CAMHS / Social care
Guidance on Fabricated or Induced Illness
BASW have published a Practice Guide for Social Workers on Fabricated or Induced Illness and Perplexing Presentations. The Guide describes what is meant by these terms and the evidence (and more importantly, lack of evidence) for their suggested indictors. It also challenges the notion that parents seeking the best for their child, are inadvertently harming them. This is a practical Guide which considers the ways in which Social Workers should remain open to a range of causes
Diagnosing PDA in Hertfordshire
Today, a report of the experiences of 38 parents was sent to Hertfordshire's ' All Age Autism Partnership Board ' with a call for action. The majority of parents had very poor experiences of local services and of the diagnostic process. One mother wrote: "I first became aware of PDA on a television programme and thought that was exactly like my son. I was then astonished/disgusted that professionals involved with my son all agreed he had problems with demands (understatemen
PDA Diagnosis at a Tipping Point
The process of diagnosing Autism has changed in recent years, following the direction of the American diagnostic manual (DSM-5) which did away with the distinction of 'Asperger's syndrome', 'Autism' and 'others' and provided us with the formal diagnosis of ASD, with profiles then being described. Although it is the International manual that is more commonly used in the UK, the expected 2018 revision is likely to follow suit and a shift in the way ASD is diagnosed in the UK is
Supporting young people in care
A proposed amendment to the Children and Social Work bill would require assessment of children entering care to check for neurodisabilities (such as ADHD or ASD) and sufficient training of those supporting them. It has received widespread support from charities and individuals. The reason this is important was explained by one respondent: “ Without the right understanding of the way in which people think and react to others it is very easy to harm children, young people
PDA and Professionals
Pathological Demand Avoidance was described as a condition relatively recently, and while schools and parents are recognising children with the distinct set of characteristics, clinicians have correctly been awaiting more detailed research evidence. Separating out individuals from others with Autism is important as the nature of the support that they need is in some respects very different. This survey for the PDA Society identified the views of professionals working with y
Improving CAMHS and Social Care
This report describes the experiences of Isaac and our family while accessing services from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and Social Care in Hertfordshire over the past 6 years. It describes what was done well and what could have been improved upon. It is hoped that this case study will be valuable in the development of service commissioning and delivery, both locally and across the country. Download the report
