What to expect from SN assessment

[gs27]

My little boy starts his hospital SN assessment soon and I dont know what to expect - he has just turned 5 and we suspect he may have ADHD or mild autism, although,he started school in Sept and needs 1:1 even at lunchtime - he is hard work, he runs everywhere and I cannot take him shoppping as he will not wait in queues etc and just runs off and does what he wants but he is very clever, he is 2 years ahead in his reading and wrote a sentence last week with capital letters and an ! mark- i have been told not to worry he is just too clever or had comments that I have just spoiled him - any advice on how to prepare myself would be appreciated. cheers :-) x

they will want a detailed developmental history, from PG/birth onwards, so be prepared for them to ask if he sat/walked/talked at the usual times. will the assessment be with just the doctor, or will there be other professionals there as well (multidisciplinary). If it's just a doctor, I imagine they will run through some developmental checks - go through his cognitive/social/self-care and motor skills. School might be sent some questionnaires to fill in as well.

I was told Dd1 was the way she was because she was clever. I went on to have 2 more children Dd2 is NT and Dd3 has ASD guess which one Dd1 is very similar to.

The assessment should include someone asking you lots of questions about him, i recommend keepijg a diary of his behaviours/issues, what causes them(if you know) and how you deal with them.

They should also test his understanding, many children with adhd or asd have some difficulties with higher level comprehension skills. I expect someone will also play with him to see how he interacts and what his imagination is like.

All this could take some time, keep coming on here in the meantime, it is a great place for support.

Good luck

Thanks - just been told its with the pediatric dept -
I think I will write a list so that I dont forget to tell them anything -
He has had a few assessments over the last year or so but we have just been told 'he is behind with his social skills' so i'm now glad things are moving with the medical side.

thanks for you responses, this is my first time on this forum so your support is much appreciated x