Ethan was diagnosed with PDD-NOS back in May, and he's been attending speech therapy and school, well, he was in a nearotypical class in Minnesota, but since we moved back to Las Vegas, they put him into a class specifically for autistic students, though it has 2 neurotypical kids in it, "mentors" as they call them. Last week I had a meeting with the school psychologist and his teacher and they don't think that he's autistic. So, maybe it is what I thought all along? A speech disorder with ADHD? Anyway, my question is, how many of you have had your kid improperly diagnosed and then had the diagnosis change? It's just really kind of unnerving that they don't know what the heck is wrong with him and they just label him PDD-NOS because there's nothing else that they can call it. Does anyone else have a child with ADHD, that has a speech problem as well? Also, I have to go to an IEP meeting soon, within a month, because he has an out of state IEP, and things are MUCH DIFFERENT in Minnesota, with school district stuff, and services and such. This is my second IEP meeting, and I kind of felt like I got walked all over at the first one. They didn't really change much, when I asked them to alter one thing or another. I know I need to be more assertive at this one, but does anyone have any other advice for me, someone with experience with IEP meetings? Thanks in advance for any advice or information! :)
Ethan's school psychologist does not think he's Autistic...
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Fri, 2006-11-17 17:34
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Ethan's school psychologist does not think he's Autistic...
This is going to sound strange coming from someone as young as I.. BUT when i was in my first few years of high school & last few years of middle school by 10th grade i'd been to roughly 20-25 IEP meetings for myself.. I had read up on some websites the rights that i have, They forced me to go to a phycologist off campus but still associated with the school to get a full evaluation & the doctor tells me i have ADHD & i was put on every medication in the book that was around than,, Just as reccomended by the school that i was put on the proper medication. & for almost 1 year i was switched from pill to pill to pill & none of them seemed to work SO i requested another IEP meeting to discuss my educational as well as my mental needs & i told them that i disagreed with the diagnosis the phycologist affialated with the school had "labeled" me & demanded i go to a doctor of my choice for a second opinion & they said if i dident comply with the schools phycologists orders they would go to court & request i be relocated to a "mental facility" & i refused & theres a thing you can do if you dont agree with the placement or diagnosis the school gave your son they call it a " due process" & the school will appoint you a lawyer on your behalf & they'll explain it from there....
I'm not sure if that helped you at all but.. I thought my experience sounded similar so i thought id share =]
Thanks for the info defined. Ethan wasn't actually diagnosed through a school district though. He was diagnosed at Fraser, a private school in Minneapolis for Autism. He also had a re-evaulation at Park Nicollett-Alexander center, which is a clinic, where they deal with behavioral problems in children. But the thing is, in these clinical settings, they're giving him these labels, and then in real life settings, he's not exhibiting those characteristics that would make him seem autistic. Like when the school psychologist came in there and was talking to us, Ethan completely engaged in conversation with her, his only real barrier when it comes to engaging in productive play with other children, is that he has a speech problem, so most kids are like, what did you say? And the fact that Ethan was the only kid in the room during most of our meeting and then the other children in his class entered the room and he lit up like a light, and autistic kids supposedly don't do that. He loves playing with other kids, he loves interacting with people, he displays empathy... But the thing is, the school actually is saying that they don't think he is autistic, so what they think is fine with me. I just want him to get the services that he actually needs, rather than giving him ones that he doesn't need and doing something that isn't actually helping him.
Oh okay i understand now lol... Well i wish you the best of luck on that.
Thanks. :)
I don't know. Connor really wants to interact with other kids, he keeps trying to but doesn't understand many of the nonverbal social cues. He's going to be 10 in April, so this is after years of work, but he's still considered autistic. No matter how much he works and grows wiht his social skills he will still be considered autistic. He has been interested in playing wiht other kids all along, he never ignored them he just wasn't sure how to interact.
We were told that one of the key symptoms of autism was the splinter skills. For instance, Connor's gross motor skills have been at or above typical for his age. But his fine motor skills are years behind.
My son sounds very similar to yours. He was diagnosed with PDD at age two and now is in a normal private kindergarten with support from a language and occupational therapist. On top of this, he's highly gifted in some areas to boot. He used to show the classic signs (no communication, lack of social intrest, etc), but those issues have long since gone with years of therapy and intervention. We too have been given multiple revisions on "what's wrong with him." Ha! He's got friends, gets along well with his teachers and is doing great in school. It's very common for kids to be on the spectrum but for parents to see massive improvment with early intervention (as you did). As you said, a label doesn't matter too much so long as your son gets the support he needs, and is happy!