Child put on ADHD pathway, but we think ASD. Any advice?

[peachjuice]

As the title says, DC has been referred by ed psych in school for ADHD diagnosis. As he's been referred to a joint ADHD and ASD clinic, we thought they'd cover all bases and do a thorough assessment, but it looks like they're only considering ADHD.

I think DC may have PDA, ODD or maybe high functioning Aspergers. I'm willing to pay for a private assessment if that's necessary, but Local Authorities apparently won't always accept these.

Any idea what I can do from here to push for an ASD assessment? The whole system is so confusing and overwhelming.

Hi OP, have they already assessed DC or are you still waiting for an appointment?

Wait until the assessments for adhd are complete before subjecting child to more. Also ed psychs won't 'diagnose' adhd- they might form part of a multi-disciplinary team though.

Ooh thanks for replies, had given up!

The ed psych has referred onto the ADHD/ASD clinic. They sent us loads of questionnaires to complete (home and school) including Connors 2. We sent those back, then saw a nurse from the clinic who did a 30 minute verbal assessment (just a conversation really) with us and agreed warranted further investigation for ADHD (didn't mention anything else and all questions seemed pertinent to ADHD rather than ASD), and now we're waiting for community paediatrician appointment to come through.