AIBU to worry about the surge in school-suggested ASD diagnoses?

Schools don't get extra money as soon as a child is diagnosed with ASD. Additional funding is for additional support in school and millions of kids with ASD don't need anything extra. My son has ASD (it's looking likely that I do too) and he is a high achiever with no needs in school at all, aside from maybe the teacher understanding that he isn't a fan of germs - why would the school deserve more money for that?!

Also, getting diagnosed involves two separate medical professionals assessing the child and then agreeing on a diagnosis. They don't give out diagnoses as a favour to help out school funding!

The reason for the increase in numbers is likely to be awareness of signs of autism in school staff and at home (so more seeking assessment) and a better recognition of symptoms from medical professionals. Lets not forget, it's only in very recent years that women and girls (who often present very differently to males) have even been considered for assessment unless they were profoundly autistic.

How you can see a better understanding of a condition as a negative is literally beyond me, although your 'understanding' of it does seem more than a tad ignorant.

And even then bet you didn’t automatically get any support, if it’s anything like where I live it’s diagnose and discharge with a few leaflets

I wonder if anyone who actually has a child with ASD has voted YANBU. Usually these threads are filled with people with no knowledge or experience spouting their opinions as "fact".

The differences in maturity between the oldest and youngest in a class are less apparent as they progress through the school and negligible ultimately, on the whole.

Sensory impairments, ADHD, BED can all be associated with ASD and are part of diagnoses.

Which schools are advising a diagnosis in order to continue to have a place at the school? Parents are much more likely now, to pursue a diagnosis, to reach an understanding of strategies that best suit their child’s needs and enable the school to work effectively with those children.

Because budgets have been decimated there are little or no specialist services allocated to schools, so parents have sought EP, SaLT and other specialist advice privately

Unless a child has an EHCP, there is no specific funding for a diagnosis. Funding is on the basis of need, not diagnosis.

It took 4 YEARS for my DD to be diagnosed because they needed 'evidence '. Obviously Covid and backlog didn't help. But there was no way it was being done easily.
(FYI- we were the ones who knew DD has autism so that's why we wanted a diagnosis )

🙄

It seems some are pushing parents to seek ASD diagnoses to secure funding for support.

Ok, @cremebrulait enlighten all of us who support children with additional needs.

What funding do you believe having an ASD diagnosis will secure for a pupil?

I'm a primary school teacher and a parent of a child diagnosed with autism. OP is talking absolute nonsense. We have extremely limited resources in schools for supporting any sort of SEND. Mostly it is a teacher alone on a classroom trying to make adaptions and accommodations. It's extremely difficult to get an EHCP (I have been involved in both school and parental applications). Even when successful, most EHCPs do not come with all the funding needed to properly meet a child's needs.

You make it sound like you just ring up your GP and say ‘hey, can my child have an ASD diagnosis; having a few issues at school this week’
My son has a diagnosis of ASD (21 month wait to see CAMHS) and ADHD (9 month wait on the right to choose pathway as it was another 2 year wait with CAMHS) and has just been issued with an EHCP (initially refused by LA, went to mediation, thankfully have agreed to issue now). Pretty much spent the last three years trying to get the right diagnosis and support in place, but yeh, it’s just a surge.
What I would say (and I say this as a teacher and parent) it that the curriculum reforms under Gove, with the massive emphasis on academic knowledge acquisition, retention and regurgitation is hugely inappropriate for ND children, and in my view, is a massive driver in the increase of children who are being identified as SEND. Sorry, and edited to say, my son’s school have been superb at supporting him within a system that’s really not working.

It’s really not that easy to get an ASD diagnosis. There’s so much criteria to be met. It’s not like kids are diagnosed on a whim.

I'm a primary school SENCo and do not agree with your post. In my experience it is usually parents who, sometimes quite forcefully, push for assessment. I always reiterate that school strive to meet presenting needa with or without a diagnosis.

Where are you getting all your information from?????

Do you know for a childrens ASD assessment on the NHs the waiting list is YEARS?

schools dont get extra funding for most ASD children 🤦‍♀️

Did you know there are private schools that divide the year into 3 groups so that children are only a few months apart?

My childrens school is a public school and has inbetween classes for those close in age 🤦‍♀️

Who do you know whose been misdiagnosed?

Before they even think about going for an ASD diagnosis parents have to go through all sorts, they do trauma counselling for the child ect way before the asd waiting list,

It's more common for a childs behaviour to be blamed on trauma and asd ignored.

My DD is 9 and has only just been accepted onto the ASD waiting list. This was after 4 years of seeking support for her 🤦‍♀️

Your spouting proper rubbish get off mumsnet

What?

I've suggested that parents pursue ADHD or ASD diagnoses if I feel it's needed and helpful.

It's a lot of paper work for me to do and they wouldn't get assessed for at least 2 years so no extra funding will be seen for ages or if ever!

I don't really understand your point.

I'll bite. No one goes down the path for an ASD diagnosis for shits and giggles. It's not easy or done because a kid is a bit weird. 6 years for DS2 and we are still waiting for the diagnosis to be finished so he can get some proper support. And no, I didn't jump on a trendy bandwagon, I could show you several generations of my family that have SEN, many of which were put in institutions, hence why you are seeing "lots" now, families hid kids like mine years ago or they went to special schools (now mostly closed).

Oh brilliant - so my son is going to get extra funding for the diagnosis he got a few years ago is he? The one that has resulted so far in… a report and some flyers being sent to me.

By the way he was seen on multiple occasions by several professionals in different specialisms and in different settings to get his diagnosis, the whole process took around three years

I haven't experienced this. My 18 year old got DLA and now gets PIP but didn't get any funding at school, he wasn't even on the SEND register. I have 5 dc with SEN but the schools haven't pushed anything. They did suggest that DC3 might have autism as well when we raised concerns that he might have ADHD though. There is no extra funding for schools that come with a diagnosis though. My 10 year old was on the pathway aged 3, diagnosed with ASD aged 6 and only now is being assessed for an ehcp.

There's no funding or treatment with an ASD diagnosis so I wouldn't worry about that!

🥱

And a teacher bashing one too.
MN bingo!

We know what you are up to OP.

You are totally wrong OP. It’s the parents pushing the schools for the diagnosis.
I would say parents know their kids well and are better informed nowadays. Things are diagnosed now that wouldn’t have been in the past. ASD isn’t something you would wish on your child, these parents are concerned for good reason.

Yes that was all utter rubbish.

And schools use strategies that help symptoms not a diagnosis.

Where are you getting your information? What evidence do you have and have you been through the diagnosis procedure?