A Staffordshire couple have been told they must wait 70 weeks for an assessment to be carried out on their 13-year-old son who they believe may have autism.

The Heath Hayes couple were shocked by a letter from South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust telling them how long they must wait.

“It will effectively be 18 months before we know whether or not he is autistic. He could end up being expelled by then,” they said. The couple want a quick assessment for their son.

They wanted to get him the proper help he needs for his behavioural problems.

His mother said the teenager had had problems since he started school and his behaviour had got worse over the years.

“He doesn’t understand barriers. We need some guidance on how to control him and deal with him.

“We managed to get him to another school before he was expelled,” she said.

She said their other three children, including the boy’s twin sister, were all well behaved.

The family has contacted Cannock Chase MP Dr Tony Wright for help and he has put them in touch with a charity that helps children with autism.

Trust spokesman Martin Evans said they had received funds from South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust to improve its autism spectrum disorders service and over the last six months had been recruiting skilled and experienced clinicians.

“Positively, we are now in a position for the service to be fully operational.

“All referrals will be managed on a priority waiting list – specifically those waiting the longest will be allocated first for an appointment. This will result in all existing referrals on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) waiting list being seen by April 2010. We do not envisage anyone waiting 70 weeks for an appointment.”