Terri - posted on 02/18/2010 ( 4 moms have responded )
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i've done a lot of research on autism and the various spectrum disorders, including AS, so i pretty much knew my son had it and the evaluation was, for me, just a formality. however, it was definitely something that was needed and had to be done because of course we wanted the diagnosis to be official and on record to receive any assistance possible. though this is something we've suspected for quite awhile, we just finally met w/ a psychiatrist yesterday who 'diagnosed' my son. he did not do any testing, and didn't even really talk to my son. he spent about 90 minutes talking w/ me and my husband and listening to us describe our son and why we think he has AS. for over a year now i've been having people suggest to me that my son might be autistic...his grandmother (who is a school counselor), two teachers, the school principal and assistant principal, his OT, and his pediatrician and psychologist. my son has already been diagnosed w/ ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder and is receiving OT for that. the psychiatrist we saw to have my son formally evaluated said he does not do formal testing for autism because he has seen too many kids who passed the tests, but whose behavior indicated that they did indeed have the disorder. he said because we and so many others saw the symptoms ourselves that our pediatrician could have made the diagnosis on her own. he believes autism is more of a clinical diagnosis than something that needs to be proven w/ testing. i am comfortable w/ my son receiving the diagnosis w/ out testing only because of the research i've done and my conviction that he has AS; however, i was expecting the doc to perform some sort of tests or evaluations so i was a bit taken aback by this and even a little disappointed. i suppose i'm afraid that another doc later will contradict or dispute the diagnosis since no testing was done.
so on that note, i'm curious...what kind of testing or evaluations were done for your child?
on another note, my son's school has refused to give us an IEP or make any classroom modifications. they said an IEP is only given for subjects, not disorders. this was said when i sought an IEP based on the diagnosis of ADHD, but at the last ARD when i informed them he would be receiving testing for AS, they said that even if we got that diagnosis it wouldn't change anything because he is still getting good grades. while he IS getting good grades, he is very disruptive in class and his teacher has a very difficult time getting him to complete assignments or work in groups w/ the other kids. my son sits at a table by himself and has no friends as the other kids just pretty much ignore him. soooo...i am also wondering what y'all can tell me about any measures you've taken to help your child succeed in school and how the school is helping to make that happen. thanks!
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