Lucy Gallacher, 38, from Greenock in Inverclyde, was diagnosed with ADHD and autism while fighting to secure support for her neurodivergent children. She spent 11 years battling for assessments and help for both of her sons, Travis, 14, and Jaxx, 10.
Private assessments after long waits
After lengthy waits for a referral to CAMHS and further holds on waiting lists for assessments, the mum-of-three decided to go private. After forking out thousands of pounds, it was revealed both Travis and Jaxx have ADHD and autism, while her youngest also has cognitive delays. Lucy then paid for further parenting education courses to better understand her sons' conditions.
Through that education, Lucy drew from her own behaviours and experiences and decided to pay for an assessment for herself. Speaking to the Record, Lucy said: "We spent so long trying to get CAMHS referrals and then assessments. I was struggling with their behaviours - I had two young sons struggling at the same time and they both had different triggers."
Recognising her own traits
Lucy added: "I decided to go private so we could get help sooner. When I began learning about their diagnoses, I kept thinking back to being a teenager and how I displayed similar behaviours."
"When I was 14 or 15, I used to hide in my wardrobe and make up my own language and speak to myself in my own language. When I was finally diagnosed, I wasn't surprised - the signs had always been there. I just didn't think I'd receive my own diagnosis while fighting for my sons'."
"I cried a lot, I felt like it was my fault. But now it just makes me understand myself so much more."
Son thriving after support
Prior to Travis' diagnosis, Lucy spent over a decade suspecting he was neurodivergent while struggling to understand how to access help. She said: "I'd receive a daily call from the school either about a parent complaining or a teacher complaining. It was really hard work. I wanted it dealt with before he went to high school because I didn't know whether he would actually stay at school or not. It was that bad."
Her son is now thriving and is sitting National Five subjects after moving into specialist additional-support provision within a mainstream secondary school. Lucy says therapy, support and medication have transformed his prospects, with the teenager now regularly achieving marks in the mid-to-high 90s.
Younger son's different challenges
Jaxx's experience brought different challenges. Lucy had to change his primary school and, at one stage, collected him every lunchtime so he could eat in her car rather than remain in an environment where he was struggling. Lucy says securing the right school setting and additional support has made a dramatic difference to his experience of education.
She said: "I really had to fight for this support. There aren't enough units like this in Scotland to support neurodivergent children, so schools are struggling to cope."
"Neurodivergent children deserve the best chance at an education. I'd really like to see more of these schools in place for families who are struggling. We were lucky enough to be able to afford to pay for our assessments, but there will be families out there who can't and who are severely struggling to cope."
Dr Jagdish Basra, who diagnosed Lucy at Diverse Diagnostics, said: "Parents will often know that something is not quite right even if they cannot put a label on exactly what is happening. Lucy's story shows what can happen when a child's needs are properly understood and the right support is provided."
"It is also a powerful example of how neurodivergence can affect an entire family, including parents who may only begin to recognise their own traits through their children." Lucy and Dr Basra will discuss the family's experiences in a new podcast launching this weekend. 'Unmasked with Dr Basra' will be released on World Mental Health Day - Saturday, October 10. The Record has approached the Scottish Government for comment.
