Given two diagnosis, which one is correct?

[shey]

What do you do when you have had two proffesionals give you two different diagnosis and insist that theirs is correct. We have had a Severe Speech and Language delay diagnosis and an asd diagnosis. I know that the therapy overlaps but it is confusing and we really can't afford to have a third assessment done.

But parents need to be able to access resources. - So they need a dx from a pead. I'm quite capable of dxing children I see (haven't got one wrong yet ) but it would wholly inappropriate of me to dx obviously and even if I was right and the paeds were wrong wouldn't help a parent access services.

If parents see developmental paeds they usually get it right, and if they don't they need to carry on seeing paeds really (although a report from a SALT can obviously help the pead make the correct dx- and is why I was lucky to get a multi-disciplinary dx)

I also agree with Davros- I'd be furious if a paed decided whether I was ready to hear something or not. Part of coming to terms with the dx is to hear it. I do think its different coming from a SALT. For example the last private SALT we saw before coming to Devon did tell me we needed a multi-disciplinary assessment and said the problems were complex- which I think was appropriate. If she had told me she thought autism we would have then been waiting 6 months before getting the official dx. And sorry but as far as any other agency is concerned a dx of autism from SALTs don't count. One from peads do (although a sensible paed will ensure that a SALT assessment is carried out and will take that into account)

I still think it is not right for professionals to decide whether a parent is ready or not. Taking a year to accept it may be part of the whole process for the lady you mentioned and she can't start on that process without first having the dx. I don't agree that whether a parent is receptive or not, how much it will upset them etc should influence WHETHER a dx is given, it should influence HOW it is given though. That is the biggest problem, how dxs are given and the appaling lack of information on how to access services, support and information. I'm afraid that the SLT was the only one opposed to my DS's dx of ASD, she couldn't have been more wrong as she was only looking at his language and communication and not the whole picture (didn't have multi-disciplinary assessments in those days). I became quite good friends with her over the years and I liked and respected her but I'm very pleased she was not the person expected to dx.

just caught up with this thread - Jimjams, what profession are you - you say you are capable of diagnosing the children you see but it would be inappropriate to do so?

Yep spot 'em everywhere (not quite) Like i said yet to get one wrong. (but because it normally takes the medical profession about 3 years after I first get asked my opinion, my opinion never consists of anything more than asking for a referral). Anyway the point was - a dx- even a correct one- from someone other than a paed/clinical psych isn't much use for accessing services (not in the case of autism anyway). Althoguh of course a good paed should access all pros at his disposal.

Also about to start in research into autism (luckily bypassing the PhD route as I have on already-just in a different area, but think abother one would kill me- even if it was on autism). But would still be inappropriate for me to dx.