Hello, I'm just looking for an idea of what to expect at the initial meeting with a pediatrician as we have our first appointment next week. My son is now 19 months and I first raised my concerns with our GP about his physical and social development when he was around 5 months old. We've gone through various assessments with our HV and after months of 'watchful waiting' we're now finally going to see a doctor.
I have absolutely no clue as to what the doctor will want to discuss so I was planning on writing all of my concerns in a list for reference during the appointment so I don't forget anything which may be relevant. It's a telephone appointment so I'm also worried that the doctor not being able to meet and assess my son in person will mean that they'll need to rely more heavily on my description.
I'm wondering if there's anything I should be asking the doctor? In terms of resources already offered, our SALT referral won't kick in until he's 2 and our local children centre is running informal sessions but these have long waiting lists right now so we're not able to access them.
He currently has no expressive/receptive language and very limited functional gestures (no pointing, waving), amongst many other red flags for autism. He scores 11 on the MCHAT test. We've had his hearing tested and they were happy to discharge him but I resisted as he had glue ear so he's being retested next month. For a while I convinced myself it could be an issue with his hearing, mostly out of denial I think, but I've since come to terms with the fact that there is more going on with him.
I'm not expecting any diagnosis next week but I'm trying to prepare myself for what they'll want to know and what sort of outcome I can expect from the appointment. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.