Hi, I've been a long time lurker here and thoroughly enjoyed myself laughing, crying, sympathising and getting the info I needed.
I think I may need some support in the coming months going by the experiences of a lot of mums on this board.
I'll try keep it brief and not bore you all to death...I am good at rambling!
DS1 (middle child) 10yo has had issues since birth, we and others suspect Aspergers (I know the term isn't used anymore)
Struggles at school, from 'low level disturbance' to refusal to go and meltdowns leading to restraining by usually 3 members of staff.
Difficulty maintaining friendships, not been invited to 'whole class parties' in 2/3 years.
A year behind at school because of health issues when in nursery
Sensory issues - the usual - seamless socks, no labels, hates other people eating food he doesn't like, smells, touch unless he instigates it etc
Huge meltdowns at home too, can last a couple hours
Monotonous speech on subjects
The list goes on
Anyway, 2nd time around we are expecting a Camhs app next month. Last time at ASD clinic they said he ticked a lot of boxes but not enough for dx.
We have good support through a behaviour and parenting worker who has reinstated his CAF. She is now a family friend through our contact and she was the one who suggested he be assessed again as she sees a lot of ASD kids and DS1, to her, seems very ASD
My question today is, how can we prepare for the appointment to get as much out of it as possible? What should we say/not say? I tried v hard last time to show them that as parents we had spent a lot and I mean a lot of time helping DS1 to cope with the outside world, coaching him, teaching resilience, manners! and coping mechanisms. I'm afraid that this will 'mask' a lot of his behaviours/traits in the assessment because he is a very polite child (at times!) and wants to be liked/accepted/like others.
And any other support will be greatly appreciated in the coming months!