Can anyone give me any advice/info re ASD assessment?

[Nagashizzar]

My (nearly 7 year old) dd has just been referred to the Child Development Centre to be assessed for ASD as she has been having behaviour and social problems at school ever since she started nursery aged 3. I just really want to know what sort of thing to expect when we go to the appointment (will we have to talk about her in front of her) etc. and is this definitely the right place to go for a diagnosis? (I have seen CAMHS mentioned quite often on here and am not sure what this is).

Thanks for reading and any help gratefully received as am thinking about it all the time!

Hi, where in the country are you? My advice would be to analyse and write down all your observations of your dd's behaviour. Look at the diagnostic criteria for ASD and see if you think it fits. As a parent you are in a unique position to see and observe everything and get a full picture. Do you have any other children you could compare with (who are NT)? this helps.

Hi Might be worth posting in special needs too,LOTS OF HELPFUL ADVICE GUARANTEED,DOESN'T SHOW UP IN ACTIVE CONVOS UNLESS REQUESTED.HTH

sORRY FOR CAPITALS.

fwiw DEVELOPMENTAL PAEDS ARE OFTEN BASED AT THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRES AND USE A MULTI AGENCY APPREOACH AND CAN REFER TO ED PSYCHS,PHYSIO ETC ETC.HTH

Also forgot to say that a developmental paediatrician is the best person to see and the only one who can make a diagnosis.

CAMHS = Child and ADoolesent Mental Health Services

I think the child develpoment centre brings together a number of professionals to seee children. THis means that you only have one appointment and only have to go through the history once.

I think they may ask you things about her but I think they will be sensitive to her and will also ask her questions.

But I hsve not seen this first hand - you really need someone who has gone through this. You could always ring the centre and ask what to expect.

I hope you get some more information and things go smoothly for you.

Thanks for the replies BBee and ElectraBunny. I am in Derbyshire.
I forgot to mention that having up about it, I think the most likely thing she has is AS (if she has anything) as she talked from a very early age (ie definitely not classic autism). But sometimes I think she definitely is, then other times she seems likely a perfectly happy, confident little girl. It is really at school, in group situations etc that she shows up as being different. I have started to write things down as am worried I may forget things to say when I go to the appointment.

Anyway thanks for all your help feeling much ier. May go on the special needs section if she is diagnosed.

Go onto SN now, you'll get a lot of advice on strategies for working with her now. Early intervention is vital, and you may wait a while to get a dx (it took us nearly four years and two assessments). It's true to say that while 'normal' strategies won't work for managing an autistic child's behaviours, strategies for autism will work for most chidren, so it's worth going with ASD methods rather than banging away with the usual parenting techniques. But be careful, success can mask the problems so be sure to make notes of anything you're doing to help DD.

As for the assessment, it seems to vary regionally but there's on single test or assessment that will dx or give more of a hint than the others. You'll have autism-specific testing (usually ADOS), psychology testing, IQ etc, also Speech and Language, OT maybe - whatever else is deemed relevant as the process progresses. You SHOULD get some form of written list of the assessment process but it doesn't seem to be very consistent. You'll also have a lengthy parental interview in which you'll give a history of your child's development. We were specifically asked about how DS was age 4, compared to the present.

After all the components of the assessment are completed the team usually meets to discuss results and whether they constitute a diagnosis. At that point you'll either be told you have a dx and what to do next, or you may want to reqeust a second opinion referral if you still have concerns. Some health authorities will still treat a child without a dx if the presenting issues show a need, but it can't be guaranteed. And certainly schools are more likely to cooperate with a formal diagnosis than not.

Keep plugging away, and good luck!

I am in Yorkshire and have just had ds dx with ASD 3 days ago so CDC assess very recent. Don't worry about forgetting to write things down, honestly you will have so many people asking you so many questions, alot repeated too. The main time to write things down is for the discusion at the very end of it all.
It's very relaxed for dd and they will ask you things about her while she is busy doing something. There will be nursery nurses there getting her invloved with allsorts of stuff. At ds CDC he did...Painting, sticking, singing, playing games, puzzles,looking at books, ball pools and a trip to sensory room which he loved. They will test her hearing and eye sight too.

She will probably have a ball, you will be the one with the stress but try not to worry, i know easier said than done.HTH