Has anyone else had this kind of experience in heading towards a diagnosis

[mrslaughan]

DS is 6 - heading towards 7. We have just moved to UK, after living in 3 diff countries. Anyway he has never been straight forward and has received SLT and OT over the last 3 years. (SLT was because of speech delay, which we thought was caused by glue ear - he had chronic ear infections.)

So we are doing the full on assessment - seeing 8 diff specialists, who will all refer back to the main pead at GOS.

So had the assessment with the sensory and dyspraxia specialist - that took over 2 hours and I felt was really positive. He felt all DS issues come back to SPD and problems with his praxis....I am not sure if he said he felt he had dyspraxia but it was certainly what he implied. I asked about this interms of DS expressing himself, and how he struggles socially in large groups, when in small groups he is fine. (by small I mean 2-3 kids)...he had very good explanations as to why this is interms of sensory processing and praxis.

Saturday we had the social emotional session - told he was just a little emotionally immature, and gets frustrated that he can't get out what he wants to say as fast or as fluently as he wants too.

Today the psychiatrist, who spent about 10 min with DS and said - definitely mild aspergers, thats his diagnosis (he had already told me at the beginning he would probably disagree with the Sensory and dyspraxia expert...WTF)....I don't want to be a doubting parent, but really - 10 min's? I think (I say this because I do question myself) that I can accept that DS may have aspergers (and do realize he could have all 3) but it seems, a little flimsey? All the things that he pointed to as evidence of aspergers, were things the sensory and dyspraxia explained interns of those things......

The other thing is he assumed DS would not be competitive - where he is actually highly completive with his peers......(Don't even know how that is significant)

He also completely disregarded the questionnaire I had filled out - which ranked DS as normal - he said it didn't fit with what he observed, and I agree DS for some reason in this appointment today was very anxious/nervous, but said that he had asked me to fill it out, as I generally experienced DS (and I tried to also take into account feedback from school).

Oh he also said he wouldn't tell the school because he would be worried about discrimination, and I do see his point in this...but I am just bamboozled and wondering why we are spending thousands of pounds on this....

The one thing he did agree with the sensory expert is that OT is what he needs.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? Did you get clarity? or is that not what this is about?

Now I am off to research retained reflexes which I believe indigo bell has had great success with, with regards to her DS. Does anyone know if this is essentially the same as kinestheisiology?

Anyone? any insight?

I would be seriously suspicious of that pysch. Sounds like just wanted to get it out of the way. For a start, he is completely wrong about school, it is only other parents/children that may or may not discriminate. Schools can not by law, some do try but law state they the must make reasonable adjustments for a child with sn. In fact he sounds like he is completely out of touch, Pysch's do tend to think they know everything and I have heard a lot about pysch's trying to over turn others diagnosis'. I would speak to your paed, and explain you are not happy with him. IMO Paed over rides pysch.

Paed is definitely inferior to Psych when MH issues are at play.

How much faith I woudl have in Psych's dx would depend on how much experience he has in dx-ing ASDs and cognitive defects. Also, more confidence in him and his advice if he was UK-trained.

Yes - I do believe you can detect ASD traits in 10 mins. I can. I did it the other day just on sight and after 3 days with that person it was fully confirmed to me.

Just because the NHS strings parents along unnecessarily long before dx-ing (if at all) doesn't mean a quick dx is an unsafe dx.

Pyschs, NHS or private, do not undertand the school environment. 'Mild' to them is not 'mild' to us parents dealing with the behaviours. Alternaitvely your child's ASD may really be so mild as to not warrant any particular support. Only you and school can work that out.

At the mild end of the spectrum there really is very little difference between a dx of dyspraxia and Aspergers. They have so many overlapping symptoms. Most kids have both.

I wouldn't worry about it. Same support is needed for both conditions......

Is that my child? is one theory on it. It claims that they are both really part of 'developmental delay syndrome' and there is no real point in splitting hairs.

I have one DS with a dx of Aspergers, and one with a dx of Dyspraxia - and they have the same problems. So I really wouldn't worry about it.

Oh he also said he wouldn't tell the school because he would be worried about discrimination, and I do see his point in this...but I am just bamboozled and wondering why we are spending thousands of pounds on this....

Is he going to give you a full report WITH the dx on it?? If that is the case you can give a copy to the school yourself if you want to. A dx helps as an open door to intervention. You still have to argue for it most of the time but you have a valid dx that shows his entitlement to it. Without it is harder.

What you have to decide is if you are happy with Aspergers dx on its own or SPD/dispraxia as a dx sole or linked. If you are not happy then ask for a second opinion. I would see what all reports say collectively and what the Pead feels when he/she reads them.

And please, please, please don't worry about 'discrimination'.

You don't get discriminated against because of your diagnosis - you get discriminated against because of your behaviour!

Would you rather school thought your child had special needs and helped him - or would you rather they thought he was naughty and disciplined him.

You can't hide the symptoms which lead to a diagnosis.

Oh he also said he wouldn't tell the school because he would be worried about discrimination, and I do see his point in this...but I am just bamboozled and wondering why we are spending thousands of pounds on this....

It may be that he's presuming you will be educating him in the private sector where entry could (only could) be more difficult because of the dx.

"Oh he also said he wouldn't tell the school because he would be worried about discrimination, and I do see his point in this..."

Ino medical professionals often have no idea of what goes on in schools or what you might expect of schools, being either wildly optimistic or unrealistically negative. The consultant paed who saw ds told him that when he goes up to secondary he must never let on that he is disabled because he will be bullied to death. Ds is now at the loveliest most supportive secondary you could imagine with some of the loveliest children you could imagine- but he keeps getting detentions for not finishing his work on time because he will not tell the teacher when he is in pain or struggling.