Possible ASD/SCD/LD and Sensory issues

[Pfcprincess]

Firstly sorry if this is complete rambles, it is hard to be eloquent and concise when it's so long and complicated. I'm feeling really defeated today and fed up.

My son M, 11, has been assessed for over two years now. It has been very slow going. In July last year he had a one hour appointment with a consultant psychiatrist who said absolutely not ASD. In October I met with the clinical psychologist for the outcome and as said I said i didn't agree she said that someone would go into school and assess him, if it came out likely then we would do a massive form filling exercise and go from there.

That assessment happened at the beginning of Feb and we met with the clinical psychologist again to get the results yesterday. I'll bullet point for clarity.

• He is sensory seeking, poking his own face, touching thing, resting his face on table and more.
  
  
• He speaks in a quiet monotone voice
  
  
• He doesn't use expressions at all
  
  
• He won't give eye contact
  
  
• For well over one hour of a two hour lesson he did not work
  
  
• He doesn't talk to the adults at the school at all
  
  
• He is well behind his peers
  
  
• Teachers says he struggles with social communication
  
  
• He gets very anxious when he doesn't want to do something and cries
  
  
• He has frequent migraines.
  
  
• Teachers say he doesn't have any obsessive interests.
  
  There was more but ultimately she said she was surprised on that assessment that he didn't have ASD but they're ruling it out any way. He doesn't have obsessive interests but he doesn't talk to the adults at school for them to know this. Didn't even bother with the massive form I was meant to do?
  
  They're saying that they'll assess for SCD and learning disabilities. And send to the O/T for sensory issues.
  
  I feel like this is wrong. I feel completely defeated right now though.
  
  Do I try and get a second opinion? Just go with what they are saying?

[Pfcprincess]

That should say he does have obsessive interests. Wrestling all day every day.

[Cookingwine]

But what do they say he has then?

[Pfcprincess]

She wouldn't clarify further. Just said that he would be assessed for social communication stuff, learning disabilities and sent to O/T for sensory issues. I did question her but she just wouldn't tell me.

She has never even met my son.

[Cookingwine]

Hmm. You think ASD fits the bill? I have heard of PDD-NOS, maybe this is what he will end up with. But I think the good thing is that they are acknowledging that he has issues, and are willing to pursue the assessment. I am a bit surprised that a one hour session with a pead is enough to rule out ASD though. For DD, it was a whole day assessment with 2 professionals, one with me conducting a DISCO questionnaire that went on for nearly 3 hours and another one with DD, for the same amount of time, I think she did ADOS with her, then they combined their views over lunch and we had a debriefing meeting after lunch with provisional diagnostic, followed by a lengthy written report. And they gave a diagnostic of ASD.

[Pfcprincess]

Yeah my gut instinct is ASD. So is the three school senco's he has been involved with, all his teaches I've talked to, his old deputy head and so on. My sister is also a senco and agrees.

I know it doesn't make sense to me when he was assessed at primary school by CAMHS to see if he needed to be assessed further they said yes urgently, then he had an appointment with a psychologist who again said that he did need assessing and even mention his obsessive interests as well as so much more. So then the final stage was the consultant psychiatrist who said no in one hour. A psychologist told me this bit agreed to further assessment and if it came out quite then we would have this form filling. But I think that was done to appease me as that form filling never happened despite the most recent in school assessment saying he has lots and lots of traits and the psychologist herself saying based on this one she's is surprised the last one didn't come back as ASD.

I just don't understand how everyone else can see it but not the psychiatrist so that's it. So frustrating.

I'm just looking at criteria now and every single thing that's recent was spoken about in this latest report. Every one.

Obviously they can't know about when he was little but it was all there too.

I think we need a second opinion.

[Meloncoley2]

Those assessments will all be useful though, won't they?

[Pfcprincess]

Yes, if they go ahead. I'd prefer them to keep an open mind though rather than say it's not this.