Early Stages Autism Classification

[Anonymous]

OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

[Anonymous]

I don't think they'd recommend your child for a self-contained classroom unless he needs significant services. It may not be the least restrictive environment, but I'm not sure rejecting all services is a good idea. He's only in PK so he's likely not going to be harmed by it, and will at least get services. It's going to take a while to get the full eval. Also, what you need here is a local advocate who can tell you what kind of services to ask for and whether the program they want to place him in is good or bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are the 27.5 hours in general ed weekly, monthly, or what? If it is weekly he'd mostly be in gen ed.

It’s 27.5 hours specialized instruction outside genera we. Which I told them I was not accepting. I wanted him in gen ed with everyone else. They also refused to put classroom accommodations in because that’s only for kids in general ed. Early Stages is a damn mess. I don’t know why they refused to change it and told me I had to contact the school to change the hours.

So basically you're saying you want your child in gen ed with an aide? Or that you don't think he actually needs that many hours?

Why are you so sure the autism programs would be a bad fit? Did they give you a placement yet? Maybe you can give the name and people can advise you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

But is the placement an ASD classroom? I'm not sure thay the assumption that self contained = no language is correct. I'm also not sure if language use by peers is the key thing, or if it's the therepeutic setting that matters. More importantly, OP does not seem to have a basis to be sure that this is "just" language and not ASD. I wholeheartedly agree with getting a full evaluation, but I disagree with assuming the school is out to get your or malicious. My experience is that they do not recommend a high level of services unless they are needed. OP needs to focus of what those services should be, and where to best get them. Unfortunately it's going to be an uphill battle to get an aide at a DCPS. Charters may be more amenable to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

ADOS is one of several tests that assess for autism. Not sure why it is always pushed so hard here. It's also geared against kids who have language issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

ADOS is one of several tests that assess for autism. Not sure why it is always pushed so hard here. It's also geared against kids who have language issues.

My son had the CARS, think it's called the CARS-2 now, to rule out autism, along with a host of other evalutions, but not the ADOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

ADOS is one of several tests that assess for autism. Not sure why it is always pushed so hard here. It's also geared against kids who have language issues.

According to the research, it's the most accurate. That's the only reason. If ADOS doesn't do well with language impaired children, other tests probably have the same problem. A neuropsychologist can make that call.

That's also why I recommend language impaired children with possible autism see an SLP at the same time, and have the neuropsych speak to the SLP. That will give you better data and recommendations than either one alone, regardless of the final diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

ADOS is one of several tests that assess for autism. Not sure why it is always pushed so hard here. It's also geared against kids who have language issues.

According to the research, it's the most accurate. That's the only reason. If ADOS doesn't do well with language impaired children, other tests probably have the same problem. A neuropsychologist can make that call.

That's also why I recommend language impaired children with possible autism see an SLP at the same time, and have the neuropsych speak to the SLP. That will give you better data and recommendations than either one alone, regardless of the final diagnosis.

ADOS and CARS have similar reliabilty.. It is in the research. CARS also quicker and cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP get a private ADOS and a speech evaluation. This will give the most information. Have the neuropsych and the SLP communicate with each other and make joint recommendations for placement. You can bring one or both to the school meeting to help you fight.

You can reject the placement. Even if you already agreed, you can withdraw at any time and your kid will go to gen ed.

A 4 year old is way to young to have a neuropsych. And, the ADOS is good for ASD but not always accurate for language disorders.

A child with a language disorder is not going to benefit from being in a class with kids with moderate to severe ASD. The other kids are not verbal enough to give the child the peers they need. Its very common for schools to push the ASD label with a language disorder. Speech therapy is group speech catering to the lowest functioning in the group (or our experience) so it may not meet your child's needs if very different needs.

OP, you need a good speech evaluation and get private speech at this point. Don't rely on the school system. It only gets worse and harder as kids get older.

ADOS is not a full neuropsych, but neuropsychologists do it
I believe you previously recommended a differential diagnosis. That is correct, but that should included an ADOS. It's not a perfect test, just the best we have right now, and a good tester will not diagnosis on ADOS alone. In any event they would not recommend full special ed unless there are significant impairments, and OP needs as much info as possible right now to make good decisions.

ADOS is one of several tests that assess for autism. Not sure why it is always pushed so hard here. It's also geared against kids who have language issues.

According to the research, it's the most accurate. That's the only reason. If ADOS doesn't do well with language impaired children, other tests probably have the same problem. A neuropsychologist can make that call.

That's also why I recommend language impaired children with possible autism see an SLP at the same time, and have the neuropsych speak to the SLP. That will give you better data and recommendations than either one alone, regardless of the final diagnosis.

ADOS and CARS have similar reliabilty.. It is in the research. CARS also quicker and cheaper.

Not what I've been told by professionals or read elsewhere. Do you have a citation?

In any event, OP should get a good assessment for autism from a psychologist or neuropsychologist.

[Anonymous]

Op would be far better off spending that $5K for a new evaluation on private speech therapy.

[Anonymous]

This study investigated the childhood autism rating scale (CARS) as a tool for ASD diagnoses for 2-year-old (n = 376) and 4-year-old (n = 230) children referred for possible autism. The cut-off score to distinguish autistic disorder from PDD-NOS was 32 in the 2-year-old sample (consistent with Lord in J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Discipl, 36, 1365–1382, 1995), and 30 in the 4-year-old sample, with good sensitivity and specificity at both ages. The cut-off score to distinguish ASD from non-ASD at both ages was 25.5, with good sensitivity and specificity. Results confirm the utility of the CARS in distinguishing autistic disorder from PDD-NOS, and distinguishing ASD from other developmental disorders and typical development and suggest that an ASD cutoff around 25, which is in common clinical use, is valid.



www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612531/


Here's one citation. It's older, but from the time when my child took the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This study investigated the childhood autism rating scale (CARS) as a tool for ASD diagnoses for 2-year-old (n = 376) and 4-year-old (n = 230) children referred for possible autism. The cut-off score to distinguish autistic disorder from PDD-NOS was 32 in the 2-year-old sample (consistent with Lord in J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Discipl, 36, 1365–1382, 1995), and 30 in the 4-year-old sample, with good sensitivity and specificity at both ages. The cut-off score to distinguish ASD from non-ASD at both ages was 25.5, with good sensitivity and specificity. Results confirm the utility of the CARS in distinguishing autistic disorder from PDD-NOS, and distinguishing ASD from other developmental disorders and typical development and suggest that an ASD cutoff around 25, which is in common clinical use, is valid.



www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612531/


Here's one citation. It's older, but from the time when my child took the test.

PDD Nos is not a diagnosis anymore. It used to be the catch all for everything. Children with language delays early on look very similar but it teases out in the later years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This study investigated the childhood autism rating scale (CARS) as a tool for ASD diagnoses for 2-year-old (n = 376) and 4-year-old (n = 230) children referred for possible autism. The cut-off score to distinguish autistic disorder from PDD-NOS was 32 in the 2-year-old sample (consistent with Lord in J Child Psychol Psychiatry Allied Discipl, 36, 1365–1382, 1995), and 30 in the 4-year-old sample, with good sensitivity and specificity at both ages. The cut-off score to distinguish ASD from non-ASD at both ages was 25.5, with good sensitivity and specificity. Results confirm the utility of the CARS in distinguishing autistic disorder from PDD-NOS, and distinguishing ASD from other developmental disorders and typical development and suggest that an ASD cutoff around 25, which is in common clinical use, is valid.



www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612531/


Here's one citation. It's older, but from the time when my child took the test.

PDD Nos is not a diagnosis anymore. It used to be the catch all for everything. Children with language delays early on look very similar but it teases out in the later years.

Did you read the part where I said it was older? ALso, does not change it's accuracy.