possibly autistic.

[Calally]

im a little confused. just had my 1st meeting with my ds new paediatrician. told the old 1 i thought he was autistic, and that was her 1st thought when she first saw him 2 years ago, but as he'd made progress they werent sure, and would assess him when he's older. while speaking to the new paediatrician, she assumed he was autistic, but on checking her notes, realised he has severe learning disabilities, querying autism. she says its up to me as to what i want to do. i still think he is autistic, due to having poor eye contact, preferring own space, plays with same toys, watches same programmes, doesnt like routine being changed, lack of understanding tasks, facial expressions, tone of voice etc. what do i do? if i want him assessed for autism, who do i speak to? seems to be a lot of support for autism, but not a lot for undiagnosed children.

[IndigoBell]

When children are very young they are often given a dx of SLD or Global Development Delay or something - which later turns out to be ASD.

You def want your child assessed for ASD if you have good reason to think he has it. The paed should know what to do next.....

Good luck.

[Calally]

ok thanks. when he was first assessed he was only three. hes now 5.5, there have been some improvements, but all the 1s above are still there. as well as the challenging behaviour, he craves adult attention aswell, and will do anything to get it.

[linbam]

hi Calally, i have just had my son recently diagnosed hes 11 now and is my second child, he was a late learner behind his peers at school and never mixed well not much eye contact and never could get his words out altho he looked at me like i knew what he was going to say, any way after him becoming lactose intollerant he went to see the consultant at the hospital and at this point my son was almost 6 ys old and he said your boy is autistic, just like that, it felt to me like he was saying hes got a cold and i got home in shock and stuck my head in the sand until school could no longer make provisions for him and he was falling further and further behind they kneal teasted him and he was on average ages 5-6 and that was when he was 10 so i had to bite the bullet and get him the help he needed ....... anyway what i am trying to get to is dont do what i did i regret it loads and altho i know hes had everything in life school was hard so if you think your ds has needs then dont hessitate and contact your gp or child developmental service who wll guide you through the bumpy road........ my son has only had his diagnosis a week and although i always knew he was my gosh when he was diagnosed it hit me like a tonne of bricks..... but onwards and upwards as they say....... and i must say i cant wait for his school to open on tuesday as they always thought my ds was a lazy uninterested boy

[Calally]

think ill give the paediatrician a ring on mon. i get so nervous ringing her, feels like im inconveniencing them in some way. its just so frustrating! his social worker and his school have been brilliant, but theres only so much they can do. theres lots of support out there, but i dont know who to speak to or who to ask. i know his diagnosis wont change anything, but it would be a little comfort to know.

[IndigoBell]

It will be a lot of comfort to know :)

It really does help.

[dolfrog]

You might like to read
Identification and Evaluation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
and download the assessment criteria tables.

[Calally]

thanks for that, ill take a look

[BakeliteBelle]

I have been refused an ASD test for DS on the grounds that the psychiatrist and paed regard most children with severe learning disabilities as having autistic behaviours.

If they are offering, I would go for it. Don't worry about inconveniencing them - they haven't said no and you might regret not doing it at a later date. Having a diagnosis of ASD opens some doors closed to the rest of us. However, bear in mind the primary diagnosis may remain a mystery and you might also need to push for other tests, e.g., MRI/genetic tests if not already done

[borderslass]

Definitely get him assessed we where told that DS was categorically not autistic but ADHD and complex LD's despite ourselves,school and EP arguing he was, EP even got him into a high school for ASD kids he was that convinced he's now waiting on an assessment from the adult team.

[Calally]

yeah he's had an MRI, which came back clear. Also been to the genetics clinic. I know what you mean about closed doors and all that. There so much more available for kids that have been diagnosed autistic. social worker was out, shes gonna have a word with paed and see if she can push it along. she thinks itll be really straightforward in ds case. fingers crossed. hope you get your assessment border.