"Waiting time for referral"

I am writing to express my disappointment and frustration at the waiting times for a referral to the neurodevelopmental team for an Autism Diagnosis.

My daughter was referred August 2020 and as a mother of a child diagnosed with Autism/ADHD already I was prepared for a long process, even though I was advised that the new team had been set up to try and reduce waiting times.

I am well aware that services are stretched thin, especially in current times and that due to Covid waiting times have increased, however it has been advised that currently this team are only dealing with referrals from 2019!

Now given this information and the fact my daughter was referred late Aug 2020 I am under no illusion that it's probably another year at least before we can expect an initial appointment.  By this time she will be in school, possibly struggling and due to not having any diagnosis would not be entitled to support she may otherwise be entitled to.

As a parent of an autistic child I wanted to ensure I believed there was genuine concern regarding my daughter before I submitted a referral for her as I didn't want to waste my time or that of the NHS but now we are at a point where certain 'traits' are interfering with her daily life, certain aspects are a huge struggle for her and it's impacting on her and the family.

I am under no illusion that a diagnosis changes any of this, however what it does do is open up support that otherwise she isn't entitled to.  It can open resources that can help her.

As a mother I have done some courses to try better understand my children and learn ways in which I can provide support but there is only so much I can do.

I'd happily go down the private diagnosis route, however I know that would be pointless as education don't accept private diagnoses for educational support which is crazy considering the process is the exact same.

I know that I am not the only parent in this position, I know there are hundreds still waiting to be seen but there surely must be a way in which the waiting time can be reduced.  Obviously no child is priority over the next but there must be a better way in which the waiting list can be dealt with?

I am concerned about my daughter and the fact that she is really struggling with 'life' and I am frustrated knowing that we still have a long wait ahead of us.

The waiting times are absolutely ridiculous, it shouldn't be this hard to get your child seen/vetted to decide if there is enough for a diagnosis assessment.