Autism assessment Pt 2 tomorrow

[beachcomber]

My 4.8 y/o DD is in the process of being assessed for ASD. If there is a Dx, it's likely to be Asperger's or PDD-NOS. She exhibits some of the signs, but not all. Typical of my kid. I'm worried she won't get a Dx. That sounds weird, I know. But the thing is, a Dx comes with funding here. It'd pay for the OT she needs, the Speech Therapy she needs, the Social Interaction, facilitated play, etc., she needs. Right now we're paying out of pocket for all of it and it's literally killing us financially.

Tomorrow is the 3 hour meeting to go over her behavior with a psychologist. Last meeting was with a pediatrician. I could tell he didn't think she was on the Spectrum. He even came out and asked me if I thought she was Autistic. She was having a REALLY good day. Plus, she's WAY better with adults, especially fatherly figures.

Sigh. Wish us luck.

[nayma]

good luck! from personal experience (with my dd), i think a lot of evaluators miss the boat with girls. i recommend really advocating for her, and making it clear what she struggles with. i think the more the medical community sees girls on the spectrum, the more they'll get it. in the meantime, it's our job to be super advocates! hope it all goes well.

[Linda on the move]

Are they considering input from her therapist or others? When my DD had her assessment, they considered reports from her school social worker among others.

Based on what my DD acted like during her assessment, which was done one-on-one in a quiet office with an adult who is great with kids, she wouldn't have qualified. But based on the fact that she is barely functional to not at all functional in situations with her peers, she qualifies.

[beachcomber]

All the OT assessments we've had have provided reports that have noted her gross and fine motor delays, sensory issues, etc. We also had a report from her ECE (preschool teacher) noting her immense difficulties with social interactions. She literally cannot play with other kids. She shuts down in a class of 8 preschoolers. Can't manage anything other than 1-1 interaction with other kids and tends to avoid kids most of the time. Can't self-initiate play, can't sustain play with other kids, etc.

All that was documented but the ped hadn't read ANY of the reports prior to the meeting. That really REALLY pissed me off.

[Village Mama]

Curious how it all went for you? How long was your appt?9 shoot! I see it was a three hour one in your OP)
Hope you don't mind a personal question... I am on the Island as well. How long was the wait list for an assessment in your area?

[beachcomber]

Well. I'm shocked and over the moon with relief.

She has received a diagnosis of Autism Disorder. She's on the Spectrum, at the high functioning end, say the specialists. Everyone was in agreement, which shocked me. That ped had an AMAZING poker face.

Village Mama, we started this process in February. My GP requested an Autism Assessment from BCAAN in May. We got the appt in July for Aug 11, 26 and 28. The process was a 3 hour appt with the ped to interview us and observe DD. The 2nd day was us doing a 3 hour interview with the clinical psychologist to do a specific Autism assessment tool. I then completed another tool (a 9 page questionnaire on behavior) at home. The last day involved 2 assessments for her in the morning using 3 assessment tools. Then we got the outcomes discussion in the afternoon where they confirmed the disorder, gave us a binder full of information, discussed their report and findings, explained how to get funding going, etc.

FYI, DD got to "skip" the speech and OT components of the BCAAN assessment because I'd already pushed to get her seen by QA's (Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children's Health) early intervention program and had taken her to Little Steps Therapy Services to assess her gross and fine motor delays and her Sensory Processing Disorder (I'd figured this one out myself via the internet).

[Village Mama]

Thank you so much for the details! You got in so quick! I really appreciate the breakdown of the assesments. When we were inquiring before we were told to expect an 18 month wait( this was years ago and we are on the North Island). We have good and bad days( weeks!) and I have this anxiety that by the time we finally get in the boys will be in a higher functioning phase. I use a lot of techniques at home that are geared for autistic kiddos and we have had great sucess with dietary changes. Enough progress has been made that they are definitely on that line of very high functioning but with a few trouble areas.( if I hadn't done all of that though, the diagnosis would have been clear! ) I had a relative who works specifically with autistic kids comment how many " autistic behaviors" they have. That was last month after she had not seen them for years, or known of my concerns. So it is a bit of a relief that other people can see it too. I get feedback that makes me question myself too much... especially with my oldest who would likely be labelled as gifted, but with quirkiness that matches Aspergers to a tee. To most outsiders though he is just really bright and quirky because of that.

I am so happy for you to have the diagnoses! What a relief!

[beachcomber]

I so understand getting comments or feedback that lead to self doubt. It's like that with DD. She's very verbal, extremely social with adults, very creative and artistic, can engage in imaginative play, though it's generally scripted ... The clinical psychologist who observed the morning assessments admitted that in the first 5 minutes he doubted she was on the spectrum but decided to wait until the end of the first assessment to see instead of trying to fast track her through. Near the end, she started echoing, engaging in ritualistic behavior and repeating phrases and so he said he was glad he'd waited. He said she presents remarkably well.

I'm sorry to hear that things will take so long for you up in the North Island. That's just awful to have to wait like that. I'm glad you've figured out how to do things that help the boys yourself and have accessed resources like this forum. It's gotta be frustrating, though!