If SALT hasn't returned my call in over a week, and Speech therapy manager can't/won't answer my questions....

[TotalChaos]

Does it make you suspicious that the weekly school visits she promised at joint clinic aren't going to happen?

Or am I just a cynical old boot?

cyber - completely agree, I was a bit about that proposed role of SALT too. Partly why I pressed for a paediatrician review.

A SALT alone shouldn't be diagnosing ASD. Yes, they can pinpoint the differences between delays and disorders with relation to language, but as you know there is more to being on the spectrum than that. They need to look at any routines or obsessions your ds may have, any stereotypical mannerisms/stimming he may do for a start.

They being the whole team of people who should be looking at your ds I mean.

Agree with bullet. A SALT can't diagnose ASD (and ime will go out of the way to avoid any sort of ASD dx even if they strongly suspect it).

pondering the convo this morning, I"m wondering if the lady I spoke to meant that the SALT would refer back to joint clinic if she suspected ASD rather than make the DX herself. presumably DX made by community paed would be definitive though?

Yep paed best, clinical psychologist next best....

ds1 had multidisciplinary. Clinical told us she suspected ASD but we'd have to wait for the review meeting after the multidisciplinary. Paed got in a strop as apparently he was meant to say that (we didn;t care and had known 100% ASD for at over 6 months by that time and had suspected for over a year).

thanks yurt. so should joint clinic have had a clin psych rather than an ed psych?

clin psychs are definitely above in pecking order. ed psychs shouldn't really diagnose ASD (although I know some do). A paed dx is the most robust though.

Ds1 was diagnosed as part of a multidisciplinary team which included a clinical pyschiatrist/psychologist (I forget which) and an Ed Pysch. There was also a SALT, an Occupational Therapist, a Physiotherapist, a Social Worker and a Nursery Nurse attached to the Unit all giving their individual opinions.

so basically services in your area are somewhat better than in mine Bullet. The lack of DX happened after only an hours appointment, so hardly seemed the most thorough of processes....

It does seem that the 'services' in your area are poor even by the standards of the system. They seem to be sending you from pillar to post with no result in sight. We got a diagnosis in less than an hour at our local hospital but the professor has over 30 years experience with autism in childhood research/diagnosis. The multi disciplinary approach is time consuming and possibly is used to avoid anyone having to take personal responsibility for what is a devastating dx - though most parents will have been well aware of it looming from about 18 months onwards when NT children forget ahead making the oddities of the ASD child more apparent.

forge ahead - not forget ahead!

It does seem as though you are being shunted around TC. They could be right and your ds has a language disorder as opposed to ASD, but a brief meeting is not going to help establish this.

on the upside, if DS needs to go to a language unit it will probably be easier if he doesn't have an ASD diagnosis. ho hum.

oph yes definitely. Happened to an old neighbour of mine. They uhhmed and ahhed, he didn't get ASD dx, but he did get language unit and has done very well there. With ASD dx he would have either got MLD or mainstream. Language unit was a much better option.

At the joint clinic it was felt that DS should do a term or two in reception, then they would look at whether or not he should go to a language unit. Since he isn't starting a new school for reception I can live with that. Atm it seems to be felt by school and private therapist that he is doing too well to need to be at a language unit (and I do trust private SALT, as she has been honest thus far).

I was told by one SALT that DS couldn't go to a language unit if they found any LD other than language problems - seems she was unaware that the city has an MLD language unit .

It is so bloody tedious going over the same stuff with different people over and over again.
Have you thought of making a Communication Passport?

We do a lot of these and they do get read and passed around (esp. if nicely produced with lots of family pics. for people to nose at) far more than dull old reports which are often never read by teaching asssistants at all as noone thinks to pass them on.

Effective dissemination of up to date info. is vital but unfortunately not often done.

(The spiel with my link says it's for a non verbal person but in fact useful for anyone with comm. problems and a great way for paretns to pass on the stuff that they know mattters.)

thanks for the communication passport idea, will look into that, had a brief whiz through your link MD. and thanks TC.

new salt is doing a home visit next week prior to doing a nursery visit. so maybe I have been unfairly suspicious, fingers crossed eh.