ASD advice and questions to ask at Parent/Teacher Conference

[hopecounts]

Welcome.
Get a referral to a different Dev. Ped there are some definite concerning behaviors that should be looked at again.
In the meantime I would look at doing some intentional sabotage around his areas of concerns (oops Mommy needs to go by X on the way to Y so we can't go the way we normally do for example)
At home for difficult transitions would a visual schedule help? It's often a product of anxiety and knowing the routine may help for now. From there once his anxiety is reduced you can progress to mixing things up, and from there hopefully not needing it at all.

[mrsbuttinski]

Yeah.

Sounds like he needs a more robust eval than an hour.

Are you planning for kindie next year? If so, I'd be all over getting an eval via the school district if you can get one done before the fall.

[mrsbuttinski]

Sorry, I missed your second question.

I'd ask the teachers about their concerns in terms of his readiness for kindie. The transitions, especially from a preferred to less preferred activity. About his willingness to be seated for writing activities. About how he gets on with peers- is he in the middle of the action or does he hang back or chat with teachers during recess?

DS's been a backseat driver since he was just about a year old. He'd scream "it's wrong" whenever I made a U turn which is a thing in Ocean City. By about 2 he was dictating routes. He still has a remarkable sense of direction; as a toddler and preschooler, this control of the route to be taken was associated either with avoiding anxiety producing situations or maximizing the chances of seeing a train.

[mack]

It definitely seems like he needs an eval. dc2london was saying that SPD is rarely an individual diagnosis. It is more a component of ASD. And from what I have learned in my experience this week, you cannot diagnose ASD in a one hour visit. Even a regular developmental pedi may not be equipped to see a more nuanced case.

In terms of the interests you are describing, memorizing numbers and maps is very common with kids on the spectrum. My DD is not diagnosed yet, but I fear going somewhere in the car with her that requires a new route or god forbid I make a wrong turn. I am required to explain myself.

[BostonKisses]

Mar 18, 2015 17:03:37 GMT -5 mrsbuttinski said:

Yeah.

Sounds like he needs a more robust eval than an hour.

Are you planning for kindie next year? If so, I'd be all over getting an eval via the school district if you can get one done before the fall.

I agree with mrsbuttinski. Also, since you're not feeling the greatest about the dev ped you saw previously, I'd get an eval with a different one. And look into getting an eval via the school district. I'm doing that for my daughter, and I feel better about mobilizing now so we don't have the possibility of getting things delayed over the summer.

[BostonKisses]

The numbers and routes thing is happening here as well. My kid can count well past 100, is obsessed with time and route numbers, and heaven forbid if I don't go the route she thinks we should be going lol. Like Mack, if I go a new or different direction, I have to explain myself and then listen to a mini dissertation about why that route is wrong etc.

[mcribster]

He sounds a lot like my kiddo who was also a spinner. I would ask the preschool how is he socializing- is he doing imaginative play? engaging with his peers? is he able to participate at circle/in group activities. do they have problems with his transitions? What additional supports might he need to succeed in their eyes? visual schedule may help with transitions

we got a dx of PDD-NOS when my son was 2.5 and an ABA shadow in preschool plus 25 hr a week of ABA. It helped. What also helped was looking at what was going on medically (vitamin D levels, iron/ferritin levels, infections, immune system function,cleaning up his diet and enviroment) with a doctor specifically trained to work with ASD kids.