devilot

Just an update: We had a letter through yesterday saying we had another appointment with first psychy on 13th May. Any ideas what to bring up? Anyone think it would be worth pushing for an assessment by the Educational Psychologist?

Also, just to add, agree with you 100% about editing the website name out, I wanted to post it as I was agasht that a so-called 'professional' could charge so much for providing email support!

Hi Karen, thanks for your reply. I got this referral by first going to GP, explaining briefly DS' problems and then had a referral through CAHMS. I'm not sure whether they are the specialists in ASD, the first one did not seem to be so but made out the second person we saw was? I think the issue is they do not see DS as having an ASD maybe - therefore the EMT has been recommended. I was wondering, if they are so intent on him not having an AS, whether to push for a referral to an educational psychologist, who will assess his needs at school an further 'pad out' his IEP to get him on an even keel there. DS is almost 9 by the way if that helps. I just do not know what to do for the best.

Hello everyone, I posted here for advice re my son a couple of months go, the main worry was that he has a great imagination which was hindering his dx of AS, my last post is here if anyone wants a reminder. Well after the great advice I was given, I puchased a copy of Tony Attwood's Guide for Parents and Professionals, and was able to go to our next appointment armed with everything I had been told (careful to point out 'don't for one minute think i'm telling you how to do your job, but....' ) To her credit, the psych listened and took it on board, she also said that the more she saw DS, the more AS like 'signs' she could see in him, one in particular was that he lacked the ability to read subtle body language such as when someone is getting bored in a conversation, DS will just carry on talking and talking (sure that sounds familiar!). She said her colleague had written a handout on how to make life easier for AS children and gave it to me briefly to look out but wanted to check with her colleague before giving me a copy as this had been written for someone in particular. She also said that she would get said colleague to sit in on our next appointment to see what she made of him. Fast forward a few weeks after endless phonecalls from me trying to chase it up and it turned out we were to have an appointment with this colleague on our own. I didn't like her much to be honest. I found her brash and very much liking the sound of her own voice, she seemed to spend half of the appt trying to bring up Google to show DS different things on the internet! I understand she wanted to make him feel comfortable but I would have preferred the focus to be on talking. Also, at the end of the appointment, DS said something silly about a picture on the wall and she boomed 'DO YOU HAVE A BRAIN?? I MEAN, DO YOU THINK? DO YOU THINK!' She was meant to be joking but I found it a bit worrying as I could see by DS' face that he sort of thought she was joking but couldn't be quite sure, and i'm not sure it was the brightest thing to say to a child who presents with low self esteem and the habit of taking things literally. She basically said that she wasn't seeing ANY signs of AS and ended it with a sarcastic 'sorry!' like thats all I care about - I have always said its not about the label but the help he can receive at school, and if it takes a label to do that, then so be it. Regarding his humming and throat/nose clearing she said that they had to figure out whether they were a habit or a problem....well I would guess if you were being singled out for doing them and can't stop or know whether you are doing it, its a problem, right? I think (but am not sure) she was referring us back to the original psych, who is to continue work on the anxiety side of it. She also practised with DS something called Emotional Freedom Techniques and gave me this website to look at (www.emofree.com). Apparently we are to do this every night and suddenly DS will stop being scared of anything and everything. Forgive me if I sound sceptical! The person we saw, I don't want to name her but suffice to say she has a website xxxxxx.com where she produces a weblog and charges parents �3000!! to have up to 10 questions about your child answered in the space of a year, the first psych we saw is also on this 'team' I honestly do not know what to do next and for the best. I actually thought last appointment we were finally getting somewhere, now I just feel the door has been shut in our face again, and I have been labelled a paranoid mother, desperate for their to be something wrong with their child. Hi.I have Edited out the web site name in line with Forum rules because it is a profit making venture by an individual professional.Karen.

Yes, the label is really only needed for purposes of getting the help he requires. I'm not sure the school will give him proper support without it. As I said he is under the SENCO but the help they give him is minimal. Also DS knows he is 'different' and perhaps if he has a name he can research himself on the internet, it will stop him thinking he is 'crazy'. These are his feelings and I think explaining what is wrong might help him somewhat.

Hi everyone, been lurking on these boards for quite a while but only just found the time and/or courage to post. Our situation is this: I have an 8 year old DS who I have suspected of being on the ASD from him being around 18 months old, perhaps earlier. At the time I didn't have any clue of what might be wrong with him, just that he was 'different'. I have had a wide experience in bringing kids up, of different age ranges, and I knew that DS behaved differently. A few of his 'symptoms': From being a baby when it came to birthday parties, he would get really upset with all the fuss, and even used to cry when we sang 'happy birthday'! (we have photos of him aged 2/3 blowing the candles out with tears streaming down his face!). He freaks out at loud noises has a phobia about EVERYTHING - from the dark, to heights, and produces over the top reactions to these fears, for example although he loves museums as he loves learning, if an exhibit is slightly dark he refuses to go any further around it. He has full on panic attacks. He struggles to get on with his peers and constantly feels persecuted and 'got at', my take on it is, they know what winds him up and do it more so which in turn leads to him getting more upset. He is forever falling out with his friends and has at least 3 new best friends a week. Despite this, he craves friendship and acceptance and is a pushover and very easily influenced. He has since tiny made a 'humming' noise when he eats, he doesn't know he is doing it and can't stop. This was his only 'noise' up until a couple of years ago when it was joined by a 'snorting' sound, like him trying to clear snot from the back of his throat - this came after a heavy cold one day and has pretty much stayed. He struggles with school and is on the Special Needs register - his main problem is that he panics if he is given a set amount of time to do something, he also struggles with his handwriting and to get his thoughts organised and onto paper. Despite this he has an excellent grasp of the English language and a huge vocabulary, as an example, a in a recent story, he wrote of '...the darkness crept from the corners'. He has sleep disturbances (night terrors) and also wets the bed. The bedwetting has been curbed after hospital appointments and prescribed medication (Oxybutanin). He seems to have highs and lows - and when he is low he gets really low, and speaks of 'hating this life' and wishing he wasn't here anymore. We have also had a few 'i'm running away' episodes, though he doesn't get much further than across the road! There are other things but I think thats enough to be going on with! Our problem is this: he has had a referral to the CAHMS team who passed us onto a child psychologist. After an initial consultation she is veering on the side of it NOT being Aspergers, due to him having a good imagination? She is unsure what is the problem and at our last appointment, mooted Dyspraxia (he does have poor gross motor skills) - looking this up, the symptoms are very similar to AS, but again the 'good imagination' would rule him out of that one as well? I fear that a Dx will not come because she is fixated that he can't have AS due to his imagination - does anyone here have an Aspie with a good imagination? I saw a bloke on Jeremy Kyle (yes, I know!) who was Aspergers and he enjoyed creative writing, so surely because DS can write a good story and likes to draw, doesn't automatically exclude AS, does it? I will answer any further questions regarding DS' behaviours - any help or advice would be much appreciated. My biggest fear is that the psychologist appointments will come to an end (I think she said we can have up to 8 ) and DS will be dumped back in at the deep end, with no help or support. Thanks in advance.