"Children's Autism Assessment"

My son was referred for an ASD assessment approx. 2.5 years ago. I knew waiting lists were lengthy, so was ready for the long wait. After approx. 2 years, we were contacted by Neuro-CAMHS and asked if we would be happy for a private assessor to assess my son, as it would have a positive impact on waiting times. I agreed, and after around 4 months, we finally began the process of assessment. 

The private assessor was Healios, but sadly they were not great at keeping their appointments and 3 out of 4 appointments were cancelled. Fortunately, my son coped well with this, but when we think about children who may have autism, this could have caused severe reactions due to change, as the cancellations were generally made the evening prior to the assessment. Personally, it really upset areas of life. I had to change my work schedule and let down my own patients to accommodate two of the cancellations, and even changed a holiday which was booked to accommodate another, resulting in me having to pay more money! I did speak to Healios regarding this, but they could only apologise. They did tell me the likely explanation was due to staff sickness. 

Otherwise, the assessment process went well. We do not have the results as yet, but are hopeful we will hear within a few weeks. I felt it important to inform you that 3 out of 4 appointments were cancelled, which was very disappointing in terms of the service being provided.  However, I also appreciate Neuro-CAMHS putting us forward for the online private assessment.