Sherbet Report post Posted January 2, 2013 My son is 11 and all the way through school is has been on the SEN list and is currently 2 years behind at school - for many reasons (lack of support and acknowledgment, friends, 13 teachers in 6 years blar blar) we decided to move him school (big risk i know especially in year 6, but its a risk we are pleased we took) Within 6 weeks at being in the new school they made us aware they felt he was on the AS. It shouldn't of really been such a shock as there are many signs (I always thought it was ADD etc) but it was/is. We have been to see the paediatrician a few times and they have requested a longer appointment so they can spend more time with him (he holds eye contact, however its clear he feels uncomfortable doing so) The school, Ed Phyc etc are all in agreements that they feel he is on the AS...... My problem is we move to secondary school in September and ideally would like to have it all sorted for then, to get the support he needs in place..... I have been told the next double appointment is not available till May/June which seems to far away. One of the lady's who come round to give advice etc suggested i might want to look at going private to get the answers my son and i need. Has anyone done this, would recommend taking this route etc? Not sure where to go from here...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oakers Report post Posted January 2, 2013 I'm not sure about going private etc, but could you ask to be put on a cancellation list for the double appointments? That might help speed things up if there's no other option available. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sa Skimrande Report post Posted January 2, 2013 From experience, the NHS and other state authorities do not like private anything, they can become difficult if they are negated out of the process, as my AS diagnosis was private via a learning institution, when my GP learned of it, he refused to acknowledge it and insisted I see an NHS psychiatrist who did nothing, no psychometric testing and none of anything the private educational psychologist did ( who also consults for the NHS on the subject of autism). Now chances are the psychiatrist was aware of the professional status of the person that diagnosed me and so didn't seek to challenge but concluded the private psychologist was correct. On the subject of eye contact, I used to meet eyes but had a nasty habit of appearing to bore through people making them uncomfortable, when asked by the educational psychologist, why did I do that as he can see through the fact that my pupils are fixed they are not working as they should and so he could see my practice was a learned procedure and so, wanted to know why. I replied to say I never could look at eyes in conversation, but an adult in the past told me by not meeting eyes I come over as dishonest and shifty and so I must meet eyes in conversation and so I did to appear normal. Now I don't meet eyes anymore save for those people I know well. The synopsis of my diagnosis was that I come over as normal to most in that I can pass, but to the trained eye what I am doing is fake, it is all a construct, stuff I had learned through my life in attempt to fit in as I did admit to having sought books on body language and practised in front of a mirror to make sure I could do what was required to appear normal. The highlight of the interview and testing was yes, this thing was called Asperger's Syndrome, but I was told I was highly intelligent, well above average with a suggested IQ of 130, but because of the negativity of my life and the seeking of employment well below my abilities I appear unable to use my intelligence for my own betterment due to low self esteem and it is no wonder that in every job I did do, I excelled with ease, but because of the fact that when I had learned all the angles to a job and even experimented with my own where permitted, I became bored, and self destructed on the job thus indicating I need constant new learning to stay interested. But the repetitive stuff ASD are mean't to thrive with drives me insane and routine, no chance, I cannot deal with something the same for long. But of course since the AS diagnosis I have learned new things and understand the AS is not the whole of me, there is other stuff which has an impact and crosses over with AS, so I do not fulfil the picture of a typical AS person and that confuses people who think they know AS, but a friend who works in a place treating AS children also agrees with me because there are some AS children also with KS that don't fit into the standard AS mould. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sherbet Report post Posted January 3, 2013 ......you ask to be put on a cancellation list for the double appointments? That might help speed things up if there's no other option available. I will - thank you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sherbet Report post Posted January 3, 2013 I am very much in two minds about it - not sure what to do.... Maybe it would be better to follow the NHS route and just make the school aware in advance and see if we can put anything in place with regards to support for when he starts. However i am unsure what support schools can give children that are on the AS, i need to look into this and find out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted January 8, 2013 If I were you I would wait for the NHS appointment. I know it seems like a long way away, but it will soon come around. At least there are appointments in place and ongoing assessments and investigations, and by the time your lad is ready to start at secondary school you should know more. The current school will liaise with the secondary school so, hopefully, they should put things in place ready for your son for September. Good luck. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
