Misdiagnosis, mental health and one mother's journey
Misdiagnosis delayed one London-born teenager’s treatment for Asperger
Syndrome by 17 years until a chance visit to a doctor in Ghana changed her life
for the better.
"Ann-Marie was born in 1998 and she was always an active and alert baby. I remember my aunty commenting on it,” her mother Jayne said. “But I thought that was positive.” At six weeks old, Ann-Marie stopped sleeping in the afternoon and it was increasingly difficult to keep her still. As she grew older, her behaviour became more unusual.
“I remember on her first day at nursery, her teacher asked me if she had sight or co-ordination problems. My husband and I had her assessed but she didn't.
"By the time she was four years old, her cousin, who was also her best friend, left the nursery. That was the first time that I saw that she struggled. She wasn’t sleeping well at night and would wake up and stand at the foot of the bed and ask: ‘did I do something wrong, why can’t I play with my cousin?'"
Routine In…
"Ann-Marie was born in 1998 and she was always an active and alert baby. I remember my aunty commenting on it,” her mother Jayne said. “But I thought that was positive.” At six weeks old, Ann-Marie stopped sleeping in the afternoon and it was increasingly difficult to keep her still. As she grew older, her behaviour became more unusual.
“I remember on her first day at nursery, her teacher asked me if she had sight or co-ordination problems. My husband and I had her assessed but she didn't.
"By the time she was four years old, her cousin, who was also her best friend, left the nursery. That was the first time that I saw that she struggled. She wasn’t sleeping well at night and would wake up and stand at the foot of the bed and ask: ‘did I do something wrong, why can’t I play with my cousin?'"
Routine In…
