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School advised daughter likely autistic but should not get her tested

Swimswim

Hi,

I'm hoping to hear other people's advice and personal experiences please. My daughter is 7 and is showing more and more autistic traits. She struggles socially at school,  preferring to spend time on her own. She cannot cope with changes in routine, and it results in massive meltdowns if there are the the tiniest changes. There's more, but I'll keep the post brief.

At a school SENCO meeting about her sibling the SENCO mentioned that my daughter could be Autistic, but advised that getting a diagnosis may be harmful for her. She is incredibly intelligent, working at roughly the level of an 8-9 year old despite only bring 7, and the school SENCO was concerned that a diagnosis would only hold her back in the future if she were to face stigma because of it. She explained that my daughter clearly does not need any academic support due to her autism, and she did not feel that she would get any benefit from a diagnosis with her emotional and social needs.

I would love to hear other people's advice and experiences please, as parents or people with Autism. Thank you

Parents

  • I agree with Kate and Martin. Whilst it's great that your daughter is excelling academically at the moment, this is just the start of her life, both in education and more generally.

    If I were in your shoes, I'd pursue an assessment now - during what might prove, over time and with the benefit of hindsight, to have been an ideal window of opportunity to put the foundations of ongoing, autism-related support beneath her.

    If you were to search this forum, you'd find many examples of parents who have found themselves in the deeply upsetting position of needing to try and get assessments carried out, and support put in place, whilst their children are struggling to cope, including due to the increased social and environmental demands that are inevitably placed on them as they grow older.

    Based on her comments, I'd suggest that the SENCO could benefit from some urgent training. 

Reply

  • I agree with Kate and Martin. Whilst it's great that your daughter is excelling academically at the moment, this is just the start of her life, both in education and more generally.

    If I were in your shoes, I'd pursue an assessment now - during what might prove, over time and with the benefit of hindsight, to have been an ideal window of opportunity to put the foundations of ongoing, autism-related support beneath her.

    If you were to search this forum, you'd find many examples of parents who have found themselves in the deeply upsetting position of needing to try and get assessments carried out, and support put in place, whilst their children are struggling to cope, including due to the increased social and environmental demands that are inevitably placed on them as they grow older.

    Based on her comments, I'd suggest that the SENCO could benefit from some urgent training. 

Children
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