daughter's three-year wait for an autism assessment as "soul-destroying

News research suggests the number of children waiting more than a year to be assessed in Wales has doubled in the past three years.The Welsh government said it would invest £13.7m in neurodivergence services and said long waits were "not acceptable Until we actually know that she is autistic, it is very difficult to tailor your parenting to that," Caroline said.

"Although it is not a magic wand, a diagnosis for us would make our family life and her life, more importantly, so much easier."From what I have heard, the waiting lists are just getting longer and longer, and it's quite soul-destroying to not have anything close to rely on."The hardest thing is to watch your child struggle.Gemma, from Brynamman, Carmarthenshire, said her daughter Alice, eight, had been waiting almost four years for an assessment, which made her feel "angry"."You wouldn't expect anyone else to go through their whole childhood without having answers as to why they're suffering," she said.

"We're struggling to get her to school, she doesn't like going to school, it's full on school refusal. Noise is a big problem for her, she chews everything, she doesn't cope in crowds."Gemma herself was diagnosed with autism a little over a year ago, and said things could have been different. Saave speak out mental health and about autism, and we try and accommodate any sensory needsContributor picture A woman with long sandy blonde hair looking into the camera lens, smiling. Picture also features her nine year old daughter who also has sandy blonde hair, and is wearing navy blue spectacles Lotus, nine, from Pembrokeshire, has waited three years for an autism assessmentA mother has described her daughter's three-year wait for an autism assessment as "soul-destroying".

Caroline, 48, from Pembrokeshire, said her daughter struggled to understand herself and could display challenging behaviour. research suggests the number of children waiting more than a year to be assessed in Wales has doubled in the past three years.

The Welsh government said it would invest £13.7m in neurodivergence services and said.Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that includes a number of conditions, including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

Caroline first asked her GP if her daughter, Lotus, could go on a waiting list for a diagnostic assessment for neurodivergence in December 2021.More than three years later, the family is still waiting."[Lotus] struggles with understanding herself, and that then manifests into behaviours that a lot of people would think were not acceptable," Caroline said.Lotus is also under-sensitive to pain and has to follow routines, Caroline said, adding she thinks about the waiting list every day