School thinks DS has ASD, dev ped does not agree. Now what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This sounds so confusing and more complicated than it really needs to be. Have you thought about just letting the school complete their assessment and see what the results and recommendations are? If you are not in agreement, you have the ability to agree or disagree with the outcome. Try not to make everything a fight or a battle. I have found it more helpful to work with the school personnel, as opposed to working against them.

+1.
Sometimes these work out well. It depends on the school and your relationship with the staff. After having my kid at three different elementary schools in the same district, I'd say the biggest variable is the principal. If he or she supports special ed, you will have a much easier time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have the numbers at my fingertips but I thought I saw something once that showed numbers of students with IEPs for some states with the disability category. Very few with OHI/ADHD but lots of 504s.

Yeah, like I said hard sell:

https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-in-5-Snapshot.Fin_.03142017.pdf

So pro tip to parents contemplating getting an iep--include the ADOS in your testing.

Nobody knows how many kids have learnining disabilities.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/pages/risk.aspx

Non-pro tip. Listen to actual professionals, not anonymous internet posters giving "pro tips."

Spent a lot of money getting "advice" from those "professionals" including many of the names on this board. Useless. Got more information that was actually helpful from talking to other parents and from here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have the numbers at my fingertips but I thought I saw something once that showed numbers of students with IEPs for some states with the disability category. Very few with OHI/ADHD but lots of 504s.

Yeah, like I said hard sell:

https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-in-5-Snapshot.Fin_.03142017.pdf

So pro tip to parents contemplating getting an iep--include the ADOS in your testing.

Nobody knows how many kids have learnining disabilities.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/pages/risk.aspx

Non-pro tip. Listen to actual professionals, not anonymous internet posters giving "pro tips."

Spent a lot of money getting "advice" from those "professionals" including many of the names on this board. Useless. Got more information that 0was actually helpful from talking to other parents and from here.

Maybe so, but in this case, pp's advice is go spend money that the professionals are telling her she doesn't need. She better off letting the school finish it's own testing before getting an ADOS to pre-empt something that may never occur. If she does disagree with the school's evaluation, she has several options to challenge the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have the numbers at my fingertips but I thought I saw something once that showed numbers of students with IEPs for some states with the disability category. Very few with OHI/ADHD but lots of 504s.

Yeah, like I said hard sell:

https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-in-5-Snapshot.Fin_.03142017.pdf

So pro tip to parents contemplating getting an iep--include the ADOS in your testing.

Nobody knows how many kids have learnining disabilities.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/pages/risk.aspx

Non-pro tip. Listen to actual professionals, not anonymous internet posters giving "pro tips."

Spent a lot of money getting "advice" from those "professionals" including many of the names on this board. Useless. Got more information that 0was actually helpful from talking to other parents and from here.

Maybe so, but in this case, pp's advice is go spend money that the professionals are telling her she doesn't need. She better off letting the school finish it's own testing before getting an ADOS to pre-empt something that may never occur. If she does disagree with the school's evaluation, she has several options to challenge the school.

^^ By the way, if you are going to take advice from this board, it's really just one person the ADOS right noe, while most of the rest are saying eait and see.

[Anonymous]

OP, It's hard to tell how bad the behaviors are because you haven't described them but the fact the teacher has asked for more testing/evaluations would raise a lot of alarm bell for me. I would strongly advise you to get a full neuropsych which can pinpoint LDs you might not have noticed, an anxiety disorder or something else.

I am NOT advocating you get an ADOS done right now if you don't think it's necessary and the diagnosis doesn't fit but I do think you need more information and I wouldn't trust the school to provide it.

If this were my child, I would decline the school testing and tell them you're going to get a private evaluation.

[Anonymous]

I'm not saying this is you but there are many parents who are in denial that their child is on the spectrum until they are older and the social problems become really apparent. These are usually kids with Asperger's who are very verbal and in early elementary you tend to think they are immature, it's part of their ADHD, and they will grow out of it. A lot of kids do but some don't and the fact your teacher is and the school is pushing you in that direction means something. I don't think it means your child is on the spectrum but it means you should consider the possibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have the numbers at my fingertips but I thought I saw something once that showed numbers of students with IEPs for some states with the disability category. Very few with OHI/ADHD but lots of 504s.

Yeah, like I said hard sell:

https://www.ncld.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1-in-5-Snapshot.Fin_.03142017.pdf

So pro tip to parents contemplating getting an iep--include the ADOS in your testing.

Nobody knows how many kids have learnining disabilities.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/learning/conditioninfo/pages/risk.aspx

Non-pro tip. Listen to actual professionals, not anonymous internet posters giving "pro tips."

Spent a lot of money getting "advice" from those "professionals" including many of the names on this board. Useless. Got more information that 0was actually helpful from talking to other parents and from here.

Maybe so, but in this case, pp's advice is go spend money that the professionals are telling her she doesn't need. She better off letting the school finish it's own testing before getting an ADOS to pre-empt something that may never occur. If she does disagree with the school's evaluation, she has several options to challenge the school.

The op's got a developmental pediatrician and spent the money on a neuropsych evaluation. The time and money spent on getting the ADOS would most likely be financially inconsequential.

Challenging the school though--well good luck with that. The only parents I know that got anywhere had to hire an IEP consultant, a lawyer, or both.

Op, I'm a btdt parent. I'd schedule the ADOS independently. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

An ADOS that doesn't show ASD won't make the school believe a child doesn't have autism. They like the ADOS because the test doesn't differentiate well between autism and other special needs. Studies have shown it captures all the kids with autism, and then many more who have other learning challenges. So they are playing the odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying this is you but there are many parents who are in denial that their child is on the spectrum until they are older and the social problems become really apparent. These are usually kids with Asperger's who are very verbal and in early elementary you tend to think they are immature, it's part of their ADHD, and they will grow out of it. A lot of kids do but some don't and the fact your teacher is and the school is pushing you in that direction means something. I don't think it means your child is on the spectrum but it means you should consider the possibility.

The schools really shouldn't be pushing anyone or diagnosing anyone. They are there to teach and not to diagnose. It could just 'mean' that they are ignorant.
How many teachers follow a kid after he leaves elem school? None.
How many developmental odds follow a kid after elem school and beyond? All of them.

Who has diagnostic training? Not the teacher but the developmental led.
A teacher following a kid around with an ADOS checklist is NOT a good thing - they have no business doing this as they do not have the large scope of training spread out from infancy through adulthood of the kids. They should just stick to teaching the kids they have (though doing a checklist is much easier I'm sure).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

Interestingly, dev ped thinks it's not worth doing—doesn't think it will show much in his case.

PP is wrong. BTDT. ADOS is not a standard part of a neuropsych. It's a matter of professional judgement whether to do it, not a rookie mistake. You may want one anyway for the school or for your own peace of mind. If you do want an ADOS, go to David Black, he's a neuropsych specializing in autism.

In our situation, the tester decided not to do the ADOS after doing a bunch of other testing and spending hours with my son. He said it wasn't even close -- my DS didn't have autism, and wasn't going to test in the autistic range on the ADOS. He'd done hundreds of ADOS testing through the years.

See the difference? He's done hundreds of the tests and followed the kids through adulthood. He knows the difference. Elementary school teachers do not have this training and should not be using it to diagnose kids. I think they like it because it's a checklist and it looks easy but it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not saying this is you but there are many parents who are in denial that their child is on the spectrum until they are older and the social problems become really apparent. These are usually kids with Asperger's who are very verbal and in early elementary you tend to think they are immature, it's part of their ADHD, and they will grow out of it. A lot of kids do but some don't and the fact your teacher is and the school is pushing you in that direction means something. I don't think it means your child is on the spectrum but it means you should consider the possibility.

The schools really shouldn't be pushing anyone or diagnosing anyone. They are there to teach and not to diagnose. It could just 'mean' that they are ignorant.
How many teachers follow a kid after he leaves elem school? None.
How many developmental PEDS a kid after elem school and beyond? All of them.

Who has diagnostic training? Not the teacher but the developmental ped.
A teacher following a kid around with an ADOS checklist is NOT a good thing - they have no business doing this as they do not have the large scope of training spread out from infancy through adulthood of the kids. They should just stick to teaching the kids they have (though doing a checklist is much easier I'm sure).

PP, an elementary teacher who follows your kid for life would be a stalker. Sheesh, you sound unwell.

Many people whose kids actually have ADHD don't need to perpetually see a developmental pediatrician; many parents whose kids have autism do. So by protesting the ADOS so vehemently makes you seem like you are projecting your own insecurities upon the Op.

ADOS is not a checklist and a much better tool than the GARS, which is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An ADOS that doesn't show ASD won't make the school believe a child doesn't have autism. They like the ADOS because the test doesn't differentiate well between autism and other special needs. Studies have shown it captures all the kids with autism, and then many more who have other learning challenges. So they are playing the odds.

Can you point us to these studies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the ADOS done independently. Rookie mistake not to include it in the first place. The schools are supposed to consider outside reports, but the often don't, so it may not change their stance. Iep labels are incredibly general. Focus on the supports your kid needs no matter what label it comes under.

Total blergh.

Interestingly, dev ped thinks it's not worth doing—doesn't think it will show much in his case.

PP is wrong. BTDT. ADOS is not a standard part of a neuropsych. It's a matter of professional judgement whether to do it, not a rookie mistake. You may want one anyway for the school or for your own peace of mind. If you do want an ADOS, go to David Black, he's a neuropsych specializing in autism.

In our situation, the tester decided not to do the ADOS after doing a bunch of other testing and spending hours with my son. He said it wasn't even close -- my DS didn't have autism, and wasn't going to test in the autistic range on the ADOS. He'd done hundreds of ADOS testing through the years.

See the difference? He's done hundreds of the tests and followed the kids through adulthood. He knows the difference. Elementary school teachers do not have this training and should not be using it to diagnose kids. I think they like it because it's a checklist and it looks easy but it's not.

I am not sure what you are talking about. The ADOS is not a checklist and it is not administered by teachers. There ARE checklists a teacher might fill out as part of an evaluation, which is totally appropriate. While I understand it might be distressing to have a teacher think they know the diagnosis, try to focus more on what your child needs.

[Anonymous]

This also isn't about getting a diagnosis or questioning a diagnosis. It's about moving from a 504 to an iep for a kid having behavioral issues.

Need to jump through the school hoops. Helps to show you've dotted the i's and crossed the t's in your private testing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An ADOS that doesn't show ASD won't make the school believe a child doesn't have autism. They like the ADOS because the test doesn't differentiate well between autism and other special needs. Studies have shown it captures all the kids with autism, and then many more who have other learning challenges. So they are playing the odds.

Can you point us to these studies?

Of this poster can't because it's not true.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612387/
http://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/Psychology/ChildMentalHealth/ChildMentalHealth/ADOS-2/Resources/autism-diagnosis-evidence-update.pdf