ASD? possible diagnosis - any ideas please?
thanks
Answer:
Been through it 2 times- i was a wreck but it was the best thing. here is goes- initail meeting will be with (this can vary) teacher,assit. teacher, guidance counselor,principal (1 with/1 without with my cases),nurse, case worker. They will tell you what they see (or dont) in the day at school. Point out weakness and strengths, acadmic and social/emotional. They will tell you what they see as far socialization (lack/intent). They will then set up what is called the cst- thats all of the above people who will take childs medical background (make sure you tell of allergies, tubes in ears, tonsils out,birth defects, etc), they will take you medical history during pregnancy,family history (married,not, jont custody, all parents alive, etc) you will sign a million papers tht will allow then to do a variable of tests. Some will be academic to gauge where the child stands in relation to others of the same class/age. They may/may not do ot (occupational tests) to check fine/gross motor skills. They will do a psycho eval- emotional,socail,peer interactive skills, (usually a psycholoist does this) afer all these test (and during) they will speak to you above home life, extra currucular activities. After all test are done and "graded/processed" you will be called back and told of results. They will pinpoint as to what they feel- audio visiual impairment, visual processing disability, si-speech impaired, etc. They will then lay out a menu for you- telling you this is what they will do to accomodate the child in class, if they need to be classified in special ed, etc. You need only listen to what they tell you- you do not have to do what they tell you. They can work with you and will take into account and make modifications to help. When it comes to "diagnosis" remember only a doctor of speciality can do that. Though a psychologist has more so expertieses- a nuerologist should be the one to diagnos for sure (but at this point i would think your pedi would have seen signs of the autism. I know cases can be mild and fall through- so make sure the pedi is aware of what the school tells you. They allow time before "final acts" need to be implemented. My 10 year old was horrid at writting he verbally could tell you every detail of Moby dick- but he couldn't write better then a 4 year old. After cst- they determined he has a visual processing problem 1 year later honor roll for second marking period in a row up from c's snd d's last year. You will many back door open extra sets of books at home to help you help the child study, extra testing time- or different testing protocols. Please dont be scared of it- embrace it it willbe the very best thing you can do for that wonderful child of yours.
ASD certainly is best treated if diagnosed early.If you are getting an educational eval in the US, you should expect to convene with all of the people who evaluated your child and hear their results to determine if he is eligible for services (that is, if he meets the criteria for a special education category as defined by your state) . Next, the planning for dealing with his specific areas of weakness should occur. This may include involving speech therapy, occupational therapy and classroom considerations. You do not have to make any decisions at the meeting but may want to hear all of the info, the recommendations then consider them at home for some time. Early intervention is best. Good luck to you and your son.
Early intervention is best. You will have to talk to a few people, fill out some forms...its painless. They ask standard questions about his home life, your marriage(stability and possibility of violence), if there's a history of this kind of thing in the family...its pretty painless. After that, go to the Dept of Developmental Disabilities and get him on the list for services(it will be a long list). Then go to the Social Security office and get him signed up there. Also, ask about Medicaid, call the local school and ask about the special education preschool. As long as you find and place him in as many intervention programs as you can find, you will be OK.
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