I dont know if I should be going to my gp to get him referred to diagnose something else

JimJams

This discussion was created from comments split from: Hello my name is Hannah and I'm an educational psychologist.

JimJams

Hi Hannah, I have been reading toast paragraphs above and yours and my son has lots of similar issues, the school is saying he is struggling to express himself and gets very frustrated, his speech is limited and he also cannot pronounce L and R sounds, the school are also saying he cannot read at all and cannot retain information, the unit head said she would get in an educational psychologist to assess him and would also order in pecs to be used in school, I dont know if I should be going to my gp to get him referred to diagnose something else, he has already been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism, unsure whether to leave it with the school or take him along to gp, any help would be appreciated

EducationalPsychologist

Hello Marie,
It's great that the school are recognising and trying to support your son's needs. There are all sorts of reasons for language and learning difficulties. Often with one difficulty, such as autism, have aspects of other specific difficulties as well. It sounds like your son would benefit from a thorough assessment to clearly identify his learning needs. You can:
- go to GP/paediatrician and ask for referral to a clinical psychologist (under health umbrella) for a thorough and detailed assessment of his learning and language needs
- go through school to have an assessment by a local authority educational psychologist; as they are often limited to time it will be important for you to ask the psychologist to undertake a full cognitive assessment as well as other assessments for language, learning, etc. The benefit for an educational psychologist is that they have a good understanding of the education system and are able to make recommendations for resources/support that directly relate to classroom practice and the psychology of teaching and learning
- You also have the option to employ an independent clinical or educational psychologist
If language is an issue then I would recommend an assessment by a speech and language therapist experienced in assessing and working with children on the autistic spectrum.
For promoting his social, emotional and communication development I highly recommend www.scerts.com
How old is your son?

JimJams

Sorry to take so long to reply , my son is 7 and the school have referred his case to an educational psychologist just waiting on their assessment , I have some paperwork to fill in to assist them about sensory stuff etc , I just want answers but it all takes time I know, basically the school are stumped as they say his case is unique

EducationalPsychologist

Hello JimJams,
Glad things are moving forward, albeit slowly which is frustrating. Often when schools describe a child as unique it is because they either don't fully understand a child's behaviours or they don't see the progress they expect in light of the interventions they have put in place. Once your son's needs are more clearly understood things should move forward. Best of luck!