So DS has his diagnosis

[MiladyDeWinter]

We saw SALT last week who recommended an ADOS and the general community paediatrician today. Bless DS he displayed all of his challenging and ASD behaviours so she gave us the dx there and then. That's less than three months from the initial concern from his pre-school in late November

She had a checklist on which he had to fulfil six statements out twelve or fourteen and he matched all but one.

Bit but happy that things are moving now. He'll be going to a developmental playgroup as well as mainstream and will get a special SALT and a teacher at pre-school.

Starlight you might be interested to know that the paed thinks that ABA isn't evidence-based and purely anecdotal as an intervention strategy

Oh no I'm sorry - I didn't mean my comment to sound critical, I phrased it badly. Starlight has given me a lot of advice about ABA and I agree with her not the paed. It's a funding issue I assume. Maybe I should have used a wink instead of a grin.

Thanks for your good wishes

Or a "head all over the place" emoticon, like this

Thank you very much, I understand your frustration and I'm only at the beginning!

That's very good advice, thank you.

I know about systems. I was a primary school teacher once and couldn't cope with spouting the party line regarding funding, provision, curriculum changes and government directives based on vote-winning rather than sound research.

I have a fair few Aspergers traits myself so it was almost impossible and I was always getting into trouble for speaking my mind. I don't think I will ever be able to go back to it and will certainly never get promoted with my attitude. Plenty of my similarly (at least initially) idealist peers are at deputy head level now.

It's awful that the breakdown of relationships and conflicting agendas are the basis of your tribunal and complaint. I will search for your threads and read them. I do hope it all goes well for you. Best of luck

While i have nothing against paediatricians,I think it is really important for peopel to understand that they know next to nothing about the day to day stuff such as suitable education, activities of daily living and so on.
And indeed, why should they?

If you want advice and info on things liek that, go to other people (and bear in mnd that many of these people haven't a clue either).

None of that was very helpful was it?
Sorry, about that.It's true though.

I get you both, I do. I didn't call the paed on her views because I was temporarily blind-sided by the dx and the melatonin prescription! Not to mention the validation that DS is not the way he is because I'm a shit parent which I have had from family for two years now. It's bittersweet but was lovely today explaining that I can't "just tell him" to not be autistic.

Thanks for replying

And for the paed to say that re ABA is, I would say, bordering on unethicla in his/her wanton refusal/reluctance to acqaint him/herself with the basic evidence.

A quick fiddle with the NHS evidence based search engine yileds over 100 results for efficacy of ABA in various ways.

What an idiot

Bloody hell.

Indeed.
How dare these people fuck with someone's future just because they can't be arsed to acquaint themselves with robust scientific evidence?
It makes my blood ^boil6.

Don't paeds have a duty to do this? HVs don't have to update their knowledge AFAIK, but doctors?

Well it might be argued that too much evidence and not enough time which is a fair point.
In which case, one would expect the person to say'I don't really konw enough about this intervention so can't comment'

Either way,it emphasises the pointlessness in many (not all) cases of garnering opinion on such matters from these people.

People aren't generally aware of what they don't know though.
Generally, there is an interesting correlation.
Intelligent inquisitive people readily admit to not knowing things-they have nothing to hide.
Those who masquerade as 'experts' and/or fear being caught out, will pretend to know all sorts.
An air of confidence gets you very far.(Remember that and use this knowledge to your own advantage too.)
It's all very Emporer's New Clothes, it really is.