I am really sorry but this is a long post!
My 4 year old DS is currently in reception (he turns 5 in July) and has recently undergone a multi-agency assessment instigated by his school based on the following concerns:
- poor fine motor skills specifically pencil control
- does not seem to concentrate or follow verbal instruction effectively in 'whole class' scenario
- is quiet and withdrawn in classroom and seems overwhelmed by the 'free flow' atmosphere of reception.
He underwent a 2 part clinical assessment with an OT and SALT, the OT also visited him in school, and a paed observed the very first part of the clinical assessment (she spent the majority of the time talking to us whilst he was being assessed). We suspected he might need additional OT for the fine motor stuff and possibly a little SALT for receptive language (his expressive language and vocabulary is and always has been very good). We suspected mild dyspraxia if anything. They then diagnosed autism. We were shocked and don't agree (though were too gobsmacked to say so during verbal feedback).
I spoke to his teacher later that week and she was very much 'well in order to get the support we want for him for year 1 we had to go through this process, we need it for School Action Plus and I know it's not a nice label to have at the top of his IEP but it can only benefit him in future because no school can ever ignore any future special educational needs he may have'. We're not bothered about whether or not it's a 'nice' label - our point is we believe it is an incorrect label and feel the professionals have been far too quick to slam said label on him just to get a bit of funding.
We are not, by the way, denying that he does need the additional 1-1 help - specifically in literacy and writing - we just don't feel the label is either warranted or fair. I also suspect that when we receive the report they will have pathologised a fair bit of what would generally be perceived as reasonably typical 4 year old behaviour in order to tick enough boxes to get the label, although obviously I may be wrong.
So at present we are awaiting the formal written report from the paed but are planning to challenge and ask for a second opinion which I understand we are within our rights to do. In fact the autism outreach worker I spoke to was very much of the opinion that the process has been flawed and not nearly rigorous enough and we should definitely challenge it, because so much of the behaviour he displays could simply be down to being a fairly unconfident, quiet boy(who is currently an only child at home) who's one of the youngest in the year and finding it all a bit much at the moment.
Some of our concerns about the process - he hasn't been seen by an educational psychologist to our knowledge, we haven't been asked to complete the GARS assessment and neither have the school, a lot of the 'no idea about social communication' stuff feedback seems based on the OT trying to sit him down and engaging him 'in social chat' the very first time she met him when unsurprisingly she got very little from him. The paed is not to my knowledge a specialist, she is a general community paed and I know this because she saw DS for an additional hearing check as a baby!
So our plan is to go back on receipt of the written report and request that we complete the GARS and that, preferably, he is re-assessed by an ed psych specialising in autism. But does that sound unreasonable? My big concern is that his school will simply withdraw the proposed support for him if we start challenging the 'autistic' label. Can you get School Action Plus for a child who has not been 'labelled'?
Thanks for reading! I would be really grateful for any advice/comments.