"My son’s battle for Autism Diagnosis"

I am posting here as I am absolutely at my wits end due to the lack of support I have received for my son and don’t know where else to turn. I had a traumatic birth and my son was premature. His milestones were delayed and I first raised concerns that I suspected he is Autistic, when he was aged 1. I was told by my health visitor at the time that as a first time Mum, I didn’t know any better and he would catch up. I raised concerns again at his subsequent check ups and was told again that he was “probably fine”. I am a teacher and work with many ASN children so have a professional understanding as well as a personal ones. My concerns were dismissed. 

I spoke with his council nursery who agreed and said they had wondered the same thing but had never raised it with me. I started with a new health visitor and so the process began again of me raising concerns which were initially dismissed by my new health visitor. I took my son to my GP as part of his sensory issues meant that he was refusing almost all foods and was losing weight and dropping down the centiles. Having met him once, she immediately agreed and referred him for an Autism assessment in 2019. 

In March 2020, when he was 4, he was seen by the specialist pre school nurse and she also agreed that he is almost certainly Autistic and placed him on the list for diagnosis. He was discharged from the health visitor when he turned 5 in May 2020. In July 2020 he had a phone consultation with a dietitian who requested bloods to be done. These bloods have never been done. He is still very small for his age and has a very limited diet. We had a telephone consultation with Occupational Health due to the motor skill difficulties he has. She sent us some cutlery and discharged us. 

After a year on the Autism diagnosis waiting list, I’ve been told that I should have been referred to a different team when he started school in August 2020. This did not happen and he is currently in limbo, sitting on the wrong team, still waiting for diagnosis and help and support. He is struggling in school and I am struggling with the weight of fighting for him for five years and being no further forward. I understand services are very stretched and covid has not helped but we need help. I need him to be formally diagnosed so that I can begin to properly access the help he needs in school and beyond. I am so sad and stressed and angry. I feel we are continually forgotten about and that no one cares about the impact this is having on me and my son.