Just wondered how other people have supported older kids through diagnosis and its impact on their personal identity?
Although DS (12) has been struggling in school since reception, and it's been eggshells at home since an early age, it's taken until now to get an ASD assessment. ADHD was diagnosed last year.
I didn't feel there was any choice other than to go ahead with an assessment to try and understand what is going on for DS, as he finds it hard to attend school and can be very challenging at home. But DS has been crushed and unsettled by the diagnosis (and generally finds any interaction or direct communication around his difficulties very hard to tolerate). We don't have the full report yet, but there is a lot of demand avoidant behaviour.
Completely understandably he does not want to be labelled as having a disability or to be perceived as different by his peers. Has anyone got any experience of supporting a child through this? Can anyone recommend any positive resources he could explore at his own pace?
And any general advice as to what to do next - we don't have anything in place other than an informal school plan around his ADHD. I think he is a bright child who is not currently meeting his potential because he finds school so stressful and his ADHD meds are not yet optimised for inattention (QB results).
Any advice would be really appreciated.