Benefit of having a formal diagnosis of aspergers or high functioning asd?

[Anonymous]

For middleschooler if we can ofter similar help privately without a diagnosis? kid is doing fine accdemically so the service from school will be very limited.

[Anonymous]

Zero advantage

[Anonymous]

How will your insurance cover it with no diagnosis? Also don't you think your child deserves to know their diagnosis? Otherwise it's like you are ashamed. And autistic adults report that their diagnosis was actually a great relief, and some feel pride of identity too.

[Anonymous]

You can test privately and not share it with the school. However you share it with him though.

[Anonymous]

If your insurance pays for services, it may be worth it. If not, get services and no need for diagnosis if you private pay.

[Anonymous]

Our insurance covered zero, nada.

[Anonymous]

What about the college boards?

[Anonymous]

hi OP, I'm in the same position, with a middle schooler doing very well academically. I have been persuaded through a lot of reading that this diagnosis is usually welcome to the person receiving it. I imagine my son feels different from others, and it could be a relief to know why. I am also inclined to get the diagnosis because I think it will help get his "buy-in" when it comes to learning ways to fit in better socially. As it is, he just feels like there is no point in trying to make friends, because they don't want him. He doesn't understand why, or what he could do differently to be more accepted. I feel like learning these skills will help him for the rest of his life. But I've also been hesitant about getting the diagnosis when he is doing so well, especially with the current concern that people may be denied health insurance if they have a "pre-existing condition!"

[Anonymous]

It been beneficial for our DS, 9, with ASD/ADHD/LD in written expression to know his diagnosis. He is fully mainstreamed with IEP and does great academically and we are lucky that he gets a lot of supports from his IEP since he was diagnosed in preK4. DS has friends at school and from his extracurricular activities and has always been above grade level academically. Loves school too.

DS has always known his diagnosis and so he "owns" it and is aware of his deficits, need to take medication for his ADHD, etc He can self advocate and you cannot compensate unless you identify the problem.

We are considering mainstream private middle schools where the only supports will be extended time for testing but at this point DS doesn't need much more than that.

You may want to enroll your DS in a therapy program like PEERS run by Dr. David Black.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hi OP, I'm in the same position, with a middle schooler doing very well academically. I have been persuaded through a lot of reading that this diagnosis is usually welcome to the person receiving it. I imagine my son feels different from others, and it could be a relief to know why. I am also inclined to get the diagnosis because I think it will help get his "buy-in" when it comes to learning ways to fit in better socially. As it is, he just feels like there is no point in trying to make friends, because they don't want him. He doesn't understand why, or what he could do differently to be more accepted. I feel like learning these skills will help him for the rest of his life. But I've also been hesitant about getting the diagnosis when he is doing so well, especially with the current concern that people may be denied health insurance if they have a "pre-existing condition!"

I could have written this post. Have a middle school son who also does well academically, but struggles with the social element. His therapist doesn't think he meets the criteria for an official diagnosis (thinks it's mainly severe anxiety) and since we get all the services that we need in school, we haven't sought a formal diagnosis. Still, I wonder from time to time if it would be valuable to have it and it might even give me some peace of mind. DW says it wouldn't change our approach and I get that also. Plus, I think DS wouldn't strongly resist going through the testing process.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what testing you've had ... but since we had a thorough neuro-psych previously that identified ADHD and LD, we were able to do the ADOS/ADI-R at Children's National for just the co-pay. And it was scheduled pretty quick too.

I'm of the same opinion as others ... having the diagnosis helps with DS's self identity and self esteem. He's a bit younger than yours and is pretty strongly affected by anxiety and rigidity, so it's more of a factor with school, but I'd want to be able to provide him with this information regardless.

I also sometimes wonder if I also have Aspergers and am fairly confident my brother does. I think having the testing to rule in or rule out would answer some questions.

[Anonymous]

Asperger's hasn't existed as a diagnosis since DSM5 came out.

[Anonymous]

OP, I know people in your boat who have made opposite decisions on this issue for good reasons. Are you worried it would be a negative for your child in some way - general or specific?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asperger's hasn't existed as a diagnosis since DSM5 came out.

This is 13:41. I'm aware of this, however Aspergers is a more specific term that is useful when talking about the dilemma of whether to diagnose or not. HFA is used fairly broadly to mean a much larger chunk of the spectrum so does not convey the same meaning in this context.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for the responses. The reason I'm asking is because there will be little change on our part: we are well aware of DC's issues and needs. And most of the services will be out of pocket anyway due to insurance plan. I guess my real question is whether it does more good than harm to have a formal label for disclosure at some point. I can see the potential benefit, but want to learn more about the potential harm.