Assessment Of Need

boardsuser1

Does anyone know how long these appointments take to arrange?

A referral was made in July of this year and we've heard nothing back to date.

Pulling what's left of my hair out in frustration.

Not to mention not being able to help my child as much as i would like.

mordeith

It can take six months easily. We went private in the end but obviously that's not an option for everyone. Plus you kind of need the HSE referrals and diagnosis to get any school help

boardsuser1

mordeith wrote: »

It can take six months easily. We went private in the end but obviously that's not an option for everyone. Plus you kind of need the HSE referrals and diagnosis to get any school help

The referrals have been made by the HSE.

Diagnosis to date is DCD & SPD.

The school drafted in an O.T after the principal raised concerns with us.

Both the O.T and her teacher who has worked in ASD area's have both said it is highly likely she has ASD.

Other area's that are of concern to us,the parents are her mobility problems.

The child can walk to a maximum distance of 15-20 metres and from there on she has to be carried or driven as she is in alot of pain.

We are led to believe it is down to the DCD but a HSE O.T infuriated me last week by saying it was most likely down to her behaviour.

An O.T who never once met the child saying that is a joke :mad:

The child's doctor has said it isn't and a paediatric referral has now also been made.

In school she is very disruptive and has a full time SNA.

irishgirl19

Hi OP. They have to start process within 3 months or you can complain. Going through it now. Don't let them try fob you off..and they will.
If you're on Facebook the DCA warriors is a great page for all AON questions even though its not necessarily about domiciliary allowance

boardsuser1

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Hi OP. They have to start process within 3 months or you can complain. Going through it now. Don't let them try fob you off..and they will.
If you're on Facebook the DCA warriors is a great page for all AON questions even though its not necessarily about domiciliary allowance

Over the 3 months now and being severely fobbed off.

I’m on the DCA warriors page and the A.O.N topic isn’t raised as frequently as I’d have thought.

Who do I complain to?

irishgirl19

It says on citizens info that you can complain directly to AON officer or if you call complaints manager on  045-880400 you'll get a form to fill out.
There is a family law solicotor on dca warriors. You may have seen some of his posts or him being mentioned but he will issue legal letters for you and has taken hse to court a few times for AON not being carried out.
Not sure if I can post his name here but I can pm you it.
We have private diagnosis and dr who diagnosed said to make sure we get AON. Met the officer and they are trying to say they can't add to that report that she doesn't need AON. So frustrating...

boardsuser1

irishgirl19 wrote: »

It says on citizens info that you can complain directly to AON officer or if you call complaints manager on  045-880400 you'll get a form to fill out.
There is a family law solicotor on dca warriors. You may have seen some of his posts or him being mentioned but he will issue legal letters for you and has taken hse to court a few times for AON not being carried out.
Not sure if I can post his name here but I can pm you it.
We have private diagnosis and dr who diagnosed said to make sure we get AON. Met the officer and they are trying to say they can't add to that report that she doesn't need AON. So frustrating...

Are the solicitors initials G.N?

Ela1702

We applied for AON in October 2016 and by May 2017 we haven't heard anything. Our ds was very disruptive in school also and no diagnosis whatsoever, the school teacher/principal/support teacher were all very concerned but none of them would tell us what it could be, so I'm surprised you at least got a guess and are able to prepare yourself. In May when we haven't hear anything the school principal said to keep calling the AON officer as if you don't stay on top of them your child's file goes to the bottom of the pile (principal's words exactly). So I started ringing him and on my third call I was told that he's due to go ahead the following week. We had the first appointment at the beginning of July with a private clinic, it would seem they had to outsource it as not enough capacity within the HSE, the team there were great, very quick and professional so we got our diagnosis on the 1st of Aug. And have been chasing our tails ever since, not getting anywhere really regarding getting him any help, therapies, support. The only thing he got so far is 5 resource hours in school. Refused SNA as wasn't specifically said in the report that he needs one. It's all one bit of a nightmare, but we're trying to stay patient and persevere, we'll eventually get there. Sounds like you've been through it already since she has DCD and SPD diagnosis so probably it won't all be new to you. As you were told before, I'd recommend that you keep contacting the AON officer, when others told me to do so I was reluctant, I felt that I shouldn't have to chase them to do their jobs, but it would appear you do have to do so.

boardsuser1

Just got a letter in the door this morning from COPE Foundation following representations from our local TD.

They have informed us that the waiting list is 24 months+ at present.

Our own child is similar to your own Ela, disruptive etc, however the one thing they find unusual is that she is virtually weak in every area at school bar Irish which we all find strange.

The school principal in our case said keep pressing them also as well as the S.E.N.

The child even refused to go to the S.E.N class recently if she was part of a group.

We are looking at paying for a private assessment that is HSE regcognised as it is the only way to get these things sorted in the longer term.

Have you ever had O.T's trying to water down the diagnosis?

I'm sick of them telling me she doesn't have A,B & C when i can clearly see it in the home setting.

Ela1702

I was considering going to our local TD also after being refused SNA, our DS tried to run out of school, locking himself in toilets etc and they are telling me our child doesn't have care needs and he can be looked after by a teacher who is minding another 30 kids at the same time. :-(
I know the feeling, when you can see stuff that nobody else seems to, you have to trust your parental instincts and keep on top of them. The S.E.N was never mentioned to us in any context, who are they and what do they do if you don't mind me asking?! We have been on the OT waiting list since Oct 2016 so haven't even seen one yet besides me meeting with one at the parent advice clinic and our DS doing a bit of OT at school with support teacher. We are dealing with the extremely gruesome task of applying for benefits in the hope that if we get these we might afford private OT, SLT etc.
The fact that your daughter hasn't got any difficulties with Irish might not mean anything, I know they say asd kids don't do well with languages, but they each have particular talents/strenghts so this could be hers. Our son is not struggling much in school in terms of keeping up with the work, besides the fact that he won't do his written work unless if someone sits down next to him and his writing is atrocious, very messy. That is his weakness, his written work and his disruptive behavior in school. He has been complaining lately of pains in his legs and feet so we are getting a bit more anxious now to see an OT to find out why this is.

boardsuser1

I've gone to the TD from the very outset upon taking over responsibility for everything concerning the child's extra needs as my wife is struggling to accept it.

Did they state a reason for the SNA refusal?

My daughter was allocated one based on physical disability.

Mind you it is clearly obvious upon seeing her that there is a physical disability.

Even though she can walk she has mobility problems hence we believe there is more diagnosis required which the O.T conceded.

Teaching even 1 child with special needs in a class of 30 is difficult.

There is 4 in my child's class of 16.

I have attached a link from wiki for you to look at which might give you a better insight on what S.E.N's do.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_education

We're on the O.T waiting list ourselves since December 2016, they are currently on January 2015 for our area in Cork.

Have you any idea where they are in your locality?

Your son's homework sounds identical to my daughter's.

Did you go to your GP for a referral to a paediatrician for the pains etc?

I asked for a referral 2 weeks ago on similar grounds even though my child is registered with a physical disability.

Ela1702

We're due at the GP next week so I was going to mention it to her. They refused the SNA as it wasn't specifically said in the AON report that he needs one. So we went back to the team that assessed him and they put together a care of needs letter which says exactly why he needs one, if we get refused again based on this I will definitely go to the local TD.

I'll have to look into the OT waiting lists, to be honest I have a long list of stuff to do myself, I am hanging from a really thin thread at the moment, the overwhelming process and the worrying of what the future holds and having to fight for help is taking it's toll on us. I am lucky as my husband is quite on the same page as me when it comes to accepting and dealing with the stuff, I can only imagine how much more there is to deal with for you.

I am due a meeting next week with the school also and I am putting a list together of stuff I want to bring up, I think there are a few kids with needs in my son's class and it's such a large class. Probably he is the most severe, but I will certainly ask the principal what the situation is with this. I feel like there is a possibility that they will want us to consider putting him into the asd unit, the school has one, but that is a huge decision for us and don't want this to happen only because the teacher can't cope.

Ela1702

And what you mentioned in your initial post sounds like so much what we are going through- wanting to help your child and not being able to as much as you'd like! Makes us feel so helpless, horrible thing to have to go through!

irishgirl19

Cork Truck Driver wrote:

Are the solicitors initials G.N?

Thats the one

boardsuser1

Ela1702 wrote: »

We're due at the GP next week so I was going to mention it to her. They refused the SNA as it wasn't specifically said in the AON report that he needs one. So we went back to the team that assessed him and they put together a care of needs letter which says exactly why he needs one, if we get refused again based on this I will definitely go to the local TD.

I'll have to look into the OT waiting lists, to be honest I have a long list of stuff to do myself, I am hanging from a really thin thread at the moment, the overwhelming process and the worrying of what the future holds and having to fight for help is taking it's toll on us. I am lucky as my husband is quite on the same page as me when it comes to accepting and dealing with the stuff, I can only imagine how much more there is to deal with for you.

I am due a meeting next week with the school also and I am putting a list together of stuff I want to bring up, I think there are a few kids with needs in my son's class and it's such a large class. Probably he is the most severe, but I will certainly ask the principal what the situation is with this. I feel like there is a possibility that they will want us to consider putting him into the asd unit, the school has one, but that is a huge decision for us and don't want this to happen only because the teacher can't cope.

Definitely mention it to the GP, they may be able to advise the best course of action based on the history they have on file combined with what you are going through on a daily basis.

O.T waiting lists are 2 years long and growing, if you can afford a private assessment it's worth it in the long term, we had to pay half the costs with the school paying the remainder, it came to €600 all in.

The future is bright regardless of the circumstances, stay positive. You are doing everything to give your child a better quality of life just like i am.

It is a long hard drawn out battle, if you don't feel you get the results you want then battling on is the only way to go.

Do you feel the principal is helpful or an inconvenience?

We found ours was helpful pre diagnosis and a pain in the back side ever since.

Is there an ASD unit in most schools? This is the first i've heard of that

Once yourself and your husband remain on the same page is vital, my wife is starting to accept it but she still finds it hard to accept and refuses to read the O.T report.

Ela1702 wrote: »

And what you mentioned in your initial post sounds like so much what we are going through- wanting to help your child and not being able to as much as you'd like! Makes us feel so helpless, horrible thing to have to go through!

Yeah there is only so much parents can do without the intervention of vital services, the system as it is, is nothing short of a national disgrace.

irishgirl19 wrote: »

Thats the one

Thank you

Jen44

Any word on your AON? My daughter was referred on July 5th following a meeting with AON officer and we haven’t heard anything! Despite me sending two emails to the AON officer. We also applied to EIT and were told waiting list is currently 19 months! At the end of my thether! Going for private OT on thurs and parent interview with private psychologist Dec 6

boardsuser1

Jen44 wrote: »

Any word on your AON? My daughter was referred on July 5th following a meeting with AON officer and we haven’t heard anything! Despite me sending two emails to the AON officer. We also applied to EIT and were told waiting list is currently 19 months! At the end of my thether! Going for private OT on thurs and parent interview with private psychologist Dec 6

The AON won’t be conducted before April 2020 I found out this morning.

Farce of a system.

OT waiting list is also 2 years from now.

Did you get different prices on going private?

I have no choice but to do so myself it seems.

The referrals for my own daughter are from December 2016.

Is every region different so you know?

Jen44

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

The AON won’t be conducted before April 2020 I found out this morning.

Farce of a system.

OT waiting list is also 2 years from now.

Did you get different prices on going private?

I have no choice but to do so myself it seems.

The referrals for my own daughter are from December 2016.

Is every region different so you know?

We are north Dublin which is particularly bad apparently! As regards going private we had one parent interview in a place in Sandyford and the psychologist was very nice but I’ve since been told by a friend who is a psychologist that the girl we saw is not long qualified and she recommended someone else as girls can be difficult to diagnose and you really need someone with experience! So we are going to another place in Dec! We had to pay 120 just for the parent interview which really I felt was a bit of a money making racket as she just went through the forms we filled in! I think it would have been best for her to see our daughter at that time! The OT assessment, which we are really living for as my daughter has loads of sensory issues, is €350 😩!! It’s so tough I am on Maternity leave at the moment but really think I have going to have to drop to part time as my daughter is getting increasingly difficult to mind and I don’t think my mam who is or current child minder with manage her with the baby!! So now our money is going to be reduced so how we are going to pay for all these therapies is beyond me! We will attempt to get the DCA but with no reports or anything as yet I don’t know if I should bother! AIMs assessed her in Montessori and she was approved for level 7

boardsuser1

Jen44 wrote: »

We are north Dublin which is particularly bad apparently! As regards going private we had one parent interview in a place in Sandyford and the psychologist was very nice but I’ve since been told by a friend who is a psychologist that the girl we saw is not long qualified and she recommended someone else as girls can be difficult to diagnose and you really need someone with experience! So we are going to another place in Dec! We had to pay 120 just for the parent interview which really I felt was a bit of a money making racket as she just went through the forms we filled in! I think it would have been best for her to see our daughter at that time! The OT assessment, which we are really living for as my daughter has loads of sensory issues, is €350 ��!! It’s so tough I am on Maternity leave at the moment but really think I have going to have to drop to part time as my daughter is getting increasingly difficult to mind and I don’t think my mam who is or current child minder with manage her with the baby!! So now our money is going to be reduced so how we are going to pay for all these therapies is beyond me! We will attempt to get the DCA but with no reports or anything as yet I don’t know if I should bother! AIMs assessed her in Montessori and she was approved for level 7

Dublin is more than likely the worst in the country for waiting lists.

I would prefer more experienced people myself.

Have you looked into going to professor Michael Fitzgerald?

You are right on the difficulty diagnosing girls, my own daughter almost point blank refuses to cooperate with any health care professional.

€120 for an interview :eek: That is complete madness.

My own daughter has sensory issues amongst other problems, €350 is good for an O.T report, we paid nearly double that for an 11 page report.

Have you joined the facebook page DCA Warriors?

In relation to DCA, you do not need reports to apply for it, they don't award on a diagnosis, it is the extra care the child needs compared to another child of the same age.

Have you started writing daily diaries of how your child is and the extra care she needs compared to another child of the same age?

All of those things will help, plus any reports you receive after the submission of an application can be added to it at a later date.

I have applications in foor DCA,Carer's allowance and Carer's support grant (formerly respite care grant).

You can apply for all of those as well.

If you are successful you can work upto a maximum of 15 hours a week with the carers allowance.

The waiting times for the DCA allowance is an average of 18-20 weeks at present.

I applied for all 3 in the first week of September and don't see an answer coming this side of February.

boardsuser1

Confirmed by a senior officer within COPE Foundation yesterday that it will be "At least 2020 before your child gets an A.O.N" :mad:

limnam

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Confirmed by a senior officer within COPE Foundation yesterday that it will be "At least 2020 before your child gets an A.O.N" :mad:

wtf

Keep filing complaints.

boardsuser1

limnam wrote: »

wtf

Keep filing complaints.

Legal action is under way