had community paed today

[saladsandwich]

he is seeing ds in another 6months but i just dont understand what is happening.

he scores so well on some tests not others.... he asked me about ds's obsessions but today he said, i dont think he has autism he is affection towards me (but i am the sole person he is affection to) and that obsessions are common at this age? (ds is 3) he wants him to have some blood tests to see if his delays are linked to a disorder?? i dont know if this is common or if it's because ds has some medical issues they are dong these tests, he said ds is delayed now by 12months in speech (was originally 9months) he is delayed in imaginative play, and he as a small delay in fine motor skills (6months) but he is very very good at other things.

i think the blood tests he mentioned chromosome tests with something specifically linked to languae delay.... they are putting ds's behaviour down to language all the time. i know it isnt his language grrrrr he as plenty of language now just doesnt use it efficiently iykwim

but on a plus note he is sending reports to the nursery and recommending a school action plan? and he is seeing him again so thats something i suppose.... he said there is nothing he can do about speech therapy discharging him he says they like to get into schools now and teach the staff skills to deal with speech problems.

i dont know whether to be pleased or not, no answers yet again he definitely hasnt got ADHD and looks like the paed as written off autism

It's so hard, isn't it.

The good news is he's seeing him again - so nothing's been entirely 'written off'.

Keep a diary of all your concerns for the next 6 months.

Hopefully then you'll have a lot more 'evidence' to help the paed make a dx :)

Doing bloods for all sorts of things is sensible.

Doing bloods is normal: there are a few things that could look like ASD but which aren't and have to be ruled out. Agree with Indigo that you should keep diary of concerns for next 6 month appt. Frustrating as it is a long process!

I would agree...I started a diary, the day after our first app with paed, also I compiled a detailed summary of his issues under headings, social communication, behaviour, speech and language, sensory. etc, and emailed to paed before our next app.

How do the staff at nursery view your son, have you had a meeting to discuss any concerns they may have. I decided from the outset that I would manage this and have gently (sometimes,not so gently) pushed everyone along.

I was fortunate that my sons pre-school worked with me and supplied the paed with detailed reports and at my request got early years inclusion support services involved. I don't believe either of these things would have happened had I not pushed them along...

My son was dx with Autism, 5 months after his first app with paed, again this would not have been possible with just my information, so my advice would be to go speak with his nursery and start gathering up information and get it to your paed before your next app.

Good luck

hi thanks

i have been keeping a diary, i'll ask nursery for some info they say hes ok, hes behind but he isnt a major concern to them. they have trouble engaging him, we are due a caf meeting soon and they usually ive a reporrt so will ask for a copy. had a phone call from SALT today and i stood firm and they are seeing him in 12weeks so hopefully they'll help him.

i'm worried ds wont get any help, i need our lives to be made easier i'm finding him hard work at the moment :(

ok...nursery say they are having trouble engaging him, I would be asking them to elaborate on this, alongside any other area's that they feel he is behind and get them to quantify why they believe this isn't a major concern to them.

they do try with him, they have been taking him to one side and doing work with him but ds is quite happy to be left, he doesnt interact with the other children as he should, he is quite happy to run about after them.

do you think i should ask if i can watch him in nursery for 30mins? or would i be better leaving it do you think and just going from their word?

Our Ds2 is ASD, high functioning and he he sounds similar to your DS. He had speech and language delay, he is now 4.5 and his speech has made progress but SALt do still work with him. Our DS is very affectionate, and tactile and always has been but he is very autistic in so many ways with obsessional behaviours. He is bright, can read and write and is skilled in many areas, but also has fine motor delay.
We were in your situation approx 12 months ago, but Ds was diagnosed with ASD in March, (I did also phone and cry to the secretary to get an earlier appt as Ds was due to start school and I didn't want to wait 6 months). Ds has also had lots of blood tests, but these just ruled out other conditions (fragile x). I don't want to bring you down, but many ASD kids are affectionate. Our DS is so good at many things and skilled in many areas.

Are you working with an early years service, early years senco? If not, push for this or get nursery to do it, and i guess your Ds will be starting school soon. If it will be this year you should think about arranging a meeting with the school you have applied to and asking them if they think they can meet his needs. You should start the process to get your DS assessed for a statement. You have the right to do this as a parent, or the early yrs service or senco should do it but you may have to push them as it is lots of paperwork. Don't wait 6 months, do it now, regardless of not having a diagnosis. Your Ds will have extra support needs when he starts school and will need some extra help.

nursery don't seem to think ds needs so much support, they have recognised the difficulties, they are trying with him but they don't se it as a massive thing. ds does have the senco as his key worker and he has made progress, im happy with the nursery provision, i could have moved him but i felt ds needed to be where he is happiest and the staff like him too.

he wont start school till 2013, he is in the local private nursery for now that is council run, he started on a scheme for 2 year olds, had to fight for the place as the scheme is for children most in need (in my area generally those in troubled homes) i know deep down somethings not quite right, he as been going to the childrens centre every week from 6 weeks old and still doesnt interact :(

i need to have a think for monday what i'm going to say to nursery and ask more than one of them their views on ds

our Ds went to a private day nursery as I work 3 days a week and he couldn't go to a pre-school attached to a school as they only offered the 3 hrs per day and I needed childcare all day as we have no family to help us. The nursery was just a normal private nursery where parents paid while they went to work. The nursery were very good with DS despite having very little SN experience, when he first started there we did not know he was ASD although we did have concerns about his speech. It ended up being a rollercoaster yr for us, ending in diagnosis and getting Ds's statement, and the nursery and staff were fab, but they did not have any ASD experience and probably would not have been able to spot the obvious signs that DS had ASD, and neither did we. Ds went there 3x 8hr days per week and had no 1-2-1 support at all. He coped OK, sometimes Ok, others not so Ok but the nursery coped with him, and he enjoyed it and was able to participate in the activities and he loved the staff and would often have a cuddle with them, but he never once interacted with another child, and still doesn't do this now. But, after all the interventions and help from specialist early yrs and SALT, and us being pushy parents he now has a statement, he is mainstream primary and gets 32.5 hrs per week, he is supported 1-2-1 the entire school day. And this was a child who the specialist early yrs service felt 'isn't too bad', and were reluctant to start the statementing process. His current teacher cannot believe that that was their view, (and she has done reception for 20 yrs) and she is pleased with Ds but agrees that without 1-2-1 support he would not be able to access the classroom and work/play activities.

I would advise you to ask nursery if there is an external specialist early years service (through your local authority) they can refer him to, this may give your DS some 1-2-1 support in nursery, and these are the people who should start the process to get your Ds a statement, if he does need one, well before he is due to start school. Ask for as much external help as you can get at the moment. Nursery should definately have other services they can call in, and if not go onto your local authority website and look up any early yrs services/portage that is available and make some phone calls. You have lots of time to get things in place before your Ds starts school. Good luck for Monday. Sorry this is such a long post!