Has anyone had to wait a year

[Jadensmom]

My son who is 3 years old shows many signs of Autsim. He has been through many evaluations with our local school. My husband and I were told by them our son dose show many signs and he must be seen by a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician but, it will be a year before the doctor can see him. Has any other parents gone through this. I have a hard time sleeping because i don't know what is wrong with my son and now I must wait a year to find out. Please if there are any parents out there please let me know I am not alone!
Jessica ellis

[888mom]

We had to wait about 4 months to see a developmental pediatrician, referred by our daughter's pediatrician.  Seeing a psychiatrist/pschologist is also possible, but they may not be able to catch all things.  Pediatric neurologists also can diagnose autism and other disorders, but I personally wanted the developmental pediatrician because they can assess a lot of things.  Apraxia, OCD, autism, global developmental delays.  It seemed the wait list was short for them as well.  I think neurologists are usually recommended if there are histories of seizures and other stuff going on.  I really don't know.  I just didn't want to wait a year.  Except our visit, the doctor didn't want to diagnose her with anything because he felt if she was autistic, it was very high functioning, and he wanted to wait a few years to see if certain things improve or go away.  But, regardless of whether or not having a diagnosis, seeing an expert to assess the issues that you have, however they want to label it or not label it, really helps figure out what sort of therapy or preschool or things to do to help your child with the issues they have.  Getting the right team to help your child out is important.  

Does he have speech or language delays?  Delayed social communication issues?  There are also other delays that would qualify him, like if he is delayed in adaptive skills, behavioral issues, and I forget the other things.  If either, he shoudl qualify for a developmental preschool, through the public school system, or some sort of therapies through the public school system.  Asking your regular pediatrician should be able to help him get services, and you do not need a diagnosis to get it. It sometimes  helps, but you don't need it to get it started.  I find that the doctors really don't tell you the information unless you ask them for it.  So, you have to be your child's advocate to get them what they need and are entitled to, through federal regulations/laws.

Good luck.  It's hard being a parent, and then if you add special needs in, it can be a little harder, but hang in there.  

[MJIthewriter]

That being said, my dad has some pretty good advise. Unfortunately to get anywhere you will have to fight for your son's rights. It didn't get much easier. My dad had to be on top of the school board and ride their *** to keep them working with the law.

[MJIthewriter]

Why must we "Defeat Autism Now?" Can't we just accept our children for who they are and work with their differences and help them live a good life without trying to "cure" them? I'm sure my point of view will stir up controversy. From the autistic's perspective, trying to remove autism, is like a parent saying to their child "I love you, but I don't like that you are a boy (or girl)... I paraphrased or quoted that from someone's blog.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5488463

[mjthewriterdad]

Any public school in the USA MUST MUST MUST  formulate an Individual Educational Plan 30 days after m-team evaluation and services MUST start immediately after the IEP is signed!  Federal law!   Also, you shouldnt have to set up this Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician appointment.   They are trying to put the ball in your court and it clearly should be the school's resonsibility to come up wi6th a plan after evaluations and start services.

[Angela77]

Your first line of defense is to have your general praciticioner to evaluate your child.  He/She may make a referral for your child to see a psychologist/psychaitrist who can make a formal diagnosis.  It should take far less time than a year to get this done.  Also, I would make a request to your local school district IN WRITING to have your child evaluated for speech and occupational therapy services as well as a preschool program.  That should get the ball rolling in terms of people coming out and identifying what type of services your child requires.
Lastly, DAN supports interventions such as hyperbaric chambers and restrictive diets that could have potentially harmful effects for boys with autism.  There is a lot of information on autism.  My best advice would be to stick to things that have been validated by scientific studies and widely accepted in the medical community.

[MHensley1975]

I have had to wait for 3 months, his visit is end of November. I am finally on the home stretch! His therapy is starting today but he only gets 6 hours a month! 3 hours speech and 3 occupational therapy. From what Im told that is not near enough!

[Charlie's girl]

can you switch insurance companies?  this seems rediculous. I feel bad for you.  

[mum2beagain]

I'm having a similar issue, although not quite as long but I have to wait 3-6 months just for the evaluation, my son is 4 in March and again I'm worried about the time we are loosing. At least my child is already in therapy for his developmental delays but the timescale for these things is crazy, I totally understand how you feel.

[tomel]

Try and contact a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor in your area..the waiting list may not be as long..although will be expensive.http://www.autism.com/ari/ari-lists/danus.html

omg..the last thing you want to do is wait another yr. for him to get any early intervention he may need...that is precious time lost