"11 year old with suspected autism, vocal and physical tics and severe anxiety"

I have been trying for many years to access the right help and diagnosis' for my now 11 year old son. For many years I was told to wait till he is older and that children develop at different rates etc. Eventually the GP referred him onto the neurodevelopmental pathway to await an autism assessment. This was early 2021 and following this, Covid and lockdowns hit their peak and we heard nothing else for a long time. Fast forward till the last 8 months and my son’s situation has changed greatly for the worse.

He has always suffered from vocal and physical tics but they came and went, however since July 2022 they have been daily in different extremes. At his worst, the GP sent a second referral to the neurodevelopmental team regarding his tics and how badly he was affected by them. The response I got was that he cannot have two referrals to the same department and the relevant information had been passed on. Again leaving myself and son with no answers or way forward.

I am now finding it close to impossible to get my son to attend school. He is so sad and anxious because there’s so much going on with his mind and body and he’s aware he can’t control any of it and it scares and upsets him. I have complained about the wait and received an apology and told where they were currently at on the waiting list (seems we perhaps have another year to wait). A local MP looked into this on my behalf and they weren’t told anything different than I was.

Our most recent trip to the GP resulted in myself and my son in tears. The GP was not helpful, not sympathetic and clearly not too understanding of autism as they told my son he can’t act like a baby now as he’s 11 and going to high school. To tell my son I felt was completely disgusting, not to mention unprofessional. I was also told by this GP that me getting upset wasn’t helping my son. I challenge any parent to watch their child suffer daily and watch them break a little more everyday and then not get upset when the very people that are there to help you are saying things like, an autism assessment isn’t going to change anything,  Or they're not sure what I think they can do. The system seems broken. When I asked if my child had to suffer for at least another year with no offer of any help they didn’t have an answer for me. The one and only letter received from the neurodevelopmental team states if my sons condition worsens to call. I did, it makes no difference. I do not know what physically and mental state either me or my son will be in in twelve months time.