I have a 9 yr old son with no diagnosis???Autism? , ADHD?

[manic-mother]

I am at my wits end , no matter what avenue we try we cannot get a diagnosis for my son.
Everyone I know (inc ed psychs) can't understand why my son has not had a diagnosis of aspergers at the very least.
He has a 30 hour 1-2-1 statement for school (the highest possible) , by the way he is in a mainstream school.
He has had assessments of which I believe were totally false being that I had to do most of the test myself due to the foreign accent of the tester.
I have been told that the test cannot be retaken even though this was done over 2 years ago.
I can sort of understand the arguements of the paediatrician as my son does have high functioning comprehension , the best I have been given is atypical ausism (as of today) however this does not help when trying to get my son in a specialist school setting.
He is taking medication for ADHD although his specialist is reluctant to diagnose him with ADHD.
It seems nobody is willing to committ themselves and obviously being a parent I really don't want my lovely son labelling but I do believe in his best interests he would be better off with some sort of diagnosis than none.
thankyou for listening (if u know what I mean :0)

[tamborine]

The headteacher is best to recommend any special needs schools - if required.

[Ice.Maiden]

I have a child in mainstream school who suffers with autism, and although I'm unable to diagnose your son, it's possible that with his good communication levels he has Asperger's Syndrome. These conditions can be difficult and lengthy to diagnose properly, but you need to start by being referred to a paediatrician who can then arrange the appropriate tests.
If you're in the UK, I assume that you mean by a 30 hour 1-2-1 statement for school that he undergoes an ILP (individual learning plan) and has 1-2-1 help? This is a lot. If he's actually been "Statemented", then his medical condition should be down, and I don't think this'll be altered.
The presence of ADHD is detected by tests run by your paediatrician, and can be coupled with various other conditions, such as autism, dyspraxia & Aspbergers. I personally refused to allow my son to have medication such as Ritalin, after researching the long-term effects which it can have, but many parents - and children - seem to find it of benefit. Ask your GP for a second opinion,and asked to be referred back to a different paediatrician. My own son's come on in leaps and bounds - far more than anyone ever hoped for, so best of luck with it.

[cazzz1975]

diagnosis is a big process, if he meets the criteria for the triad of impairments then he should receive diagnosis,
in order to make diagnosis, surely he would have to have been seen by a multidisciplined team of specialists, everything should be tested over a period of months, there is not one test, there are lots of visits to speech therapists, physiotherapists, consultants, educational psychologists, medical examinations...etc

all this is to rule out every other condition, if you have not received an extensive assessment then maybe should should enquire via the school.

are the school having problems with his behaviour in school? how are his IEP's (individual education plans) do they think he needs more help?

[cazzz1975]

his diagnosis of "atypical autism" suggests he does not satisfy all 3 criteria of the triad of impairments, maybe he has 2 out of 3 of the features, this does not help you of course, but its suggests the reason for their reluctance to diagnose him

[ganesh]

Even when you get a diagnosis in this country,it's not the relief you think it will be. My daughter was diagnosed with ADD at 14 when the school had her tested, and then absolutely nothing was done apart from give her extra time for exams. I tried to get medication for her because of the problems she had,which I couldn't go into,but no psych.would give her any (even private ones) because it's not fashionable any more! Because she wasn't bouncing off the walls and was very intelligent,they thought she didn't need anything. Sometimes authorities,schools,and psychs etc love to label children but the support afterwards is non-existant,especially for older kids and adults!
My advice is just help your child as an individual and don't obsess about a diagnosis,good luck.