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Charmaine Lacock\u2019s daughter has already been on he listing waiting with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) since 2022.<\/p>\nCharmaine Lacock\u2019s daughter Sarah has been on a listing waiting with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) since 2022.Charmaine Lacock\u2019s daughter has already been on he listing waiting with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) since 2022.<\/p>\n
A desperate mum who has waited three years for an autism assessment<\/a> for her 11-year-old has now been told the health board is too skint to fund it.<\/p>\n Charmaine Lacock\u2019s daughter Sarah has been on a waiting list with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC)<\/a> since 2022.<\/p>\n Last year the health board even suggested the family pay privately due to their \u00adstaggering wait list with more than 800 children waiting to be assessed for neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder<\/a> and ADHD.<\/p>\n However the health board then told Charmaine they would struggle to provide treatment or support based only on a private diagnosis.<\/p>\n Now the 47-year-old mum of four has been told funding for specialists who carry out the assessments has been cut by the Scottish Government<\/a>, reducing even further the number of children seen.<\/p>\n Charmaine, from Clydebank said: \u201cWe are just desperate now. This isn\u2019t just our family, there are hundreds of other people out there struggling and just having to cope without any support.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking to see your kid going further backwards when you know they need help. We\u2019ve been told if we get a private assessment, the NHS <\/a>wouldn\u2019t usually accept those diagnoses so there is little we can actually do other than wait.<\/p>\n “This is the NHS<\/a> and Scottish Government failing our children.\u201d<\/p>\n Autism<\/a> and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions.<\/p>\n Sarah was referred by her GP after her mum raised concerns about her behaviour when she started school. She said: \u201cSarah would stand at the gate and refuse to go into school. It wasn\u2019t because she didn\u2019t want to leave her parents.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was because the school was too busy for her and she never made close friends. She struggled with forming those close relationships.<\/p>\n \u201cNoises were a big problem too. Even at home, she would have more frequent outbursts when she got home and would isolate herself from her sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n Scottish Parliament figures show more than 42,000 kids waiting for a neuro-developmental assessment as of March.<\/p>\n This has risen dramatically since 2020, with hikes of over 500 per cent for children in some areas.<\/p>\n Last year, in desperation, \u00adCharmaine contacted her MP Douglas McAllister who wrote to the NHS on her behalf.<\/p>\n NHSGGC<\/a> told him that due to a merging of services, the current waiting times were around three years.<\/p>\n They said: \u201cWe are working through our waiting list as quickly as we can, however the service has nearly 800 children waiting to be assessed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do try to prioritise children transitioning from prim-ary school to high school so we are hopeful Sarah should be seen in the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week Charmaine contacted NHSGGC<\/a> again to be told that Sarah had not moved from her place in the waiting list since last year.<\/p>\n She claims NHS staff told her that Scottish Government<\/a> funding to help clear the waiting list had now come to an end, and they couldn\u2019t give any guidance on when her daughter would be assessed.<\/p>\n Charmaine said: \u201cI was told by the NHS<\/a> the lack of a diagnosis wouldn\u2019t prevent us from applying for disability benefit for Sarah. This isn\u2019t something I never asked about or ever want or need.<\/p>\n \u201cThese waiting lists are pushing people on to disability lists at a time when the government wants to actually reduce their benefits bill. None of it makes sense. It isn\u2019t about benefits. It\u2019s about making sure my daughter has the correct help she needs.\u201d<\/p>\n Charmaine said she has seen parents online recommending different treatments for children they suspect have autism or ADHD, and warned that the NHS<\/a> delays were causing people to take matters into their own hands.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Labour MSP Daniel Johnson\u2019s learning disabilities, autism<\/a> and neurodivergence Bill was ditched.<\/p>\n He wanted more resources to be given to child mental health services and a waiting time guarantee.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_JS379729641.jpg\")
Charmaine Lacock has waited more than three-years for neurodiversity assessment for their 11-year-old but has now been told her skint health board won’t fund them.<\/p>\n