What do I do if I suspect my DC has autism?

[Ramunea]

I have a son who is 9 and whilst he is wonderful is so many ways, I have noticed (and school have too) that he in some ways seems behind other kids his age.
School have not diagnosed him although he does have an EHCP and gets additional help at school and has sessions to help him with his social skills and catch up sessions as he is slightly behind academically compared to others his age.
I think he may be on the spectrum but of course I can’t diagnose as I’m not a medical professional (it’s just a hunch as I have family members with ASD and I currently work with clients with ASD and disabilities), but I feel like I want him to get the best help he can get.

i suppose my question is, what do I do if I suspect he has an ASD? Do I go to my GP or would the school flag it up somewhere once they have diagnosed if he has one?
TIAx

@FloatingBean
Thanks although I don’t know if we have a caseworker. I do recall last year receiving a document which had my sons details and issues he has which was mainly relating to social skills and him being behind academically although I have to admit I genuinely can’t remember. I will have to ask the school for another copy.

In terms of the caseworker; I’m unsure if we have one as when the EHCP was drawn up and so on, I don’t recall being given details of a caseworker or anything. I just remember the school letting me know what additional help he would be receiving at school going forward. I will enquire about this more though.

thanks for the advice. This is why I came here to ask as I’m so unsure of the whole thing and have no clue what I should be doing.

If it's an EHCP you should get a form to complete plus a copy of the EHCP at every annual review.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

Thank you. I will enquire about this with the school. Son is in year 4 now and the EHCP was completed in year 3 with his old teacher. I don’t recall getting a new one for this year. Since he has been in year 4 he still receives additional support and help and we review his IEP every few weeks/ term.

I just for the life of me can’t remember if I had got a copy of the EHCP, although I remember getting a letter from school with details of his concerns and a plan of what the school will do to support him. I know he definitely has one though as I specifically remember the teacher saying it was wonderful he has one now as now they have evidence to request for more support for him in school.

When going through the EHCP process you would have also been sent a draft you could comment on and name your preferred school. Then you would have been sent the finalised version and should have received information with this such as how to appeal etc.

If DS has an EHCP there will be a caseworker at the LA ‘responsible’ for DS’s EHCP. Although with staff turnover it may not be the same person as the one from last year.

Schools don’t just draw up EHCPs, it is the LA who undertakes the EHCNA and writes the EHCP.

OP I know you keep saying EHCP but I really do think you are confused.
If he had an EHCP unless you have ignored every email and document, you would know what provisions he needs and also that he has a case worker?
An EHCP is really involved and wouldn’t be given to someone with mild anxieties and who is little academically behind? It’s for children with severe barriers to learning who often need one to one support for large part of the day to be able to even access the curriculum?

If the EHCP was only issued mid 2022 you may not have had a review and a more up to date version yet because EHCPs only have to be reviewed every 12 months. Although sometimes early reviews are held they aren’t held as a matter of course every few months.

The process does vary a bit in different areas about who makes the referrals. If the school haven't referred then start with your GP (you don't need to bring DS along) You may be referred to CAMHS (children's mental health) who will have a pathway for diagnosis. This may include checking for a range of different conditions not just autism because some of the signs of autism, ADHD, and other conditions can overlap.

Whichever route you go it does help if the school will back you up.

DS's school started their own process but also advised us to get a referral via the GP and see which came through first!

We went to the GP for referral.
I took a piece of paper where I'd mind-mapped all DS's traits since infancy which helped the GP take it seriously and the consultant found very helpful.

An EHCP will involve external agencies like the council and services such as educational psycology. We applied for DS, but it was ruled that his needs could be met internally within school, but did need enhanced transition.

An IEP is the school's internal target/ review strategy.

Yes talk to the GP. There will probably be a year or so on a waiting list as an ASD diagnosis is typically a multi professional one.

An EHCP does require some quite significant needs these days. I wonder if school have slightly downplayed this with you?

I am currently in a battle for my child getting an EHCP. It’s not something you get for minor needs.

Your son's school sounds on the ball with their SEND provision.

I do agree with others that you need to talk to them about whether he has an EHCP. The language you're using makes it sound unlikely, as the level of need needs to higher than a school can provide under the normal school expectations.

If he does have an EHCP, you may be able to request an ASD assessment as part of his next annual review.

If he does have an EHCP then it’s a requirement to have an annual review and paperwork should be sent to you 2 weeks before.

See your GP sooner rather than later and speak to school too. Wait times for NHS autism and adhd assessments are awful and getting worse. Up to 3 years in some areas of the UK - it's awful.

contact your GP ASAP. DD's initial referral was over 18 months ago and in that time we've had an initial telephone consultation to decide whether this is the correct pathway (it is) - they said it would be a further 2 years before she was assessed.

if you have any suspicion things are not quite typical get in the system ASAP, it's a long long process

I’m wondering if you’ve got confused between being put on the SEN register and getting an EHC plan.

If he had an EHCP, you would have had to fill in lots of forms for the LEA, have an EP in as part of the statutory assessment process, have a meeting with the school and the LA where outcomes are agreed for the end of the key stage. You’d then be sent a draft and then the final copy which you could have to agree, sign and return-and name the school you want. I can’t imagine you would have forgotten doing that. It’s a lengthy process and the EP would no doubt have raised a concern about ASD as well. These are hard to get and take 20 weeks (usually!) to finalise. If you have one-you will have a copy. If not-ring the senco today to ask about it.

If he’s just on the SEN register, you’d have an IEP (or whatever your school choose to call it) with targets set by the school/senco which is reviewed 3 or so times across the year.