Age limit to ASC assessment?

[donkeyderby]

Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but has anyone heard of an upper age limit for diagnosing ASC?

DS has SLD and a diagnosis of ASC from a psychiatrist. However, this was done without an assessment and the school have consistently disagreed with the diagnosis.

I would really like an assessment done but am being refused on grounds of his age and the fact that 'most kids with SLD present with ASC-like behaviours'. I also keep getting asked why I want a ASC assessment. I suppose it's because I think a diagnosis could be helpful - is it?

Hi, DD, sorry if I remembered you wrong, but is your DS, down syndrome??

There is no age limit, I am aware of people locally being diagnosed into tehir eighties

but

I am also aware that some areas do not maintain an adult diagnostic service so that effectively caps the age limit within a PCT.

Here we have a Psych who has a speical interest iN ASD and LD and has the remit of diagnosing complex cases such as adults (becuase of the fact many have elarned behaviours that 'mask' the dx) and people with LD. I know she takes referrals but I also know you are a long way away from me (because of my friendship with 2shoes, don't worry, am no stalker LOL); I think you'd need to establish whether a similar service exists close to you, maybe even accessing the Lorna Wing Centre?

Sorry, forgot to say his age - 14. No, not Down Syndrome but definitely some sort of syndrome as yet undiagnosed. Has dysmorphic features and multiple disabilities.

He would still fall under children's services, but the same CAMHS team who see him and who have diagnosed my friends (younger) children won't assess him. I don't know many children with dysmorphic features who get a diagnosis, whatever their behaviour. Perhaps it's because so many children with an ASC diagnosis look perfectly normal? Just guessing.

I will look into the Lorna Wing Centre - thanks

possibly asking the obvious but has he been checked for fragile x

Yes, presume so. He's had various genetic tests over the years and - on our insistance - still gets to see a geneticist once every few years for any more available tests. So far, we've drawn a blank. He's got lots of Angelman-type symptoms and behaviours

ALthough no Paediatrican has ever mentioned it, ds3 does have some dysmorphic features- and we had a long battle to get a dx. However many kids with ASD have some dysmorphic signs- large heads are well known but as it can run in parallel with so very many other syndromes anyway it's often hard to separate.

I do think the Lorna Wing Centre would be about right for this.

DD, a child I know has just been DX'd with Angelman at 16 - don't know why it took so long as it was pretty clear!

Maybe it's because they stop doing genetic tests after a few tries with negative results. We had to insist that DS remains in the system for genetic tests - they were not going to follow him up once he was school age.

I believe that there more than one tests for Angelmans, so perhaps it's a newer test that wasn't around when this child was younger?