Evaluation ?'s and vent

bumpuser511563

DS just got an intake from the psychologist on Saturday. I was excited that they called with an actual opening earlier instead of waiting for our scheduled August appointment for the intake. (DS is going to be evaluated for autism).

The actual evaluation will be in September over the course of 3 separate appointments.

I know some of us girls are waiting for an evaluation, but after an eval then what?

I don't know if knowing an actual label is going to give me what I am looking for. I just want a label to help DS better.

I don't think it is going to change much of all the appointments we have going on every weekend to help him. Shouldn't just be helping now matter?

Do you girls feel any different after an eval? How is a label helping you and your child/children?

I just feel I need to get this out. I feel worn out from having 3-4 appointments every weekend.

TIA

clc023

An evaluation/diagnosis can really open up a lot more services to you/your son.  We aren't dealing with an Autism diagnosis, but I find labels can help others to see that no, it isn't just a behavior problem, there is a reason behind most everything he does.  Not that it really matters what other people think, but it is important for the staff/teachers working with the child to have a better understanding of the child's inner workings so they know how to help them and a diagnosis can be helpful with that.

 But no, a label doesn't change who your child is, they are the same exact person they were before the diagnosis was added.

MomsMuddle

We knew there was something different about our baby right away. She seemed to hit all the development milestones ok though. I took her to a speech therapist around age 3 and they said she was fine. By age 5 we were seeing psychologists. Our first one told us he couldn't test her properly until she was older because she wasn't obvious autism and seemed more ADD. Age 8 we had an 8 hour long pediatric Nuero- psych evaluation.

 

Turns out she has gifted level intelligence. No attention difficulties. Has definite Asperger's, but she has a learning disability in math.

 

Knowing what she has helps enormously. She needs to be on an IEP and honestly, I can't parent my Aspie the same way as my "normal" daughter and I wouldn't have known how to do that without understanding how her brain works. 

SueBear

If it is done properly, an evaluation can help you target exactly what therapy / behavior modification will be most effective /most benefit your child.

I am still on a waiting list for an eval, but we talked to a social worker where evaluations will be done.  In our case, DS has a lot of anxiety, doesn't interact with peers, etc.  The social worker said that if DS is tested and is just SHY or anxious or depressed, the behavior modification will be geared towards boosting his self-esteem, giving him practice in interaction, building his confidence.  If he has PDD / autism, the behavior modification will be more geared to helping him read or translate social cues and transition between different social settings/expectations. 

I am being very general (the SW was talking for around 10 minutes about the differences), but the point is that if you have a child with one problem, you need the therapy that is geared towards his individual needs.  It's not a "one approach fits all."