A poll about dx of ASD...

[pucca]

After to speaking to a mum of a boy with ASD yesterday I found myself rather wound up.

Basically she said that my ds can't have ASD as they diagnosed her son within 10 mins of 1st appointment. We are 18mth down the road, and have been referred to CAHMs as my ds is very complex (Although I have had a verbal dx of ASD and ADHD)...

Sooooooo

If your dc has been offically dx with ASD how quickly was this confirmed?

Thanks

It was about two years from me raising first concerns to the official diagnosis.

With lots of portage, speech therapy and many assesments inbetween

She's wrong, getting a correct dx can be involved and complex in some cases.
She's talking about it using her experience as a template rather than as a single example.
Mine got a dx at 8 fairly quickly because we'd eliminated all the other possibilities.

It was 18 months from first comment/concerns from reception teacher to dx in August this year. They do not rush these things - as many of us know!

The paed told us she was pretty sure he had ASD at our first appointment. Confirmed at 2nd appointment a few weeks later after she had observed him at pre-school.

dd1 was dx/d at 2.8, which seems quite early on, and lots of people assume it must have been a straightforward dx, but it was anything but!

(well, it was pretty clear and straightforward to me)

I first raised concerns with my HV when dd1 was 8 months old. yes, really. she was pretty extreme, though, and very shut away at that age.

I was still left to "wait and see" though, and nothing was done, not even a referral on until dd1 was 16 months old. we were then in the system, and it took a further 4 motnhs to see anyone, and so on.

finally, after seeing at least 4 different community paeds, and getting referred on to the social & communication clinic (with assorted SALT/portage/genetic screening along the way). within 20 mins of our social and comms appt, the paed and SALT looke dat each other and said "I think there's little doubt" - well, I wish all the others had been so sure!

so it took us 2 years, really, despite dd1 being severely ASD.

To add, the paed appointment was about a year after we started discussing his "issues" with pre-school.

She's talking out of her arse! Every child is different and every area has a different iagnostic process.
DS2 was first seen by a psych at about 2 yrs old but it took about 2 yrs to get final dx.
But he had other dx already (cp, gdd etc) so sometimes its not so simple.

It took about a year from expressing cocern to GP to getting diagnosis. But I also think that whilst professionals may sometimes have a very good idea of dx after only a short time, they are often v careful to go through process and check with other professionals before they make a formal diagnosis. With dd2 - everyone knew, but paed still more or less insisted we have multidisciplinary assessment, before she would commit herself.

It took almost 2 years from first referral to dx with cahms

3 years in total from bringing up concerns to getting a dx
two goes at CAMHS.. Two peads, SALT, two OTs.. A twelve months wait for ADOS.. Plus some appointments after to clarify what exactly was going on.
( he was a bit of a complex case).

From referal for asd testing to dx was 16 months

Two years from first referral to CAHMS, eight years after concerns first raised.

Oh just to add.. we had the correct verbal dx within 5 mins of CP meeting ds2.. We did have to go through the hoops though.. And ds's father objected to testing also.

from start to verbal dx was 9month, with DD1 but written and full dx at 18month.

DD2 verbal dx at 6months but having full assessment will be at 11 months.

Blimey, it took us best part of five years to get a formal dx for ds.

I first raised concerns with his health visitor at about two and a half, told to 'watch and wait'. We did, things didn't get any better.

First assessment age 6 with local CAMHS - inconclusive. That took well over a year. The community paed we saw at the first appointment said straight away she was '99% certain he had ASD' but he ended up with nothing.

We then went for a second opinion at the regional autism unit where he had a full day's multi-disciplinary assessment and got the dx on the same day. He was 7 and eight months by the time that came through.

Writing and tweaking the report took about six weeks.

My DS1 was DX'd with Aspergers at 3yrs old. Process took 12m from first GP visit.

Pucca, is she not that bright perhaps? Took a verbal 'probably' as an official DX?Is her DS v obviously ASD? Saying your DS 'can't' have ASD sounds a bit ignorant tbh.

Plus was it done in a different NHS trust perhaps? It's a postcode lottery whether you get a decent multidisciplinary observation and assessment process or whether some consultant with golf on his mind squints at your child and says yes or no.

went to GP in July for paed referral following private SALT assessment - she suggested to rule out ASD - paed appointment was in October & we came out 1.5 hours later with a diagnosis of ASD + Language Delay. No previous concerns, only issue we had was language delay.

We're going for review in October after ASD SALT & CAMHs psych raised doubts about diagnosis. I think paed will change it to AS - which is bollocks, ds is atypical but autism is far more appropriate diagnosis than AS imo.

Raised concerns with GP, saw paed 2 months later and was diagnosed (HFA/AS) there and then! She had just turned 4.

I raised concerns at 9 months with DS2, he was given some tests and DX with Plagiocephaly but was told the behaviour side would have to wait until 2 yr old.

Had to fight HV at ds2's 2 yr check to refer him. She insisted nursery nurse and standard SALT came out, they were there half an hour and said someone would be in touch. A few days later EP and behaviour SALT came out and it went quite fast from there. Autism was mentioned at third appointment and confirmed 4 months in. Formal DX given 2 months later after ADOS. So 6 months in total.

DD2's diagnosis took 10 months. Nursery teacher first let me know of her concerns in October last year and her formal diagnosis was made last month.

Autism was pretty much what they had decided on from the beginning though, it was more of a process of elimination regarding other factors that lengthened the process.

From the verbal - "I think he has autism" from CAMHS psych, it then took 4 months to get the ASQ and ADOS done and then that 'rubber-stamped' the dx.

I think it's possible to tentatively dx within ten minutes but formal dx never seems to be as quick!

Took a while to get any help,so not including that... but when refered to CAMHS it took 8 months...DS(6) took ADOS test but it wasnt any use, then refered again to someone else then diagnosed.

It took 5 years between my first concerns (aged 2) and his official diagnosis.

they generally don't like to diagnose until a child is 6 or 7.

Ds1 was also referred to CAMHS, which is where his diagnosis came from.