Poss ASD - school SENCO to observe

[podsquash]

Hi all you lovely helpful people on here,
I went to the GP recently with some concerns about my nearly 6 year old son. Have been before but have been reassured several times, but it keeps playing on my mind, so decided I want this sorted now. The GP said it is not a clear cut case (which I agree with - hence my own equivocation for so long), and that we should build a case by getting the school's take. I went to see his teacher and she has said that she'll get the school's SENCO to observe him. Then we'll all have a meeting and I'll report back to the GP so we can see what the next appropriate step is. Apparently the SENCO is quite experienced. But she isn't a disgnositician, is she? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

I guess it depends on what your school's procedures are. Our SENco observed DS2, then brought in the whole army - referrals left and right. I think ours just wanted a first hand view of what the teachers were telling her so she could put it in the referrals. She also asked us for a list of behaviours or concerns we had, which she also added to the referrals.

Is the SENco perhaps just getting the ball rolling on this, so that you can eventually get a proper diagnosis?

Our GP point blank refused to give us a referral to a paed, however, the SENCO at the school referred us to the school nurse, who then referred us to the paed. Can you ask your SENCO what their procedure is? Tell her your GP won't give you the paed referral and you would like them to arrange it.

I can only reiterate what Starlight has written.

It is all too easy to be fobbed off.

STar and Atilla are totally correct.

Your GP is pathetic to have given you that advice.

Many SENCOs know nothing at all about certain conditions and wouldn'trecognise them if they fell over a child with one.

Outrageous advice from your GP

The GP can't diagnose ASD, it needs to be a specialist paed. I don't see on what grounds they can refuse to refer you???

On the other hand, if the SENCO is more helpful, you may get more joy from a referral through her (if they do that in your area)....

....whichever way, it usually takes a while (which is good in a way- you want to make sure they've got it right)

good luck!

Back to the GP. Explain the senco is willing to observe and write it up... for you to show to the developmental paed who will indeed welcome the school's input. So please can you have your referral now.

I do think a lot depends on your area. Getting to a developmental paed through our GP at the surgery is an impossibility - I argued until I was blue in the face and could have cheerfully throttled the GP - but she insisted that ASD, dyspraxia and the like are all mental health issues not medical issues and refused to refer to paed, only to CAMHS. We took that referral as we knew eventually we'd have to see them. But the day after the GP appointment, I spoke to the SENCO again at the school, and she contacted the school nurse. Within 24 hours, we had a referral to the paed from the school nurse.

Bottom line, IMO, is that it doesn't matter WHERE you get the referral to the paed, as long as you GET it!! So talk to the SENCO, the GP again, the school nurse and keep talking to them until someone gives you the referral.

thank you all so much for this. It really isn't obvious to me (or any of the various relevant people I have spoken to over the years) that he does have ASD, so part of me thinks I could let it go if the SENCO said no need to take it further. BUT if I don't have a proper assessment by a proper diagnostician, then of course I'll always wonder. So I think I will take whatever the SENCO and teacher say back to the GP with a firm assumption that a referral to a developmental paediatrician is necessary. this will prob be okay as the GP put it that we need to 'build the case', so I'll take that as the SENCO's input being part of that rather than a breakpoint in the process. Thanks again, tho, you have all helped. Will keep you posted.

Good luck - and push hard

quick word with the teacher this morning...she said the SENCO is going to meet with her and observe him before Christmas, but said that the Ed Psych almost certainly wouldn't be willing to come out as they are so busy. So i said that I'd go back to my GP and see what could be done because none of the people in the equation so far are qualified to diagnose, and we'll be no farther forward without a pproper diagnosis. I've got an apppt with the GP tomorrow so will talk it through again then.

Another update on this. The SENCO did observe him and she and the teacher filled out a wonderfu diagnostic tool with lots of quantitative scoring (just up my street). It helped so so much, and was so much more information that I expected to have at this stage. It felt like we were talking about the same child - just slightly outside the normal range for cognitive engagement with peers, anxiety levels and disregarding others, but fine on most other things.

The SENCO did say that if I want to take it farther now then the school would send the request to a central pool who would probably send out a specialist teacher rather than an Ed Psych (given his profile) and that the specialist teacher would be looking at what else the school can do for him, which is likely to be not much at this stage.

I feel like I will let it all settle for a while and then look at filling in the tool with 'my' answers and seeing what comes up, and then go back to the GP. The SENCO also said she will keep him on her informal radar, I can meet with her as often as she likes, and so on. So I feel really well supported by the school on this, and impressed with their level of engagement.

Be careful. In my area they are now not offering diagnostic services to children over 7 - taking the view it can all be provided through education so you don't need a diagnosis. Just be aware if you leave it you may not be able to get diagnosed. Also you might have to wait up to a year for diagnosis.