Why are so many services ASD specific?

[lou031205]

Why does a child need an ASD dx to access many of the services available, when a child with SLI or GDD may have similar needs/difficulties? What is 'key' about an ASD dx?

It is something that seems to pop up frequently, but I have never seen an explanation.

What services do you mean? Obviously if it's autism support then you'd need an ASD dx.

Same question as wetaugust really, I work in a mainstream school and have worked with a number of other services to support children in my class with a range of sn. Most did not have an ASD diagnosis.

hmm have to admit here to access a lot of the courses here you need the asd dx even though there revlent for my ds to .

ASD may have comorbids of speech and language, dyspraxia, specific learning difficulties and all that jazz, but they are not part of an ASD diagnosis. My son has AS and has no need of any support other than to tackle the issues around being on the spectrum.
I have never had a child turned down for support linked to other needs because they didn't have an ASD dx, yes for many other reasons but not that.
If it is happening in your area, you need to challenge the providers to prove why it is necessary to have an ASD dx to access other services. Do you have proof that this is actually the case?

Here you can access pre-school sn services without a diagnosis - you need delay in two areas though. Not sure what it is like with older children.

One of the reasons that the ASD parental community has become more visible is that it is an invisible disability that can be denied, overlooked or judged as poor parenting or behavioural problems.
So we as parents have to fight as hard, or harder than other parents of sn children for provision and reasonable adjustment and recognition.
Whilst many professionals and NTs gape in disbelief and say 'But he doesn't look as if he has sn, and he's clever. So you must be making it all up'
So we look for others in the same situation, or further down the line to provide ammunition and information to support us. So perhaps we are more visible in forums.

I suspect that just because a service exists doesn't mean that kids will inevitably get loads of useful help from it anyway. /cynic. Like phoenix, main example that springs to mind is the NAS Help/Earlyboard courses.

Goblin - I'm surprised you class Speech and Language as not being part and parcel of ASD DX - are you think of Speech/Language as language delay, rather than more subtle problems such as social communication problems/semantic pragmatic problems?

We run a social communication group in school, and my son's secondary have several on the go. Just doesn't involve S&L 'specialists' so with my early morning non-functioning brain, I didn't make the connection.
His difficulties are with expressive and figurative language, reading facial expressions and understanding the body language.
I have a reptilian brain that wakes up when sun-warmed. I'll make more sense this afternoon!

Thanks for all of those answers . I suppose my question arises because I have been watching the "To dx or not to dx, that is the question" threads of Lingle, and others, who have been told that in order to get the help their child they will need to go through the diagnostic process.

DD1 has some features of ASD, but we are told that she doesn't lie on the spectrum, at the moment. However, she does have the attractive labels of GDD, Epilepsy, and now "Widespread Cortical Dysplasia". We are noticing the subtle shift in her clinic letter 'problem lists' from 'Delay' to 'Learning Difficulties - Special Educational Needs' since the MRI scan showed the cortical dysplasia.

So far, as she is in the preschool system, she has been fortunate to receive 1:1 funding without so much as a blink of the eye, following an assessment by the area inclusion co-ordinator. But I am dreading the next year as the battle for an appropriate Statement begins. Her SENCO says that she doesn't think I have anything to worry about, but I don't think she is very experienced, certainly never taken a child through the statementing process, and she doesn't have the knowledge of Mumsnet!

Perhaps I have just seen a pattern on here that isn't really there, and in part I was wondering where it might leave my DD, who seems to be in a bit of a no-man's-land with regard diagnosis.

I can't even find much on 'widespread cortical dysplasia' on the net. Googling just brings up loads about 'focal cortical dysplasia', but DD has it all over.

My daughter is 11 and has never got a diagnosis beyond GDD, as she has moved through the school sytem she has gone form MLD to SLD.

We have still been able to access services such as DLA, a blue badge, direct payments etc. I know it can be much harder to get a statement now but people on here can offer you loads of good advice with that.

Good luck!

I think it depends who is providing the services, for courses/services run by organisiations such as NAS an ASD dx is required & I am sure this is similar for other services, it usually comes donw to who has provided the funding & what their remit & eligibilty criterea is.
Although it can also work in reverse, I ahve heard of children refused places at language units because they have ASD dx & they don't accept children with ASD.

We also found pre school services to be a bit easier as they tended to be funded by the PCT but once ds2 started school you start gettign mixed up with the LEA red tape & then it seems obtaining the correct support does depend on the dx.
For example outreach support in MS classes for ASD dx children comes from county inclusion services BUT outreach support for learning diffiulties etc tends to be provided by SN schools outreach.
The support is there it just means you have to know who to ask depending on the service you need.