Scots mum forced to get online diagnosis for son after waiting years for autism assessment

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Scots mum was forced to go online to get an autism diagnosis for her son after waiting years to get an NHS assessment. Frankie Williamson was on the CAMHS waiting list for two-and-a-half years when mum Kimberly decided to pursue a different route to get the help her son needed.Little Frankie, now nine years old, was just five when he was first referred by his GP for an assessment but after a long wait, the family from Edinburgh accessed Helios an online service to get a diagnosis in 2021 which confirmed that the schoolboy had autism.Now he has the help he needs.

The youngster wants to help others by raising money for an autism charity. His mum told Edinburgh Live: "Frankie is a great wee boy, he's so funny and kind, he always just wants to help people.""He went for a consultation when he was five, and was put on the waiting list in 2019.

But in 2020 the pandemic hit and that slowed things down."We decided to get a diagnosis online through Helios. We were told CAMHS had too long a wait so it was our only option.

They were really good with him, but it isn't the same as having someone in front of you. "It did feel a bit strange because they were looking at Frankie through a screen.