Being tested for ASD - is it true that you have to wait till they're 9?

Psipssina, your DS sounds so similar to my son! And I absolutely went through stages of thinking, I'm imagining things he's fine. I wish I had trusted my own instincts more. My ds is now 11, he was diagnosed with Aspergers exactly a year ago and it has been incredibly helpful for him and us to have that dx. It took 18 months for us from GP referral to dx. Can I strongly strongly recommend contacting KÍDS near you? They know exactly how the system works, all of the SENCOs, the obligations of the school and in combination with Mumsnet posters helped us navigate a very confusing process.

Psipssina, your DS sounds so similar to my son! And I absolutely went through stages of thinking, I'm imagining things he's fine. I wish I had trusted my own instincts more. My ds is now 11, he was diagnosed with Aspergers exactly a year ago and it has been incredibly helpful for him and us to have that dx. It took 18 months for us from GP referral to dx. Can I strongly strongly recommend contacting KÍDS near you? They know exactly how the system works, all of the SENCOs, the obligations of the school and in combination with Mumsnet posters helped us navigate a very confusing process.

No thats not true, DS was diagnosed with ASD when he was 4.

He needs to be diagnosed ASAP in case he needs a statement which can take a while, but leaving it until 9 he'd only be about a year away from going up to high school, if things need putting in place for him they need to be put in place way before then. :)

That's interesting, Polter. Is that across the board now? We were first referred to salt who was lovely but didn't really have a clue about asd and how the acquisition of language is a very different pathway for children on the spectrum.

Itsnotasperfect This is my understanding, too. There are professionals who can make assessments of traits; and then there are the professionals who can make a formal diagnosis.

And sometimes school staff and others are less than forthcoming about the difference.

Ds and dd were both with diagnoses before they were three. They'd also both been assessed by an ed psych too by then.
If you want an assessment for ASD ask your GP for a referral. To get an ed psych assessment is not always easy as schools tend to have either a set number of visits or hours and tend to use these on the most difficult children. However it would be easier to push for one if your ds had already been referred for a health assessment.
Diagnosis doesn't change your child but it does signpost the resources and support he might need in order to achieve his potential. Good luck.

Sorry, started typing that a while ago. Xposts with everyone else.

An Ed Psych cannot diagnose asd either. Only a paed or a clinical psych can diagnose asd. The senco or Ed psych can agree there are traits but it still needs to go down the medical route for diagnosis.

It is often really useful for children who fall in that grey area or are relatively high functioning to get a diagnosis in place before secondary school. Often children cops reasonable well at primary then dissolve at secondary. If your DS is already showing signs of anxiety then I'd speak to your GP and ask for a referral. Good luck

My DS was diagnosed aged 4. He was originally referred to an eating clinic as his diet is so poor. The Consultant there told me he had Autism and started the diagnosis process.
A different Consultant, who runs a large Food Refusal Clinic recently told me that most children with Aspergers are diagnosed/start diagnosis when they attend clinics re:food issues. So I presume theses children would often be younger than 9.

Absolutely, PolterGoose.

I'd also like to add that we learned more in a month from reading MN than OH had ever been told by all the professionals in his child's life. I don't post much on some boards but read them avidly!

My ds is undergoing assessment for autism. He is 3 next week. I went to the gp and got a referral to the community paediatrician. I'd go to your gp.

As there are concerns it's worth asking the GP for a referal. It will probably take over a year to get a diagnosis if he does indeed have ASD. The waiting list in my county is so long that I took DS for a private assesment, worth every penny for us!

I believe (at least in my local health authority) the diagnostic process is different for under 8s and over 8s. Our route was HV referral to community pediatrician who arranged a multidisciplinary assessment, with paediatrician and SaLT, and input from the school SENCO since DS was then in reception. GPs should be able to refer in the same way as our HV did. It's my understanding that referrals via CAHMS are harder to come by and take longer, but that may be specific to where you are. The NAS helplines may have some advice for you, I've found them good.

I completely agree with PolterGoose, if there's a diagnosis to be made and you and your son want to proceed with an assessment, getting it completed before the transition to secondary school would be the best thing.

It can be diagnosed at any age. My DS was 8 when referred to Camhs and 10 when diagnosed.
We'd discussed how many asd traits he had throughout his schooling before this.

It's diagnosed through Camhs or developmental paediatrician. Different PCTs have different pathways but the assessments are generally standard - eg there are various different assessments and they'll do the appropriate ones for their service/ the child.