anyone know if you can get an assessment without going through ed psych

[foxy6]

hi all my 14 yr old ds has had constant behavior problems i believe he has ADHD with possible ODD.

a bit of background. his time spent in primary school was spent with lots of meeting about behavior, lunchtime suspensions, not being able to go on school trips unless i accompanied him and a 2 day suspension for swearing at the head teacher. when ever i asked if this was normal ( i also have 2 older ds and they were never like him) i would get told " he is young ", " he's immature, he'll grow out of it" and he has only got worse as he has got older. eventually during yr 5 the head told me "well he's on an IEP" i had never heard of one and no he wasn't so they didn't know themselves what they were doing with him. he went onto an IEP in yr6 but after the 3rd review went to comp so never got refereed form primary school.

secondary school said they like to see how he goes before doing anything about the IEP. well they soon discovered his problems and put him on a IEP which after 3 reviews lead to an ed psych referral. unfortunately he was sick the day she came to see him. he then had to be re-refereed. it took ages and every month i would phone to see if he was going to be seen and every month he would get passed over for someone else. it got to the point where he nearly got expelled. i then complained about him not having seen anyone and believe this is the only reason he was allowed to stay and he saw someone within a few weeks( she also agreed that my complaining was probably the only reason she seen him then) that was in the July, so just before school hols. her report had inaccurate details about home life and there was no way he was going to follow her recommendations ( join drama club, have free time structured etc.) he was now 13 and returned in the September and after a few weeks and several meetings about behavior i was feeling completely let down i removed him from school to home educate. he had spent 2 years in comp and left knowing little much more than he did in primary. most of his time in comp was spent suspended, in the exclusion room or skiving.
so fast forward to now i still want him assessed and managed to get the Dr to refer us to camhs. we saw a lady yesterday who said he wouldn't get an assessment as he wasn't in school and it need to be done by ed psych and the behavior need to be seen more than one setting and that if he had ADHD he would off been assessed in primary. that's a laugh the school missed my sisters aspergers and did noting about the bullying she and my older ds suffered they were a complete waste of time.
so has anyone any experience of getting there dc's assessed outside of the school ed psych?

[grants1000]

Only if you pay privately I should imagine, it's hard enough to get one in a school setting, with budget cuts etc etc.

[foxy6]

I can ask how much it would be private but money is very tight I'm the only one working with 5 dc's and I'm off sick at the mo and don't know when I'll be well enough to return. but it's worth asking thanks

[aciddrops]

So, basically, you have seen a psychologist in CAHMS who says she will not assess him further?

I think you need to press this and don't let him be discharged.

What is he like at home? Is his behaviour difficult to manage?

[foxy6]

yes he has always been a handful I feel like I've been trying for years to get help and never get anywhere. I am waiting for the lady from camhs to get back to me and will make it clear I'm not happy to just leave it.

[aciddrops]

Just keep insisting that he needs help and that you are concerned for his welfare. Perhaps suggest that he needs councelling to manage anger or social situations.
My eldest DS has been difficult at home but not at school and it is exhausting. It is not fair on siblings as the "naughty" one gets all the attention.
Good luck and be persistent otherwise you will get discharged and you will be no better off.

[difficultpickle]

An ed psych cannot diagnose ADHD, it requires a clinical diagnosis and for that you need a clinical psychologist. You need to press it further.

We are waiting for ds to be seen by camhs. Ed psych suspects ds has ADHD. His GP laughed when he read the report and said there is no way he does. However GP doesn't see ds at school or what he can be like at home.

[aciddrops]

GP laughed Not very helpful then?

[foxy6]

I love the fact that they can spend 10 minutes with them and know

[aciddrops]

Bizarre. GP should have listened to the case history that you were providing.