Everybody knows how understaffed and underfinanced the public health sector is in this country and without sounding unsypmpathetic to the people working in this area, as a parent at the moment at my wits end with my 8 year olds sons plight i frankly couldnt care less at the moment. My son has been seen by a nebs psychologist and been referred onto the kerry adolescent services and been referred on once again to the kerry autistic service and have been in limbo since. i am highly frustrated as all the psychologists that have seen my son (and my own gp)-all agree that he desperately needs to be seen by the autistic group and letters, phonecalls etc have been forwarded onto them...i have still been told nothing can be done and he just has to wait his turn. today he was suspended from his school because he hit his sna. when i rang the autistic group today i was told it was the school's responsibility to contact the psychologist that originally saw him and that i myself can tell my doctor to prescribe drugs for him...i was furious, how can a doctor prescribe medication when no definite diagnosis has been given? the school he is attending is constantly ringing me to ask me to contact them or my doctor to contact the autistic group(he has, 3 letters) adding to an already very stressful situation.

hi footbelly

i totally agree with you. my son was diagonised at 14. it took a while to have his assessed and today he sees a brilliant doctor that helps him. yes you need a GP letter for referal. my GP was so good to us. my son he had a very bad experience, and he wanted to kill himself, dont mean to frighted you, so i got our GP to get him help. he is being assessd every month. hope you get help soon, fight for it.

hi ya purple...my son has already been through the 'correct channels'..he was referred by a clinic in tralee to the autistic group and i received a letter from that group saying he was on a waiting list. i got a phonecall this morn from their social worker (should have heard from her months ago..i.e request from my gp) to tell me to contact my doctor to get him to refer him again to the child and adolescent mental health services!!! maybe there was another cause for his behaviour!!! the clinic were the ones who told me they believed he had aspergers and were aware of his explosive temper and actually warned me that i wasnt to leave him alone with his baby sister because of his temper!! When i rang them last year they told me my son had been discharged from their care and in future to contact the autistic group...omg talk bout goin round in circles...it just seems they all want to pass the buck. i just want him seen and obtain that holy grail...the definite diagnosis!!! then he can be medicated (which i feel in my heart he needs) and maybe go to another school that is better equiped to deal with him!! may i ask you how long were you waiting in total to get def diagnosis?

Hi footbelly

He was diagnosed at 14, it took a few months, i think, but then he had to attend the Mater hosptial, child guidance clinic. He attended for weeks, but then decided himself that he didn't want to go any more as the doctors were different every few weeks, which made him so confused. Also at the age of 18 he was so low I had to ring my GP, got him assessed straight away, since then he is being assessed in the Swords clinic for disability people, also last year i couldn't be left alone with my son as he got so violent with me. People don't knno whats it's like to have this condition in the family, have u got any support from family?