Sept 12, 2019, Nottinghamshire Live: Bulwell mum 'fighting the system' to get diagnosis for her autistic son https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/bulwell-mum-fighting-system-diagnoses-3301784 A Bulwell mum was left feeling she had failed as a parent after she repeatedly tried to get help regarding her autistic son. Rebecca Payne, of Bulwell, works as a specialist nurse in Leicester and said she had to "fight the system" to get her son seen by a paediatrician as she had believed he had other underlying health issues. Ms Payne's son, Isaac Sankey, five, was diagnosed with autism in 2017 but when his behaviour took a dramatic turn last year, his mum sought medical advice. Despite getting two referrals from her GP, Isaac was refused access to see a paediatrician by the Behavioural and Mental Health (BMH) team based at the Mary Potter Centre, in Hyson Green. The team operates under the Nottingham CityCare Partnership and is monitored by the Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). The process went on for around five months before Isaac was able to see a paediatrician and start the process of diagnosing him with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and attention deficit disorder (ADD). … Ms Payne said Isaac, who attends Rufford Primary School, began displaying "aggressive" behaviour last year that she didn't understand. "He couldn't process simple requests. Through his frustration, he even tried to strangle our kitten. It was simply not right," she said. … However, the BMH team who "screened" the referral responded to Ms Payne by advising her to revisit a parenting course for autistic children…. She said: "He was diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and then we were given the Vanderbilt assessments to complete at home and school. "After completing the assessments, we revisited in July. Isaac was further diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and prescribed Melatonin, which helps him sleep…. He has been provided with access to an autism teacher and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) has also been made aware…. "Isaac can be extremely challenging, and sometimes, behaviour like this from a child can rip a family to pieces. …
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