School have referred reception ds for...

[sunshinedaises]

Speech and language, his size, movement and processing. I noticed from age 2 there was issues but other than speech (which he is very delayed in) nothing else got looked at. He is 5 in a few weeks and is tiny and is still in 2-3 clothes and at 1 percentile (he was born 5 weeks premature but should of caught up). School has noticed he walks like he's walking on a boat and he has always wanted to be picked up, walks extremely slowly, can't run properly or jump. Also apparently his understanding isn't where it should be and he needs to be led a lot. No one knows what it is and no one has suggested autism or adhd, in fact they have all said he's a conundrum! I don't know what I want to get out of this post I just feel so sad that my boy has all these multiple issues :( anyone else been through something similar?

Are you surprised? Have you not noticed any developmental problems?

Can you talk to your GP?

It sounds like you've noticed some concerns and now they will get looked into which is a good thing. Hope you can get some guidance soon

That's great that you're getting the referral. Now you can hopefully find out what the issue and get him the support he needs. I do understand how you feel, though, it's hard realising that your kid is having difficulties and accepting that they might not be something they'll just grow out of.

Has he seen a geneticist?

I would also ask your GP for a referral to paeds about the other concerns with global developmental delay being something I would want investigated.

Your post doesn’t suggest autism or ADHD (which are often quite contrasting conditions anyway) so I wouldn’t have expected the school to suggest either.

Have you had any investigations done before?

I am surprised a health visitor or nursery haven’t asked questions before this point.

He hasn't seen a GP or gyn, I have gone to the health visitor multiple times about his size and movement and just got fobbed off saying he'll be small because I'm small (I'm 5'0 but his Dad is 6'2). Everyone including nursery have just been focused on his speech (he didn't start talking until 4) which he has been seen for but still needs more help. I knew he had all these issues it's just different having someone else notice them and say them back to you. I think a lot of it has just been the 'he'll grow out of it' approach

I m sorry it s taken this long to follow up. He needs to see a paediatrician for overall review of his development (child development centre) and likely a neurologist review for the gait. Is it loose joints or neurological like ataxia?
Do take some videos of how he walks to share with medical people. Has he got worse? Do you think or always the same?
Thee are any number of undelying disorders which could explain everything and it is best is to get some tests done asap so you can rule out the known conditions or indeed get an explanation and advice.
It is good school have referred.
Ask the GP to refer to paediatric for review
Try the Sen board on here
You could try contacting Swan syndromes without a name until you get a diagnosis
Keep pushing the referrals so you know where you are and strategies to support him
Good luck

It’s good that school referred - and I am sorry you were fobbed off before - so I would definitely keep working closely with them, an independent neutral voice like school can be so helpful.
He is still very small and right at the age range where the appropriate interventions help the most, so keep the hope going :)

That's a really unkind and unhelpful response. The OP is looking for advice and help, not a lecture. OP it's great that school have noted concerns because it means he and you can get support and interventions sooner rather than later. It does sound like possible developmental delay and needs investigating. I'd be asking the Senco for help in getting a assessment.

sdpbody in what way do you think your post is helpful? It is unkind and unsupportive.

OP, it's good that these issues are now being picked up, and I'm sorry you have been fobbed off in the past. I don't have any specialist advice, but wish you and your son all the best.

Who saw him for speech?

It’s a one page thread. The OP has said he attended nursery and that she has seen a health visitor numerous times. I’m shocked at your lack of comprehension skills. And your cruelty.

If you read the thread you would see that she has raised this multiple times with the health visitors, he has been referred for speech issues (presumably sees a SLT) and was in nursery who supported the OP’s concerns regarding speech but not other concerns. The OP noticed but was told by medical professionals that she was worrying unnecessarily.

shocked you didn’t notice the above before posting in an unkind manner

The important thing is to refer now. Can you find videos of him walking from last year to compare? Is it the same staggering or getting worse? Any sign of deterioration needs urgent review. And if is worse than before please flag to gp ASAP.

Fair enough the comment above is a bit abrupt, but yes the parent should have noticed something was unusual?

Walking like he's on a boat is concerning

Read the thread

I’m not a medical professional, but because of my son’s adhd, we see a lot of kids with a variety of additional needs.

This doesn’t sound like autism or ADHD to me. It could be global development delay, but my gut feeling from your description would be a genetic difference.

Can you ask the gp to refer your son for genetic testing?

At least the referral is there now. Chase it up. Set reminders in your phone to call and email medical secretaries. I would expect the pediatrician to also make several referrals, probably for genetic testing as a starting point as well. Good luck.

Any reason to repeat this appalling post

I’m really shocked at some of the comments here blaming the OP. She DID seek help earlier but the health visitor fobbed her off

fwiw @sunshinedaises i had concerns over my son from the age of around 18 months. The nursery had some concerns but it wasn’t until he started school and they very quickly echoed the same concerns that anyone would actually listen to me.

I actually walked into the hv and said “I want a referral and I’m not leaving until I get it”!

my sons issues were very different to your sons so I can’t offer any help re the future im afraid.

It does sound like something that should have been picked up earlier. Health visitors snd even GPs are shocking for fobbing parents off so easily with the wait and see approach. I would definitely push for a referral to community paediatrics as they seem to be the gatekeeper for everything else (genetics, neurology etc). Even once you are in the system it can take a long time to get answers. We were referred to physio at 18 months for mostly gross motor delay and then to paediatrics but we are still waiting for the results of genetic testing at 3y2m. It does sound like a genetic condition to me but that covers thousands of possibilities. Was your son late to bear weight and walking too or were his physical differences only apparent later?