How do I get a diagnosis for asd?

[littletree]

Son is 8 and has exhibited symptoms ever since starting school (and earlier if I'm honest). Anytime I have brought concerns up to school, they have been batted away. We have just had another uncontrollable outburst in school (extreme crying/wailing in the middle of the school hall that the teachers could calm) and head has just told me they deal with him using autism techniques. Was given recommendation to see the gp. This is an abridged version of what took place, but basically, is the gp the starting point. Feel very confused as to why school has been concerned he is on the spectrum but haven't shared with me! I feel depressed and upset and want a definitive diagnosis so that we can help him.

'couldn't' calm I meant to say

Yes, you should see your GP who will refer you to a Developmental Paediatrician. The school might also be able to arrange for an Educational Psychologist to visit your DS at school. I'm not sure if this is done via the school (Senco) or your GP but it's worth asking both.

If you want this to reach a wider audience it's a good idea to post in the Special Needs Children section.

Thanks castles
We were put down on the list to have him assessed by an ed psych last year and nothing ever materialized. Have now been told the budget has been cut :-(

Diagnosis would usually be via a multi-disciplinary assessment, I think - so it would involve contact with a paediatrician, speech and lang therapist, educational psychologist etc - talking to your GP is a good place to start.

Good luck with everything.

thank you.

littletree

It may help if you have a look at Identification and Evaluation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders which includes a useful table Diagnostic Criteria for 299.00: AD and may be Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Hi littletree.

The budget has been cut in our area, i was told it has gone from 10 Ed Psycs down to 3!!!
G.P. or school nurse can refer to development pead, and possibly CAMHS may be a good one to ask for too.
Talk to the school and ask for a meeting with teacher, Head and SENCO. explain that you are concerned that their concerns havnt been voiced and they may be able to give a reason. You want to be able to talk to the school without feeling theyre hindering/not helping things, so best to clear it up now IYGWIM.

at this meeting, you will want to sugest the Ed Psych to them, but as schools now have to pay for this themselves they tend to be reluctant. In our area there is an "outreach" service that is kind of an intermediary service. they come in, assess over a period of visits and make a recomendation. This can be simply interventions or that they feel an Ed Psych is needed, or both.

Good luck with this and if you need a chat, PM me.

I am not much further down this road than yourself, we are still trying to push for DX, be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint. but dont let this put you off either. xxxx

thanks so much Angel.

I appreciate the guidance and reinforcement. I realize it may be a marathon and I do feel a bit daunted but must percervere for his sake. I will feel as if I have really let him down if I don't fight his corner. We have bumbled along in school up until now. We seem to have sustained periods of close to normalcy and I think I've been making too much of a big deal of things and then an incident happens and I think, no, it's not right. I get very confused about it all.

He is a bright button and is always in the top group in school and has top results on exams, etc. He was reading at an unusually early age ( 2 1/2 fluently) and any of our friends outside of school setting say consistently what a lovely lad he is. He has a tremendous and grown up sense of humour and irony and his laugh is one of the most gorgeous sounds in the world to me. And yet, consistently as school he has had long periods of playing with no one, finding play time a nightmare, innapropriate wailing and anger outbursts in the classroom, a total innability to focus and complete seemingly simple assignments in the classroom ( it is not unusual for him to stare at a blank piece of paper for up to an hour on writing assignments despite testing with advanced results in literacy) and he gets very withdrawn and completely lacks self confidence despite being very able in areas like music (went from just learning piano to playing grade 1 pieces in a week) and recently assessed g&t for reading.

So, sometimes I think he's just one of those kids that don't fit the mould. But it was the school mentioning the 'a' word to me yesterday that has sent me into confustion all over again. In any case, I feel we must follow through with a professional assessment to shed some light on it once and for all.

I thought i had posted a reply to this but it hasnt shown so ill try again...

I know exactly where your coming from with the part " I think I've been making too much of a big deal of things and then an incident happens and I think, no, it's not right"
Thats me all over!!! you really shouldnt doubt yourself which i know is easier said than done.
your not letting him down, your on here asking things, your talking to the school about him and your concerned, when you realise what your actually doing, you realise that you would never let him down.

Its great that hes able to do what he can, even though i know it might not seem it becuase he doesnt participate or want to do things, but you know hes not behind academically and that will be a big help to him and you as you can concentrate on the "real" issues.

it sound as though the school are totally on both your and your DS's side and that will also be a huge help.

good luck with getting assesments and if you need anything shout xxx

Thanks angel. Had a really good meeting with the Senco coordinator at the school yesterday- a really lovely guy who talked with me for an hour and a half. The end result is that he drafted a letter for me to take to the gp to try to get a referral. He said he needed to lay it on thick or they wouldn't even consider it. Seeing his issues laid out on paper was very raw and has made me feel very tearful all over again about it. I worry that I am going to make things worse for him by drawing so much attention! Because I think, what if he's not? What if he is just a person that has a tough time socialising? Lots of people don't concentrate well and so what if he can't ride a bike at 8! He does so many other things well. I feel I can help him with lots of things outside the classroom but I can't help him socialise at playtime and I haven't the slightest idea how to get him to focus on work in the classroom.

And then the school reports came out yesterday. Although he has high marks, his effort grades in certain subjects were low-the things he has consistently had difficulty concentrating on in the classroom. And, a c for effort in PE! Give me a break. If a child can't even catch a ball, he's hardly going to be enthusiastic about participating in team games!!!!

hiya, - all us SN parents live over here