The Bumpy Road to Diagnosis | Tam

2025-03-12

Despite what some people believe, getting an autism or ADHD diagnosis for your child is far from straightforward. It's a frustrating, emotional and exhausting journey - no matter which diagnosis pathway you travel. In this special episode, Mark speaks to Tam, who is his former partner, current co-parent and long time friend. They discuss the diagnosis process of their three neuro-exceptional kids, who each followed completely different routes in the UK - from NHS/CAMHS and private diagnosis, to the "Right to Choose" pathway. This is a uniquely intimate and candid ...

In this special episode, Mark speaks to Tam, who is his former partner, current co-parent and long time friend. They discuss the diagnosis process of their three neuro-exceptional kids, who each followed completely different routes in the UK - from NHS/CAMHS and private diagnosis, to the "Right to Choose" pathway.

This is a uniquely intimate and candid episode, where both parents reflect on the emotional rollercoaster of seeking diagnoses for Jay (diagnosed autistic/ADHD), Otto (diagnosed autistic/ADHD) and India (suspected autistic/ADHD... until now).

By a strange quirk of fate, the recording date of this episode fell on the same day they received the results of India's autism assessment, so you can hear their reaction to this, just moments after receiving the news, as they consider what it now means for their family unit.

It’s a raw, informative and validating conversation - particularly for parents wondering if it’s worth pushing for that piece of paper.

LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE:

CAMHS - https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/your-guide-to-support/guide-to-camhs/

The Effra Clinic - https://www.effraclinic.co.uk/

Right To Choose - https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-choices-in-the-nhs/

All Dogs Have ADHD - https://amzn.eu/d/8Tzq6dj

All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum - https://amzn.eu/d/byZg2mQ

ADHDUK - https://adhduk.co.uk/

Heba App (formerly Hibi) - https://www.heba.care/

If you have any feedback about the show, ideas for topics, suggestions for neurodiversity champions or any "What the flip?" moments you'd like to share, you can email: hello@neuroshambles.com

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CREDITS

The Neuroshambles theme tune was created by Skilsel on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/

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