We’re sharing this not for sympathy, but because we’re exhausted, frightened, and desperate for change.
Our 8-year-old child was recently diagnosed privately with combined ADHD. They already have an NHS diagnosis of autism with demand avoidance and hyperactivity (February 2024). We’ve spent years battling for support, funding private CBT courses, assessments, and psychological input, all of which point to one clear conclusion: medication is likely the only intervention that can help.
Despite this, we’ve been told it could take up to eight months before the NHS ADHD pathway even considers medication. Eight months of waiting while our child deteriorates daily.
Their mental health is in crisis. They regularly say they wish they weren’t alive. This is part of a heartbreaking pattern that’s consuming our family.
Their behaviour is volatile and aggressive. Every day we face biting, kicking, punching, hair-pulling, spitting, and verbal abuse. These actions cause physical harm bruises are now a daily occurrence. Their strength, for an eight-year-old, is frightening. We are bruised, physically and emotionally. They are demand avoidant to nearly every task, and their reactions are explosive. We live in a constant state of alert, trying to keep them safe and protect ourselves.
We’ve reached out to CAMHS, pleaded for an expedited review, and were told the process cannot be fast-tracked for anyone. But how can a child in this state not be considered a priority?
We understand the pressures on the system. We know there are many families in need. But we also know our child is in crisis and waiting eight months is not just unreasonable, it’s unsafe.
We’re sharing this to raise awareness, to advocate for our child, and to ask: how many more families are living like this? How many children are being left to suffer because the system cannot respond quickly enough?
We’re doing everything we can. But we need help. We need someone to listen. We need someone to act.
"Our Family’s Fight for Urgent ADHD Support"
About: Children & Young People Physical Health / Rotherham Children's Neuro Development Service Children & Young People Physical Health Rotherham Children's Neuro Development Service DN4 8QN
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