waiting to get diagnosed

[buzzzybee]

hi

my son who will be 3 in april is waiting to be diagnosed we've had portage come visit who said we will be 'priority' speech therapy starts in jan and now we have to wait for an appointment with the doctor and education psychologist is this who will diagnose? and then what happens? thankyou x

I don't know the answers to your questions, but didn't want to read and run

I'm sure someone who does know will be along soon

Hi buzzzybee,
Depending on your son's condition, it would be a paediatrician or child psychologist who gives diagnosis. The education psychologist will give advice on support your son is likely to need in pre-school and later school setting. This will probably involve talking to you and teachers once he is at pre-school, observing him at pre-school, possibly doing some cognitive assessment tests. They can also recommend if they think any other intervention from other agencies (eg occupational therapy, autism outreach) would be useful. They should help pre-school to draw up an individual education plan for your son, with targets and support needed to to achieve them.

There are three levels of support in school setting depending on level of need: school action, school action plus and statement of special educational needs.

Hope that helps but there will be other people along with younger dcs at same stage as yours who will know more.

Buzzy - what dx are you waiting for? ASD?

My son has Aspergers and was diagnosed much older (9) but what happened was that the paed asked the Ed Psych to observ him at school, and her report helped the paed make a dx.

As for 'and then what happens' if it's something like ASD - not a lot.

He's going to get speech therapy which is great, you might get a couple of OT sessions, and the school will be able to get help from the ASD team.

You will also be able to get support from all of us - and from any local groups that are running.

Hi Buzzy,

I dont know the answer your question but wanted to let you know that I'm in the same boat.

My son is 3 in March and we've just started on the road to a possible diagnosis for ASD. He's having some speech therapy and we're waiting for an appointment at a 'complex communication clinic' which will probably happen in the Spring and is where a multi disciplinary team will assess him for ASD.

Perhaps we can share our experiences over the next few months?

Nibsy

hi ppl

thankyou so much 4 all ur help it's all very confusing. x

we will be going to speech therepy in January Nibsy,is it group session? my health visitor said it could be :( he hates being in groups. we tried daycare and had the worst 2 day's ever . I think this is going to be a long road but i'm thankful i'm now getting somewhere after so many trips to the doctors to be heard!

please stay in touch Nibsy it would be nice to share experiences :)

where abouts are you? There are a few of us around the UK who might be able to give you a better idea of how it runs, each area is different.
DX takes about 12-18months for most people, unless its very clearly ASD.

DD1 has her dx but we are still getting DD2 assessed, she is 3 now. I have to say there is a lot more support for preschool in our area.
This board is very friendly and full of knowledge.

hi lisa123
i'm in lincoln Emids . we didnt get alot of help at 1st but after pushing we are finally being heard. i feel very alone sometimes but want 2 keep stong for my children,i have a 5yr old ,2 and half and 1 and half yr old , they keep me very busy! i'm hoping portage will be a big help but we are on a waiting list as there's only a small group in our area.

Can't help with what happens in Lincs I'm afraid but wanted to say don't stop pushing. It becomes second nature after a while because it's often the only way to get your child the help he or she needs.

Good luck.