Asd assessment video call

[blackteaplease]

I've been given a date for a paediatric call as part of ds diagnosis. I'm panicking slightly at what is involved. Can anyone share their experiences and give me any tips for preparation? I want to get this right.

Hopeful bump

It will be fine, we had this appointment face to face, but it was 90% me answering questions while DS played / complained. So if you can't get them interested in the vidio call it won't be the end of the world, just maybe have something set up to keep DC busy while your talking.

Have a list of all your concerns handy, I also took a list from nursery though that isn't necessary, they'll speak to school / nursery separately anyway. They also ask about any family history of autism, questions about their birth and baby milestones and any other health conditions they may have.

I tried to give examples when they asked if DS did or didn't do certain things, but mostly it's just a case of answering the questions honestly. They cover all the common areas of concern then at the end they ask if there's anything you want to add, then you can check your list in case anything hasn't come up.

It is really nerve raking though, all the doctors I've met have been super helpful and friendly, but I still spent half the time panicking that I'll say the wrong thing and some how delay the diagnosis. Just take deep breath and try to stay calm, they genuinely are trying to help, and the ones I've seen seemed to really try to give you opertunities or even prompts to say the things they need to hear.

Deep breaths! Once the assessment is over you will be given contact details and there will be a follow up call/email where you can say anything you may have forgotten if need be. Stay calm

Is this the first assessment or a BOSA? In some areas the process is changing due to video calls and the ability to have several different agencies present.

I recall my first assessment took quite a while because they ask about everything going back to when he was a baby age when first words/sentences spoken, early conversational skills, physical development, coordination, eating/toileting, sensory issues, phobias, fears, quirks you noticed etc. If you still have a Red book and it's filled in properly, keep it handy but no worries if you don't.

There are a few meetings to get through and you will get this sense of "Aah what if I fuck it up" before all of them because it takes so long to get through the damn assessments!

As @Sprogonthetyne says they don't want to trip you up, they understand that you are not be an expert on ASD so you may have noticed things and not realised that it's a sign of ASD. They know how to get that info out of you, just answer as best you can.

Don't worry about rambling on either, apparently that's par for the course!

Thank you both. It's the first assessment but I've waited for 15 months just to get to this stage and I was definitely afraid I would mess up somehow.

I've got the red book and I will dig out the referral form and the OT questionnaire I have already filled in for reference.

Just coming back with an update as I had the call this week. As you both said it would be it was an in depth call, around 45 mins. Ds did not want to engage and wore his hood up the whole time, he also misunderstood a few questions as he is very literal. The doctor confirmed that ds has autistic traits and so the wait begins again for the next assessment.

Great update, that sounds really promising. For us, once we'd had the initial appointment, the others following relatively quickly, and we got the diagnosis within a few months, so fingers crossed it will be the same for you.