common in those children with non-spastic cerebral palsy, compared to those with spastic cerebral palsy. The study also found that autism was more prevalent in children with cerebral palsy than in children who don’t have the impairment.

    As @Biblioklept has suggested, please do consult with your G.P.
  • Cplife
    Cplife Online Community Member Posts: 58 Contributor
    Hi I’m waiting for an autism test I spoke to my GP they first sent me for a learning disability test that came back that I didn’t have a learning disability but said I needed some help so I got back in touch with my GP and said I wanted to be tested after a conversation and a few tears she referred me I have spastic Cp hemeplega of the left hand side. 
    I’m 52 years old and would like some answers that I feel I never got as a child 
    so I would go to your GP and tell them what you want 😊
  • oakhill
    oakhill Online Community Member Posts: 2 Contributor
    Hi, If it is any help at the grand age of 51 I have been diagnosed with ADHD, my teenager has it along with his CP though they are still a bit slow on officially doing the diagnoses even though we have been told verbally. It's harder to get the diagnoses because of the bog standard test do not take into account restrictions of his CP and other disabilities. 
    Because of the long waiting list I paid had to agree shared care with my GP, but I believe in England there is something called the right to chose which could help with speeding up the process. 

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