BoxRec

Alba wrote: ↑24 Nov 2023, 17:42 Looks like some folk are rewriting history..Degale was an arrogant, obnoxious twat.

tonyevs wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 04:37 We will all have traits of various conditions such as ASD or ADHD .. it's very normal. But it's when those traits are problematic and negatively impacting on how a person functions in their day to day life that help is sought.

There is a window of opportunity for all of us in our early years to be almost anything we want to be (I truly believe that).
'Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today'.

So if for whatever reason, be it bio/psycho/social, a child is unable to participate in education on a similar level playing field as others then meds may be the best initial way of helping.
Maybe when they are at a level of maturity and calmness they can engage in therapies such as CBT and cease meds all together .. but sometimes there is a need for meds to calm things to open alternative options.

Adults seeking a diagnosis may be doing so for lots of reasons. Unfortunately there will always be some who do so for financial or some other less than legit reason. Years ago it was a bad back or depression.

But I always assume a humanist approach and like to think most will be seeking it to enable themselves to improve their lives some how.

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 08:42 It's not easy to get a diagnosis for ADHD.

My wife has ADHD, as does my son (though he's more ASD).
Cost a fortune for a diagnosis.

SeanBrennan wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 10:12

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 08:42 It's not easy to get a diagnosis for ADHD.

My wife has ADHD, as does my son (though he's more ASD).
Cost a fortune for a diagnosis.

awful that you had to pay to get your family a diagnosis.

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 14:21

SeanBrennan wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 10:12

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 08:42 It's not easy to get a diagnosis for ADHD.

My wife has ADHD, as does my son (though he's more ASD).
Cost a fortune for a diagnosis.

awful that you had to pay to get your family a diagnosis.

Couldn't wait.

My lad was self-harming and about to be kicked out of school. He needed a diagnosis to have protection from schools behaviour policy that they kept trotting out.

Without an EHCP, they just wouldn't make any adjustments.

The whole process was a nightmare from start to finish.
Local authority stretched beyond their limit and dropping the ball so many times meant the process was dragged out over 18 months, cost me thousands for diagnosis and SaLT, OT and Ed Psych reports.
Took years off my life.

I'm a little dubious of some of the claims here that people are getting a diagnosis for their kids so they can claim benefits. No doubt there's a few, but the system is so hard to navigate for legitimate people with an understanding of education and LA (I'd been a teacher for 10 years at that point).
It cost me about £3,000 plus a hundred + hours of my time...

As we were living through the difficulties of having an SEN kid we realised how ADHD my wife was.
I just assumed she was fornicating mental, so did she.

It came around at the same time, really. My wife is the cleverest person I've ever met. She barely went to school, but managed to get 10 A*'s.
She barely attended 6th form, but got 4 A's.

She studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Manchester, read the course books a few months before the finals and come at with a first - with the highest percentages they'd seen for years at Manchester University.
She's done a Master's in Economics in the same results.

She'd worked her way up on her job to a very senior level very quickly, and at the top is when she started to struggle.
Not because she wasn't able, but because, for the first time, she had to concentrate on singular things and see them through.

Life with her can be proper stressful... Constantly changing the house, buying new things, replacing everything, throwing stuff out only to buy new stuff that looked exactly like what we had 3 redecorations (and 6 months) ago.

She has serious anxieties and inabilities to complete basic tasks. A parking ticket will escalate to bailiffs. A tax return will result in a massive HMRC fine. Company expenses? There'll be a drawer full of our of date receipts worth thousands.

She takes medication now and finds things easier, but because our system is absolute dogshit, and it was a private diagnosis, the NHS won't take on her prescription... So that's £180 a month to fork out for.

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:04 It sounds like the private diagnosis of ADHD are received similar to how I remember those for ASD and LD being previously.

I don't know what background or experience the private doctors have who give the private diagnosis, and I'm sure they will need to adhere to the same criteria and ethics. But when they are given a one or two visit snapshot of a person, and the person has likely been Googling symptoms for 6mths self-diagnosing and likely to repeat these to the Doctor word for word, then their diagnosis can understandably be flawed.

There are many overlaps between ASD and ADHD. Added to this female presentation of ASD is still being better understood. From being recognised as heavily male 16:1 it is now more accepted as being 3:1. I see no reason why this won't be finally accepted as 1:1 ratio of equal male/female.

My concern of private diagnosis of ADHD would be a neurodivergent person focussed on a similar, but ultimately incorrect diagnosis, and being too fixated on convincing the Doctor.
All meds have side effects and a placebo can be very effective .. but that can potentially be a risky association when the likes of an amphetamine or a methylphenidate are prescribed.

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:27

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:04

My concern of private diagnosis of ADHD would be a neurodivergent person focussed on a similar, but ultimately incorrect diagnosis, .

I don't understand your concern for private diagnosis.

How would the (cynical) above summary be any different from a private diagnosis or waiting years for an NHS one?

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 08:16

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:27

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:04

My concern of private diagnosis of ADHD would be a neurodivergent person focussed on a similar, but ultimately incorrect diagnosis, .

I don't understand your concern for private diagnosis.

How would the (cynical) above summary be any different from a private diagnosis or waiting years for an NHS one?

Your description of your child and wife's situation kinda adds weight to my concern of private diagnosis. Would you wife be prescribed the medication she feels is beneficial if she had gone the NHS route?
Will your child's private diagnosis face similar challenges when he turns 18?

It's just concerns I'd have and I don't feel it's cynical at all, especially after reading your own experiences.

If you feel the private diagnosis were beneficial then from your perspective it's money well spent.

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 09:56

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 08:16

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 05:27

I don't understand your concern for private diagnosis.

How would the (cynical) above summary be any different from a private diagnosis or waiting years for an NHS one?

Your description of your child and wife's situation kinda adds weight to my concern of private diagnosis. Would you wife be prescribed the medication she feels is beneficial if she had gone the NHS route?
Will your child's private diagnosis face similar challenges when he turns 18?

It's just concerns I'd have and I don't feel it's cynical at all, especially after reading your own experiences.

If you feel the private diagnosis were beneficial then from your perspective it's money well spent.

It doesn't.

The pediatrician takes works both private and NHS, as does the psychiatrist my wife has her appointments with.
The payment was in order to get a diagnosis without having to wait years.

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 10:37

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 09:56

tonyevs wrote: ↑26 Nov 2023, 08:16

Your description of your child and wife's situation kinda adds weight to my concern of private diagnosis. Would you wife be prescribed the medication she feels is beneficial if she had gone the NHS route?
Will your child's private diagnosis face similar challenges when he turns 18?

It's just concerns I'd have and I don't feel it's cynical at all, especially after reading your own experiences.

If you feel the private diagnosis were beneficial then from your perspective it's money well spent.

It doesn't.

The pediatrician takes works both private and NHS, as does the psychiatrist my wife has her appointments with.
The payment was in order to get a diagnosis without having to wait years.

For you it doesn`t - for me it does.

The crux of what you said, is that in your own opinion our system is absolute dogshit because the NHS won't take on your wifes prescription because it was from a private diagnosis.

But as said - If you feel the private diagnosis were beneficial, then from your perspective it's money well spent. I not getting into a silly argument about it

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 14:21

SeanBrennan wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 10:12

Lenny Cravats wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 08:42 It's not easy to get a diagnosis for ADHD.

My wife has ADHD, as does my son (though he's more ASD).
Cost a fortune for a diagnosis.

awful that you had to pay to get your family a diagnosis.

Couldn't wait.

My lad was self-harming and about to be kicked out of school. He needed a diagnosis to have protection from schools behaviour policy that they kept trotting out.

Without an EHCP, they just wouldn't make any adjustments.

The whole process was a nightmare from start to finish.
Local authority stretched beyond their limit and dropping the ball so many times meant the process was dragged out over 18 months, cost me thousands for diagnosis and SaLT, OT and Ed Psych reports.
Took years off my life.

I'm a little dubious of some of the claims here that people are getting a diagnosis for their kids so they can claim benefits. No doubt there's a few, but the system is so hard to navigate for legitimate people with an understanding of education and LA (I'd been a teacher for 10 years at that point).
It cost me about £3,000 plus a hundred + hours of my time...

As we were living through the difficulties of having an SEN kid we realised how ADHD my wife was.
I just assumed she was fornicating mental, so did she.

It came around at the same time, really. My wife is the cleverest person I've ever met. She barely went to school, but managed to get 10 A*'s.
She barely attended 6th form, but got 4 A's.

She studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Manchester, read the course books a few months before the finals and come at with a first - with the highest percentages they'd seen for years at Manchester University.
She's done a Master's in Economics in the same results.

She'd worked her way up on her job to a very senior level very quickly, and at the top is when she started to struggle.
Not because she wasn't able, but because, for the first time, she had to concentrate on singular things and see them through.

Life with her can be proper stressful... Constantly changing the house, buying new things, replacing everything, throwing stuff out only to buy new stuff that looked exactly like what we had 3 redecorations (and 6 months) ago.

She has serious anxieties and inabilities to complete basic tasks. A parking ticket will escalate to bailiffs. A tax return will result in a massive HMRC fine. Company expenses? There'll be a drawer full of our of date receipts worth thousands.

She takes medication now and finds things easier, but because our system is absolute dogshit, and it was a private diagnosis, the NHS won't take on her prescription... So that's £180 a month to fork out for.