Multi-agency assessment review meeting tomorrow

[schobe]

Have DS, aged 3 yrs 5 months. Posted about him before when concerns raised at HV 2 year check (though under a different name I think).

He is attending a Special School Nursery 5 mornings a week which is very good. We do PECs with him - he's been doing it since about April.

I just wondered if there was anything anybody thinks is essential to ask or request at the meeting in which they give him a 'diagnosis'.

Am expecting them to say ASD, not sure what else they could say tbh.

Any tips?

Its quite a big question and I dont know what your main issues are with your ds. as he's attending SS i guess you have access to some specialists and specialised education packages? If they dx or not, i would be looking to use a multi agency meeting as a great opportunity to make the professionals accountable.. Ask whats next/ what follow up support they'll be recommending and offering. Then make sure you ask them who will refer and when you'll be refered to said service, and ask for a time frame. Make them accountable and insist on follow up. After our dx appt 10 years ago, we never saw the CH team again!
You might want - speech and language therapy, occupational therapy if he has sensory/ co-ordination difficulties, educational psychologist asessment to ensure he's getting right support at school, statutory assessment. also they shuld be able to tell you if there are any parent support groups/local support/ activity groups that would be relevant and of benefit to you/ your family?? Whether or not they dx you obviously have a dc who needs extra support, so I'd be thinking about what he needs and getting as much info out of the professionals as you can.
Make notes and dont forget to take them in, and take paper and pen and make notes in the meeting too.
PS if they do dx, brace yourself no matter how much you might be expecting it, it'll be upsetting. Good luck xx

Hi Schobe. I haven't any advice for you but I wanted to thank you for pointing me over to this section

I dont have much advice other than stay cool and calm if you can. Its very hard discussing your childs issues and hearing them worded by others.

Just keep thinking at the end of the day you are here to start a good road to helping your childs future.

Good luck xx

Bollocks! I totally forgot about starting this thread.

Thanks AlysWho, really useful ideas there, that's what I needed. Even after all this time I nearly forgot to push the 'what happens next' agenda. Easy to forget when he's cosy in his SS. Also forgot about parent support etc.

Thanks too coff33pot, I am concerned I'll suddenly have a mega snot-filled break down totally unexpectedly. Am girding loins.

Hope it went well at your meeting..

Yes, it was fine thanks. Dx as expected and don't feel any different about it than the day before thankfully.

I do hate how they pussy-foot around and talk in gentle hushed tones, but then I probably would do the same. I guess they never know how a parent is going to react.

Thanks for the tips, they were very useful.

I am glad it all went ok :) Yes they do talk the softly softly way personally that makes the situation worse and I much rather they spit it out and have done with than go all round the houses in a whisper fashion

At least the dx bit is finished and no you can move on to further help :)