What do I do?

[lizzy506]

What are the benefits of a diagnosis for Autism and possibly ADD?

its come as a bit of a shock that he could be. School have always said they didn’t think he was but have now changed their mind at 8 years old.

I think the benefits are mainly for support that may be needed going into adulthood, ie reasonable adjustments at work or extra protections against discrimination. I mean that's just what I think, and the reason I am seeking a diagnosis for my son.

At school age support tends to be needs based and therefore a diagnosis is not necessary for that extra support.

The process is different in different areas and at different ages ie we were only able to get referral through the health visitor. I'm pretty sure the school should be able to make the referrals you need and if not the first stop would probably be the GP. Did they not mention a referral or at least signpost?

You can discuss that with the paediatrician as you go through the process. Are you applying to be assessed for an ehcp too?

I don’t think we’d get anywhere with an EHCP as his needs can be met by school. This is why I’m not sure about going down the diagnosis route. I don’t know what it’ll add.

Personally, I think diagnosis is important for understanding yourself and for others understanding you. With ADHD, medication is also a possibility - even if you don’t plan to trial that now, you don’t know what the future will hold and you don’t want to hit the teen years, want to try meds then still have to wait for diagnosis first.

The majority of support is based on needs. There are a few exceptions such as admission to some autism specialist schools, the specialist autism teaching service in some LAs, some supported living placements, some autism social clubs.

Protection under the Equality Act doesn’t require a diagnosis.