Any disadvantages on an asd diagnosis?

[wishiwasonthebeach]

For a 6 year old child with mild autism. He's doing fine at school but socially he is very immature and doesn't read social cues very well.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a formal diagnosis?

I was like you wish... When DS was first assessed (he was over 2 and a half) and it came out inconclusive and the professionals told me then and there, that he wouldn't necessarily get more help. I was livid, I thought what's the point of DS being assessed again if he wouldn't get more help. It wasn't until somebody told me that early intervention is best, that I begun to change my view and it was that same person who persuaded me to look into special schools, because I would of never dreamed of putting DS into a special school.

Yes a diagnosis does have it's downside, but I would rather DS gets all the support NOW so his better equipped when he reaches adulthood.

I'd just like to say, my DD is 12 and in mainstream. A lot of her time she can "pass" for "normal". But it is just that, and having the diagnosis means that strategies were put in place for her transition to secondary. It also means if everything falls apart we have a diagnosis to explain why and to work with.

Her "normal" is highly eccentric, but is far more livable with when no one is trying to get her to "conform". She does her best but doesn't get the social rules, and only conforms to the optimum point for her - as conforming takes a lot of effort and will never be totally "natural".

At 6 I don't think anyone really suspected she needed a diagnosis - she was very like her friends. The gap widens as they get older.

So diagnosis doesn't mean you have to go to special school, it just makes that or a specialist unit an option (we were considering the latter if this year fell apart, and it might still become the option we need to push for).

I hear you. We were in this position (when DS was 3) - age 6 he's matured into fitting the diagnosis very obviously.
Your DS - it could go in a different direction, there is that chance.

Why don't you ask the school SENCO whether the diagnosis will bring any extra support?

(Our SENCO said keep it in place, because it did bring extra support, including funding for the school & yes, he really needs it now)

To be honest Banana.. the SENCO can say what she likes. It's up to the OP (The parent) to decide to seek a diagnosis and to make sure her son is supported, whether the school says a diagnosis will bring support or not. Unfortunately, it most often comes down to the parents to seek the support for their children. Many people are misinformed that once you get a diagnosis, you get a lot of support from the school.

Technically you should, but in reality this is not the case. Of course, there are some schools that are very supportive of children with SEN. But it tends to be the parents who shout the loudest that get the support for their children.

wish I would pursue the diagnosis and get the support for your son now. Don't worry about the misdiagnosis, you can pursue that later on. I was very upset when DS was misdiagnosed with MLD. Even though, at the time of his diagnosis, ( and I knew he did not have MLD) I was prepared to leave it and pursue a second opinion later down the line.

I only pursued to get a second opinion as DS was assessed by many professionals and they urged me to get him retested as they felt he didn't have MLD and also the special school we wanted didn't accept children with MLD (they accepted DS with the diagnosis anyway as they knew he didn't have any learning difficulties), but the LA were using the diagnosis to put him into an MLD school.

But please get him the support now, before he breaks apart.

Will teachers lower expectations

Not in my experience, but teachers will be alert to potential problems and they will be less likely to assume that he’s just being rude/bossy/naughty. (Well there are probably exceptions, but then there are always occasional aresholes in life! One of my friends' kids has been bullied by a teacher, no SN involved. My DS has not.)

or treat him any different?

Yes. For example my DS’s teachers simply tell him when he has said something inappropriate. They rarely get angry and scold or punish, as they might if they didn’t know that he doesn’t always understand what’s appropriate.

My DS was given a lot of support at primary school. He needs (and gets) much less now. At secondary he asked not to not have a teaching assistant nearby; the school were happy to try withdrawing that support, and he was fine without. As he’s grown older he makes more of his own decisions. When he is 18 it will be his decision to disclose his diagnosis, or not. And other people will not have the right to pass it on without his agreement. He is high sets academically and the school expect him to go to university.

Social demands increase as children get older; but at the same time children mature. So things can either get better or worse as your DS grows up and that can change up and down - if his social development gets out of step with the other kids he might have problems again. And it can be harder for a teenager who is starting to get self conscious to accept help that’s being offered or accept a diagnosis than for a younger child.

Good luck. We had no choice about getting assessment done because DS was obviously not coping at all; it's not an easy decision when you have a child who seems to be coping

My son is currently undergoing assessment and we have weeks of typical NT behaviour as if he is a normal 6 yr old boy and then I think to myself he is fine nothing to worry about- but as soon as something goes wrong or out of routine we will have weeks of meltdowns, irrational fears, different voices, clinginess, anxiousess over silly things and just plain difficult behaviour. He is exceptionally bright but also very very logical and if something in the world isnt logical this sets him into flipout mode. At school this past year he has the most fantastic teacher who hasnt seen many problems- but on closer analysis the reason she hasnt seen any problems is because she knows him so well she knows how to be with him and how to explain things to him and she was doing all this naturally- if he has a supply teacher or PPA cover the teachers find him exceptionally difficult - we had problems with him in yr 1 as the teacher wasn't quite so able to relate to him. My DH is on the spectrum although he is in denial- he spent a year in a school for children with behavioural problems, didnt speak till he was 5, never played with other kids and is generally quite hard to live with. He also refuses to look after our son as he cant cope with his behaviour but he is 10 times worse when his dad is around - a bit like he is with different teachers as he doesn't feel comfortable and safe. However DH refuses to believe there is anything wrong and will not be part of any of the appointments and thinks a diagnosis is a label and will ruin his life!!!!!