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Assessment outcome

TMP32

Hi,

Our 3 year old son had his assessment observation yesterday, we were shocked at how the assessment was conducted! We were told that the professionals involved would observe and collate their findings to discuss with us further treatments and help available for any behaviours found.

Our son was observed in a play room setting with no other children present (we were told it would be a group setting), with 6 professionals observing him, playing with him, directing his play. Eg. Using orange blocks they said lets cook the carrots, my son copied what they did! My son responds better to adults than children, for instance he woud not initiate play and would need an adult to start the game and encourage him to stay on task. If he did stay on task he would become easily agitated with the child if they invaded his personal space, made a loud noise or did not play how he expected them to. This was not observed during assessment. 

The nursery my son attends wrote a report explaining his social difficulties and problems with communication, but the professionals appeared to base all of their findings on the days assessment during our feedback session. When I tried to explain all aspects of my sons difficulties: extreme sleep problems, speech and language delay, global development delay, unpredictability, impulsiveness, intolerance of crowded places and loud noises, routine changes, violent outbursts etc, they continued to bring their decision back to their findings during their play session.

Now, we are left in limbo as a family with no support for our son and no diagnosis to move forward in regards to gaining access to help for our son, his education and social skills. Can anyone offer any advice? Is it worth appealing their decision?

Thank you

  • Thank you very much, the link you sent me pin pointed exactly what i was trying to explain. This will be extremely helpful in aiding me in building a case for either an appeal or re-assessment.

  • I believe you are entitled to ask for a second opinion. Your local PALS (patient advice and liaison service) should be a good place to start in making a complaint or seeking a second opinion.

    If you think they haven't carried out the diagnostic process properly you might want to look through the NICE guidelines for diagnosing autism in children (www.nice.org.uk/.../1-recommendations). They are quite readable and don't take long to go through. From what you have said it looks as if they might not have followed the guidelines appropriately and this would be a good basis on which to ask for a re-assessment.

    Good luck!

  • Hi

    My son was already under assessment before starting nursery so they have only just come on board in the last 4 months. The senco rep for his nursery was present at the meeting although it was her first experience of this process. She submitted her reports, but, by her own admission they were not read! They simply asked some specific qustions. They are helping but kind of taking direction from us. However, through them my sons speech has improved.

    Our assessment started through health visitors and sleep nurses referrals to a paedeatrician because of his delay in speech and repetative behaviours along with only sleeping for a few hours per night with no day time naps to compensate. The paedeatrician said she thought our son had social and communication problems and suspect he has autism. Since then every health professional has treated him from symptoms they have witnessed in the same way. When our assessment date came through we were told he was given a one day assessment because they were quite sure of a diagnosis. However, this was not the case and no further advice has been given. I have spent today making calls as we dont know where to go next and a multi agency meeting s being co ordinated. Not sure what this will do!

  • First of all i think your child is still only 3, a lot of these mthings he may catch up on, on the 2nd hand i was speaking to a pychologist telling her that my son had the Ados and nothing came from it but my son spoke in a monotone voice, the pychologist told me that the Ados is only a tiny little part of the whole picture and thats when they sent the report back telling my sons peadatrician that his behaviour could be explained from an Asd point.

    Also if your nursery is worth its weight in gold, they would have had en early years ed pych in this is what they done with my son and she put him on school action plus immediately and he starte getting the help he needed there and starting through school ect. so nursery should be helping.