The need for better diagnoses
Adult diagnosis, mis-diagnosis, and experience of parenting for autistic women Over the years I have spent a great deal of my working life as part of a multi-disciplinary team assessing both children and adults for Autism. When I first started work in the NHS in 2001, we saw very few girls or young women in our service. I have written before about my shock, when over ten years later, whilst...Learn More
The benefits of online ASD assessments
Due to many weeks of lockdown, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been reviewing different ways of carrying out autism assessments. This month we carried out our first assessment where every aspect was done, securely, online. What follows is an explanation about the benefits of conducting assessments online, particularly with children who are reluctant to leave the safety of their home....Learn More
Reflections on lockdown, and new ways of assessing
Like many clinical teams who have traditionally been involved in face to face interaction with people, the last two months have been a challenge for us. Factoring in this alongside lockdown and restrictions on travel have meant we have needed to work quickly to find new ways of supporting families.We have also seen a rise in the number of parents who have approached us because their child has...Learn More
The need to better understand how autism presents
A new year dawns and it is always a good time to reflect upon the previous year. At Help for Psychology (in common with many other teams) we have seen a huge increase in the number of very complex young people we have been asked to work with, and distressing reports from parents about their struggle to access appropriate and timely services for both children and young adults.Some of the...Learn More
If at first you don’t succeed …
The latest article within this series hasn’t been written by Dr Judy Eaton, but instead by Kaylee Weaver, one of our very experienced Higher Assistant Psychologist. Here, Kaylee shares her experience of the challenges we as a team face week in week out when assessing children with Extreme (also known as Pathological) Demand Avoidance. INTRODUCTION...Learn More
Transitioning to secondary school from primary school for Autistic children
Many children (especially girls) do not receive a formal diagnosis of Autism until they move to secondary (or High school) around the age of twelve. This often follows few (or fewer) difficulties at primary (or Elementary) school.The reasons for this are outlined in this article and may help explain why some children require additional support to make this important transition.When a child is...Learn More
Our current thinking on PDA
As many people may be aware, there has been a great deal of interest in, and controversy around, PDA. What it is, what it should be called, and whether it actually exists. As it is now over thirty years since the original concept of PDA was introduced by Elizabeth Newson and her colleagues, and how the thinking around Autism has moved on significantly during this time, it is very...Learn More
Living in a ‘five minute bubble’ – the impact of poor executive functioning.
Human babies are amongst the least developed, in terms of their ability to manage independently, of all mammals. They are born with only the primitive parts of their brain fully functioning, with the majority of brain development taking place throughout childhood (hence the soft spot or fontanelle at the top of a baby’s head which allows its brain to grow significantly during the first year...Learn More
The importance of correct early intervention for children with Autism
Like most people I have been following the recent news stories about young people with autism and the PDA profile carefully. The first case to be highlighted was that of Bethany, a seventeen year old girl with autism and the PDA profile. From what I can gather, Bethany’s family had tried (unsuccessfully) for years to access the most appropriate support for her. By reaching out and...Learn More
