Advantages of a diagnosis?

[ihatecbeebies]

I'm having various problems surrounding DS's SN, he has possible (although personally I think there is no possible about it) high functioning autism, developmental dyspraxia and adhd. But the main problems stem from family not believing, and struggling to get a dx. I'm being told by various different health professionals and school staff that DS is still entitled to the same help with or without a dx, but after reading several posts on here I'm starting to doubt that...

What benefits have you all found with having a diagnosis? Hopefully if I approach CAMHS or the autistic diagnosis team here with a list of why DS should have a dx something might be done.

Mostly it stopped me feeling like I was crazy. That's the main reason I'm paying £400 to get a dx for DS2.

I hate having to qualify everything with 'well he doesn't have a dx but....'

It also allowed school to get help from the ASD outreach team.

Agree with Indigo. School are treating ds as "if he has" "just incase he has" "has he?" It varies from week to week. They dont understand it all and cant get access to outreach to help them understand it all without a dx. It would finalise it for them in that "he has and thats it"

I stop going potty researching, reading, wondering and doubting my own parenting sometimes. Family can be told "It is so put up with it, help with it or disapear"

With us, it helped and stopped me going back and forth of is she, isn't she. It also meant that school have to put in a certain amount of support for them, i think it helps staff make quicker work of working out the help to give. It gives me a reason to explain dds behaviours and not feel guilty about making changes for them.
For dd1 it's really helped her understand why she feels and acts differently, why she struggles with certain things and that she isn't just "weird".

It is also the only way to get autism advisory worker here, which is a weekly one to one autism trained teacher into the home and a group session too.

Nothing medical or school...he did become eligible for community education provision, he now goes to a youth group for teenagers with ASDs. (Which has actually been amazing for him, even though it sounds like a small thing)

It does help with...

Random teaching staff can't decide that he doesn't have it , you've got the DDA to beat them with (much harder to do without a diagnosis of something that is considered a disability) it makes it much easier to pass on information, it's so much easier to say that he has AS than to list everything that causes an issue.

Mostly, and it is what convinced the Paed to finally diagnose him - he wanted it, he'd had years (he was diagnosed at 13) of being aware of his differences and it was affecting his self-esteem massively, it's helped him loads with feeling better about himself.

For us it meant school had to acknowledge dd needs support, even though she seems ok to them. In turn, when school became more supportive things got a bit easier in general at home. When things slide at school, it shows at home. I can write a letter to dd's teacher saying she is late because we had sock issues and know the teacher will not say to dd 'That's not a good reason' (has been said pre dx when sensory issues made mornings total hell)

CAMHS provided good support throughout and helped us to deal with dd's anxiety. It hasn't helped us to access any services/groups, the dx isn't common in the UK and nonverbal learning disorder doesn't really explain much to anyone so I still have to list her issues. First on the list, she is not non-verbal...

It has helped. Reflecting back on what has been a very long process (dd is 12 next month), I sometimes think maybe it's now me that needs to speak to a psychologist