New to SN - so saying hello!

[FlyingFig]

I've lurked on here for a while now and found it a really helpful board, but now that DS has been given some official diagnoses I thought I'd pluck up the courage to post and say hello

We saw a community paed yesterday, who diagnosed DS (6) with dyspraxia, hypermobilty, auditory processing disorder and almost definite Asperger's (the Asperger's was the only one she didn't give a concrete diagnosis but gave me a checklist to complete and she's referring him to CAMHS). Oh and she diagnosed something else connected to the problems he has with certain sounds, smells and textures but it was all such a lot to take in and I've forgotten what she called it

Anyway, most of it didn't come as much of a surprise (I've had my suspicions for the past couple of years) but after I dropped DS back at school I burst into tears and I still feel shocked at the enormity of it all. He's been referred for physio, SaLT, OT and as mentioned before, CAMHS.

I really don't know where we go from here; I know the school and the education department will be getting the report also so I suppose it's just a matter of sitting back and waiting to see what happens next?

EllenJaneisnotmyname - thank you for the information, it's very helpful. I'm not actually sure what support DS will need. Academically he's doing really well, but it's his social and emotional issues that (as far as I can see) affect him the most.

I had a quick chat with his teacher after school yesterday and let her know what was said by the community paed. She said they'd do all they could to support DS and would await the report. DS was off sick today with a stomach bug but she rang me this afternoon, saying she'd been worried that I might think she'd 'missed something' with DS because she didn't realise the extent of his problems. I told her that she's always been open with me about his emotional outbursts and his struggle with motor skills and that she should take it as a compliment that he manages eye-contact with her and trusts her. I ended up feeling like I was reassuring her! The only thing that narked me is that I almost felt that she didn't believe the diagnosis, she kept harping on about how he excels at reading and maths and hoe 'shocked' she felt with what i'd told her. I ended up having to tell her things about how DS is in public, his obsessive behaviour at home, which in turn left me feeling that maybe I was a fraud and had got it all wrong I felt like reminding her that he spent all of last year plotting to blow up the school with a bomb

She said she didn't think DS would benefit from one-to-one at this stage but the school would initiate contact with the LEA, with my permission in order to see what strategies they can put in place. Does that sound about right? Interesting that I can apply for statutory assessment myself, I really have no idea how any of this works .

Oh and she said they'll organise a meeting with me and DP once they have the report.

FlyingFig

Welcome. From memory a community paed can only provide a summary diagnosis for issues such as Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), so you will need to request referrals for a formal assessment and diagnosis.
For more information about the issues you have mentioned you could have a look at
Dyspraxia - Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Joint Hypermobility Syndrome
Sensory Processing Disorder
Audiology and Auditory Processing Disorder
Autism ASD

Thank you dolfrog, I will have a good read of those links tonight, looks interesting and better than what Google has found

The community paed said she'll refer DS to CAMHS, physio, SaLT and we already have an appointment with OT. Will any of those be able to refer him for specific testing/diagnosis of APD etc?
She said she wouldn't need to see DS again as she'd referred him to the people that could help him and that she wasn't going to refer him for chromosome testing (because she could see that his face wasn't 'dysmorphic', whatever she meant by that?) but that if his physical coordination deteriorated she'd request a brain scan? Was she talking rubbish? I must at this point I was wondering what she was blathering on about!

When we were in there I reminded DS that he needed to finish writing his numbers down to which she exclaimed "No help from the audience, PLEASE!" She was quite quirky herself

Sounds like the teacher is talking about getting either the Autism Outreach Service, (or whatever the equivalent is called in your LA, autism inclusion, autism advisory teachers, communication and interaction outreach etc, etc) or the Educational Psychologist (EP) or both to get involved. They are LA services to help assess your DS and advise the school on how best to support your DS. They would also be involved in any Statutory Assessment of your DS leading to a Statement of SEN. Have a read through the SEN useful mumsnet stuff up near the top of the thread, for a summary and the SEN Code of Practice which is the current legal requirements on LAs.