[crazycanuck]

That's great news!

I just wanted to say that I totally share your frustration and pain.

Donny, my adopted kiddo, is autistic, has limited verbal skills, IQ tests out at 53 so is considered to have a moderate intellectual disability. He is also diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, OCD, severe ADHD, Tic disorder, and PTSD with dissociative and severe attachment features.

There have been times when he's needed to be hospitalized, and, even now, his psych team admits that what would be best for him would be to spend 6 months to a year in hospital, slowly taking him off his meds, getting a baseline, diagnosing him properly, and starting over with the meds.

However, there is no pediatric psych facility in Canada that will take a child with PDD/autism or an IQ below 70 into their inpatient programs. The most he can get is the 5 day emergency stay at CAPE (Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Evaluation), which we've done once.

The facility for autistic kids has a 2 1/2 year waitlist, and even so, won't take him because of his mental health issues - they only deal with autism.

All the professionals tell us "take respite". REally?! So, a team of professionals in a hospital setting can't handle Don, but Joe Blow public is supposed to have him in their home? Yeah right! And respite doesn't change the fact that your kid is sick and needs help.

So basically, the next time he decompensates and goes completely bonkers and is unsafe to be around - we're out of luck. Never mind that he's just getting bigger and bigger. He's 12 now, around 5' 2", and close to 120lbs. He is officially stronger than me when he's psychotic now - not so fun!

Anyway, off my soapbox now

[Perfect7]

Thank you, crazycanuck. I myself am still bewildered that "autism" and "mental problems" seem to be the ONLY two diagnosis that the professionals can't believe exist together. HELLO! The assessment team (two psychiatrists and others) have been analyzing his case for over a week and they said they are all leaning towards RAD and either schizophrenia or PTSD with psychosis, plus possible PDD-NOS and MR. I don't exactly agree but that doesn't matter as long as they get him some help. They could say he has Rainbow Bright Syndrome for all I care, as long as they help him. :-) I'm just hoping for a solid diagnosis instead of this back and forth multiple choice that's been going on, and more importantly a treatment plan. His past is extremely complicated so I know it's not easy to figure out.
This isn't exactly what we "signed up for" but we're trying to roll with it as good as we can. I am so sorry your son can't get the services he needs. Once they say "autism" it's almost like game over, regardless of what else is really going on.
My son has been exposed to satanic ritualistic ceremonies, sexual abuse, severe neglect and deprivation...but he has "autism" so he doesn't qualify for services. I'm no professional, but I think I'd shut down, too, if I'd lived his hell. Anyway, I'm just glad someone is finally seeing beyond the label he was given and that his issues run deeper than that. His three younger siblings all have severe RAD and PTSD, but the psychologists must have felt he escaped it somehow (being the oldest and living it the longest, and all). Ha ha!
I'm so sorry you are dealing with that with your son. It's extremely stressful, especially when there are no resources available.