ASD diagnosis

[HelloSunshine100]

Hi all
my son 5 years old has recently been diagnosed with autism via the right to chose service
as part of the assessment we attended 2 appointments-
1st appointment was face to face ADOS with 2 clinical psychologists
2nd appointment was with psychiatrist via teams and went through developmental history etc

I don’t know why but I’m not 100% confident in the diagnosis and have my doubts. They said he scored above the cut off for ADOS suggesting autism. About a year ago I would definitely say he showed more autistic traits but now there has been a level of maturity and what used to be a concern is now less/ not so obvious.
school have no concerns academically is brilliant and we have never had any other professional involvement eg SALT or OT

i feel confused cos I have always suspected neurodiversity from a young age but have been dismissed by family friends etc comments like all kids are like that or it’s just a phase

the doctor I spoke to was great and explained and went into a lot of detail as to why they had come to the outcome of a diagnosis but I’m still not sure!

Why don't you think the assessment and diagnosis is valid?

How autistic people present can ebb and flow throughout life. It doesn't mean they aren't any less autistic or their diagnosis isn't valid.

I’m querying whether the ADOS is accurate and have been trying to find out more about how accurate and reliable it is
I feel like they only met my child for 1 hour and query if that is enough time to come to a conclusion for a diagnosis

A diagnosis isn’t made on the basis of the ADOS alone. It forms part of the picture along with the other information collected.

The developmental history taken by the psychiatrist may well have been the ADI-R or similar.

ADOS is one of the gold standards tools.

You will be currently in denial. Even if you have suspected Neurodiversity, a part of you will have been hoping that you were wrong.

He is still your wonderful boy but has a “ label” to explain some of his differences. Give yourself some time and embrace any post diagnostic support and courses. Meeting other parents often helps. Good luck on your journey.

OP, I was in the same boat as you. My 6 year old was diagnosed last year. I wasn't 100% sure at the time. However, since the school has spotted similar traits in my uoungest child, and I've also reflected and seen things in myself with are ASD traits, I've become more accepting. I did wonder if he was autistic since he was tiny, but when he actually got diagnosed a part of me wasn't ready to hear that. But actually the diagnosis has opened doors to a lot of support for him and he's doing great.