I'll keep fighting NHS Rotherham over Grace's autism, says mum

Amanda Wilson says doctors repeatedly failed to spot that her daughter Grace (7) suffered from autism, telling her that she was imagining the youngster's problems.

Grace was finally diagnosed as autistic two years ago, but now Amanda, of Melciss Road, Wickersley, fears she suffers from another condition called Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDAS).

Diagnosis of the condition, which is an extension of autism, would require a procedure costing £3,500 at a specialist centre in Nottingham.

Amanda says the diagnosis would more help for Grace but she says doctors have so far failed to recognise that she has the condition.

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“I have had to fight all her life to get her diagnosed and I’m not giving up now,” she said.

“She needs more help than she is getting, but it’s all about money. It’s as if they see Grace’s name on a letter and they turn away.

“I want them to put my mind to rest, because at the moment they are brushing us aside.”

A spokesman for the Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, which provides support for Grace paid for by NHS Rotherham said: “Grace was assessed by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in January and has been referred for a psychiatric assessment, which will determine if she needs to be referred for a Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome assessment.

“If this is the recommendation of the specialist psychiatrist, a judgment as to the funding of the assessment will need to be made by NHS Rotherham."

Led down for three years . . . Amanda's long battle for help. See this week's Advertiser.

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