Helping Holly to get an Autism Assessment

We are fundraising for a private autism assessment for our 11 year old daughter, Holly. She is such a sweet, caring and kind-hearted girl who has sadly been struggling for a few years now. 

We recently spent a large amount of money on a private ADHD assessment, however we were told by the psychiatrist that she doesn't have ADHD, but has many traits that would point to her being on the autism spectrum. (They don't provide autism assessments, so it's not a money making thing on their part by them saying this). 

Although pleased that ADHD was ruled out, it felt like we were back to where we started, with no answers and being stuck on yet another NHS waiting list. In hindsight we should have spent the money on an autism assessment, but we weren't aware at the time as the two conditions have a lot of overlap in their symptoms.

Due to Holly's struggles we don't feel we can wait the many years for assessment on the NHS, as she will most likely have had to go all through high school and GCSE's by the time the NHS get to her. 

For a child to have to wait so long for help is heartbreaking and wrong. 

Holly's mental health is greatly affected to the point that she feels she wants to die as she feels things will never get any better. She masks like a pro all day at school and then falls apart when she gets home where she feels safe to do so. She has panic attacks, meltdowns and then sobs her heart out. She has anxiety and OCD behaviours from this. She struggles with eating now as she feels so anxious all the time and has a fear of food poisoning, which although she knows is irrational, still stops her from eating her old favourite foods. She sticks to her repetitive "safe" foods and doesn't even eat much of them anymore. 

I am limited somewhat to how much I can work as Holly gets very upset when I'm at work and I am trying to walk a fine line between getting hours in and not wanting Holly to become more upset.

Every which way we have turned for help through the NHS and CAMHS we have been fobbed off or put on years' long waiting lists. When our daughter is crying every evening, overburdened with life, full of self-blame for feeling this way and not knowing why, and saying she wants to die, we are desperate, and wiling to do whatever it takes to help her. No child should feel like this and no parent should have to remove knives from the house for fear that their child  will carry through on their wishes to die. We fully believe that she needs medication for her anxiety and OCD traits, but Camhs have said no due to her age. She has been on a waiting list for well over a year now to see their psychiatrist.  

Although there is no cure for autism, a private assessment and diagnosis would hopefully go a long way to helping Holly to understand why she finds things a lot harder than many of her peers, why she gets easily overwhelmed, help her to realise she is not alone in feeling this way and help to reduce the shame, guilt, self-blame and frustration she feels in herself, and finally start getting the answers, help, support and adjustments she rightly deserves. ❤️

Having invested so heavily in the private ADHD assessment, we are now unable to go private again for the autism assessment without help. We didn't want to do this, but a friend suggested we give it a go. 

There is no pressure at all to donate, but if you wish to, then the link is here, and any donation however small is greatly appreciated. ❤️