Imaginary play essential?

[Anonymous]

You can try Children's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. While they don't do school observations, they administer ADOS and ADI-R, the gold standard for diagnosing ASD.
They also take most insurance.

http://www.childrensnational.org/DepartmentsAndPrograms/default.aspx?Id=6092&Type=Program&Name=Center%20for%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20(CASD)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can try Children's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. While they don't do school observations, they administer ADOS and ADI-R, the gold standard for diagnosing ASD.
They also take most insurance.

http://www.childrensnational.org/DepartmentsAndPrograms/default.aspx?Id=6092&Type=Program&Name=Center%20for%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20(CASD)

OP here, thanks. I am on the waitlist for ped with Children's national as well. I was told atleast 6 months to a year.
Thanks for pointing out the tests, are these done only by dev peds? As mentioned I am having a hard time getting an appointment with them, can other therapists or licensed social workers do these as well?

[Anonymous]

8 yo DS has ADD and we suspect HFA as well, due to speech delays, perseverances, lack of social know-how and eye contact, poor coordination, etc. Will get him tested soon.

Before 3, he was entirely in his own world. Ever since, he has developed an incredibly rich imaginary world - it was probably there all the time within himself, he just started opening up about it. He can daydream, hold monologues or play time travel/dinosaurs/medieval joust with a stick and pebble. We do not have a lot of toys in our house, and most are open-ended Waldorf-type things.

it's too extreme, actually. Every so often I have to say: "Snap out of it and pay attention!".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can try Children's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. While they don't do school observations, they administer ADOS and ADI-R, the gold standard for diagnosing ASD.
They also take most insurance.

http://www.childrensnational.org/DepartmentsAndPrograms/default.aspx?Id=6092&Type=Program&Name=Center%20for%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20(CASD)

OP here, thanks. I am on the waitlist for ped with Children's national as well. I was told atleast 6 months to a year.
Thanks for pointing out the tests, are these done only by dev peds? As mentioned I am having a hard time getting an appointment with them, can other therapists or licensed social workers do these as well?

You should call the center for ASD directly. Even if you see a dev ped at Children's they will mostly likely send you to the center for ADOS testing if they suspect ASD. The test is administered by a neuropsychologist and speech therapist.

FYI, we see Dr Shapiro and he does not do ADOS testing but does other testing as well as school observation to diagnose. Also, neuropsych testing can diagnose ASD (as well as ADHD, learning disorders, anxiety, etc). GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why observing the child at school s an important part of the evaluation. At the very least there should be a teacher questionnaire. Kids with AS can have some imaginative play, its just delayed, just like kids with AS can socialize, its just that they don't socialize in the way NT kids do. This makes it very difficult to put on the parents, to have you decide what is going on.

I've hear of almost no private evaluator who goes to a school.

Shapiro does and so does our ed consultant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why observing the child at school s an important part of the evaluation. At the very least there should be a teacher questionnaire. Kids with AS can have some imaginative play, its just delayed, just like kids with AS can socialize, its just that they don't socialize in the way NT kids do. This makes it very difficult to put on the parents, to have you decide what is going on.

I've hear of almost no private evaluator who goes to a school.

Shapiro does and so does our ed consultant.

Our Ed consultant observes DC at school too. I think most Ed consultants observe especially if they are helping with the IEP. But educational consultants don't diagnose which is what OP is looking for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone.
Our dev ped is Dr Beverly Powell, she asked us to ask the school to do an eval using a checklist and send her the report so she can diagnose. We will take this up as soon as school starts.
She also opened a book and read about Asperger's and indicated vaguely that DS might have it.
Agreed he cant articulate his imaginary play, actually he daydreams a lot, so maybe imagination in his head? Again DH & I were like that as well.

I tried tons of other doctors and could not get an appointment, I am in the waitlist for KKI and they said atleast a year. Does anyone have recommendations for a dev ped?

A child with a language delay wouldn't have Asperger's.

Seriously, where do these developmental peds get their training?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone.
Our dev ped is Dr Beverly Powell, she asked us to ask the school to do an eval using a checklist and send her the report so she can diagnose. We will take this up as soon as school starts.
She also opened a book and read about Asperger's and indicated vaguely that DS might have it.
Agreed he cant articulate his imaginary play, actually he daydreams a lot, so maybe imagination in his head? Again DH & I were like that as well.

I tried tons of other doctors and could not get an appointment, I am in the waitlist for KKI and they said atleast a year. Does anyone have recommendations for a dev ped?

A child with a language delay wouldn't have Asperger's.

Seriously, where do these developmental peds get their training?

OP mentions an IEP for articulation issues not language delays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone.
Our dev ped is Dr Beverly Powell, she asked us to ask the school to do an eval using a checklist and send her the report so she can diagnose. We will take this up as soon as school starts.
She also opened a book and read about Asperger's and indicated vaguely that DS might have it.
Agreed he cant articulate his imaginary play, actually he daydreams a lot, so maybe imagination in his head? Again DH & I were like that as well.

I tried tons of other doctors and could not get an appointment, I am in the waitlist for KKI and they said atleast a year. Does anyone have recommendations for a dev ped?

A child with a language delay wouldn't have Asperger's.

Seriously, where do these developmental peds get their training?

OP mentions an IEP for articulation issues not language delays.

Doesn't matter. It's all rolled into ASD in the DSM-V now and there is no distinction between HFA which had speech delays and asperger's - no speech delays. It just sounds like OP's dev ped isn't sure how HFA presents. OP needs to find another doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone.
Our dev ped is Dr Beverly Powell, she asked us to ask the school to do an eval using a checklist and send her the report so she can diagnose. We will take this up as soon as school starts.
She also opened a book and read about Asperger's and indicated vaguely that DS might have it.
Agreed he cant articulate his imaginary play, actually he daydreams a lot, so maybe imagination in his head? Again DH & I were like that as well.

I tried tons of other doctors and could not get an appointment, I am in the waitlist for KKI and they said atleast a year. Does anyone have recommendations for a dev ped?

A child with a language delay wouldn't have Asperger's.

Seriously, where do these developmental peds get their training?

OP mentions an IEP for articulation issues not language delays.

Doesn't matter. It's all rolled into ASD in the DSM-V now and there is no distinction between HFA which had speech delays and asperger's - no speech delays. It just sounds like OP's dev ped isn't sure how HFA presents. OP needs to find another doctor.

OP here. Yes DS has articulation that involves volume modulation problems, either too loud or barely audible, not appropriate for the environment, so I have to tell him to use correct volume. Second problem with articulation is the pace, too fast when excited, sometimes too slow with frequent repetition of first part of sentence, like he is buying time to finish it.
Language as in vocabulary, reading, academic and receptive is age appropriate, he was in a reading group in Kindergarten.
Expressive language is a disorder due to volume and pace modulation problems that I outlined above and in addition lack of eye contact when talking (but intense eye contact while listening), talks with his face turned away, talks even before he has got the other person's attention and so on.

I understand DSM-V has bundled HFA and Asperger's, but yes I am looking for a diagnosis one way or the other. I will call Children's tomorrow to see if they can administer test without the wait list.
Does anyone know if Dan Shapiro is taking new patients?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Dr Shapiro only takes new patients who are age 4 or younger and only in DC and Maryland not VA.

[Anonymous]

22:04 again. You may have to wait for ADOS testing at CCASD. We waited 6 months for an appointment although this was two yrs ago and I've heard that they are trying to improve their schedule.

Unfortunately, Dan Shapiro does not take new patients older than 4.

The fastest you can get an eval is probably through the public school system but that would only give an educational label not a medical diagnosis.

If I were in your shoes, I would take my child to Stixrud & Associates for a full neuropsych eval with this doctor:

http://stixrud.com/professional-staff/#/professional-staff/dr-david-black/

Your wait for an eval won't be months like it is with Children's and KKI. The downside is that they don't take insurance and the testing is expensive.

[Anonymous]

An evaluation is a good idea but I would also focus on therapies to help the situation. Regardless of what it is, many of the therapies are the same. I'd start with speech therapy and a social skills class.