How Should I Request A Second Opinion On Diagnosis?

[Locwood]

How on earth am I supposed to get a second opinion without upsetting the Top Dog Phycologist??

 

My son was given a diagnosis April 2008 (he was 4yrs). Speech and language disorder, sensory processing disorder, social and communication disorder, autistic behaviours...... but nothing to say he is on the spectrum??????? Now this really baffels me..... the Top Dog agrees that he does present as an autistic child, but when his environment is controlled and he is calm he is very normal !! But to me, having to control his environment to keep him calm means he is not normal (Autistic).

 

His paediatricians (there have been 2) both agree that he is autistic, the outreach support services agree he is autistic......... and here's the crunch ............they have told me to get a second opinion!

The Top Dog we have been seeing and was involved in my sons diagnosis process does not like to diagnose children. To get a second opinion as he needs to have his diagnosis flagged as autistic.

 

Howshould I go about getting a second opinion? Do I need to go private and pay??

 

He is already on school action plus but his school say he has access to 22 hours of support??? Think they mean there is a TA on hand if he needs support.

 

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated

 

J

[Tally]

I think you should go back to the peadiatricians who have advised you to seek a second diagnosis and ask them how they recommend you go about it, and what support they can offer (eg. will they write to your GP and say a second opinion would be helpful?)

[Sally44]

As well as asking the professionals who have advised you to get a diagnosis to tell you how to go about it. You can also talk with the National Autistic Society about diagnosing centres in your area.

I personally do not think that professionals should be deciding on whether to diagnose or not depending on their own feelings about 'a label'. It is not their child or their family. Sometimes it works if you simply say to the professional that you want a diagnosis to enable you to access support via the Statementing process and without a diagnosis that is going to make things much harder and runs the risk of your child not being placed in a suitable educational environment or receiving the right level of support because the LEA will interpret a lack of a diagnosis as meaning his needs are not substantial and complex. You can put that request in writing. If they then refuse you can seek a second opinion.

You can also look at the DSM IV diagnostic criteria, and if he has enough identified behaviours in all the categories then he should receive a diagnosis if that is what you want.

[Sally44]

The other thing you could add is that he was originally seen in April 2008 and was said to have X, Y and Z. Since then he has been seen by the following professionals (list them), who are all of the opinion that my son is on the autistic spectrum. As he still has the same continuing difficulties associated with an ASD over a year later I now feel that a diagnosis should be forthcoming.