Would like to get my 4.5 year old son evaluated to see if he has aspergers
or maybe an underlining issue to some behaviours he has.
Anyone done this before in the Portland area?
My sons ped wants to send him to occupational therapy.
I would like a diagnosis first though.
Thank you!
OT for kids is often lots of fun playing kind of stuff, and there are some really great OTs around here. our friends son did some OT stuff at the OHSU Hearing & Speech Institute, and his teacher there was very good. very gentle, understanding, clear and firm.
you should be able to get an eval from the school district. call them up. even if you plan on home/unschooling, the school district is supposed to provide you with appropriate resources.
thanks for the info.
I would like to get a diagnosis first so I know whats going on with him.
If its just him or if its more.
I have been told to skip the school district becuase it usually will take longer or wrong diagnosis for money..
i would investigate OHSU. since they are a teaching hospital, they likely have options you can explore. i will ask my irl friend who is a speech therapist there what she recommends.
a coworker many years ago went through this with her son. he was diagnosed as high functioning autistic at age 7. i don't know what ped she went to but i think there is an autism society or organization here in portland and they would probably point you in the direction of the best specialists for diagnosis.
I've heard that OT work with specialists to get diagnoses so they can have the tools and direction necessary to work with kids. Not to mention if you go to a OT practice that specializes in kids, they can be a huge help.
Just curious, but what behaviors does ds have that make you think Asperger's, you mentioned "an underlining issue to some behaviours he has."
I have worked with several Asperger's dx children in my practice, all of which were diagnosed by a Neuropsychologist at our local children's hospital.
I agree with the other mom who suggested skipping the school district- I know it sounds awful, but in my experience the school district is not qualified to make that diagnosis, and will (or wont) dx depending upon their own needs. (Keep in mind that children with this dx qualify for additional funding and services- so the school dist. has a built in bias).
Originally Posted by pamamidwife
I've heard that OT work with specialists to get diagnoses so they can have the tools and direction necessary to work with kids. Not to mention if you go to a OT practice that specializes in kids, they can be a huge help.
I agree with this. That is the order, you'd probably get for an assessment anyway and/or SLP (Speech Language Pathologist). That's what I am. The Hearing and Speech institute is a great place too. Diagnositic tools for this are pretty subjective and many use a detailed parent checklist of observed behaviors.
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