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Poor health services for children - what it means

* Kyle has shown signs of mental problems since he was nine months old. He's now nine and medical professionals have not yet diagnosed his condition. He frequently harms himself by hitting his head against a wall, sticking pencils in his arms and running in front of cars. He can be violent, and has been physically restrained at school. Kyle recently had to wait seven hours in A&E after an attempt to kill himself. His social and communication skills are poor, he cannot keep friends and his three-year-old sister is often distressed by his behaviour.
* Kyle has shown signs of mental problems since he was nine months old. He's now nine and medical professionals have not yet diagnosed his condition. He frequently harms himself by hitting his head against a wall, sticking pencils in his arms and running in front of cars. He can be violent, and has been physically restrained at school. Kyle recently had to wait seven hours in A&E after an attempt to kill himself.

His social and communication skills are poor, he cannot keep friends and his three-year-old sister is often distressed by his behaviour.

Kyle cannot be offered treatment or medication until he is diagnosed, and his mother, Elaine King, feels no-one wants to take responsibility for him. Kyle saw six different GPs before one took his condition seriously and referred him to a specialist. He has now seen a psychologist and occupational therapist who say he may have multi-sensory problems and shows autistic tendencies, although he is not autistic. They will not refer him to a psychiatrist because his condition is not serious enough, despite his self-harm and black moods. He has had various tests but the results have not been returned more than two months later.

Kyle's education is suffering and he is disruptive in class. He will lick the blackboard, roll around in the mud and the children taunt him because of his unconventional behaviour. But he is excellent at maths and his teachers say he is not failing enough academically to get a statement. There is no liaison between health professionals and the school.

Kyle's mother believes health professionals are not concerned as he is a child and they hope he will either learn to cope or grow out of his behaviour. She says Kyle and the whole family are suffering and are left to cope alone without emergency support. She has now turned to Young Mind Parents' Information Service for help.