What to expect from testing for Aspergers

[Celia]

My ds6 saw the pediatrician yesterday for a preliminary check for Aspergers. He has some of the symptoms, and she feels that we should go ahead and persue more thorough testing. Which, because of the resources that are available to children on the Autism spectrum in my province in Canada, is very comprehensive.

 

I didn't ask enough questions of the doctor of what this might include, and actually forget a lot of what she told me. Annoying.

 

Can anyone shed some light?

 

Thanks!

[Guest]

Some of what dd had at her first evaluation specifically for Asperger's:

 

IQ test

Academic achievement tests

Individual question-and-answer, observation by psychologist

Pages and pages of surveys and tests filled out by me, including autism spectrum survey, behavioral issues survey, etc.

Interview with me by psychologist (fairly lengthy)

There may have been a short motor skills test, but dd had so many of those I lost track of who did and did not administer them

 

Things I would do different in retrospect:

--Keep a written list of milestones in infancy -- everyone wanted these: dates of things like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, drinking from cup, first word, first sentence, etc.

--Keep a written list of things I specifically want to bring up or have in the report, including puzzling or scary things dd did, when, where, at what age,

--Realize that the way the questions are phrased often invites a particular answer, and the people conducting the interviews are not always open to hearing qualifications or "Yes, but on the other hand" types of answers.

--Be forewarned that not all professionals think homeschooling Aspies is a good idea. The one we saw did and in fact said she wishes all her clients could be homeschooled; but later when I was talking with a different psychologist for ways to handle certain things at home, she was very disapproving. If you're forewarned, you won't be taken by surprise or feel immediately panicky and defensive.

 

Hope this helps. Wishing you the best.

[Terabith]

Catherine was evaluated by a speech therapist and an occupational therapist. Each of them saw her for about 2 hours (on different days), and they each did a number of evaluations.

 

She was seen by the psychologist, who did an IQ test and an achievement test. She was given the ADOS test. I was interviewed and filled out a lot of paperwork. She saw a developmental pediatrician, who basically just compiled stuff, and there was an educational consultant who observed her at her preschool.

 

She actually wasn't dx with Aspergers, but she had a LOT of symptoms. They said perhaps NVLD, but we're still in a holding pattern.

[razorbackmama]

Some of what dd had at her first evaluation specifically for Asperger's:

 

IQ test

Academic achievement tests

Individual question-and-answer, observation by psychologist

Pages and pages of surveys and tests filled out by me, including autism spectrum survey, behavioral issues survey, etc.

Interview with me by psychologist (fairly lengthy)

There may have been a short motor skills test, but dd had so many of those I lost track of who did and did not administer them

 

Things I would do different in retrospect:

--Keep a written list of milestones in infancy -- everyone wanted these: dates of things like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, drinking from cup, first word, first sentence, etc.

--Keep a written list of things I specifically want to bring up or have in the report, including puzzling or scary things dd did, when, where, at what age,

--Realize that the way the questions are phrased often invites a particular answer, and the people conducting the interviews are not always open to hearing qualifications or "Yes, but on the other hand" types of answers.

--Be forewarned that not all professionals think homeschooling Aspies is a good idea. The one we saw did and in fact said she wishes all her clients could be homeschooled; but later when I was talking with a different psychologist for ways to handle certain things at home, she was very disapproving. If you're forewarned, you won't be taken by surprise or feel immediately panicky and defensive.

 

Hope this helps. Wishing you the best.

 

I agree with KarenAnne. The parts I highlighted in red were crucial factors whenever I've had my kids evaluated. I had no idea how important these sheets were, but they were THE main pieces that the doctors used in diagnosing my oldest son. (My 2nd son was diagnosed 8 years ago, and I've slept since then, so I don't remember as clearly.:lol: ) In fact, the way I answered on those checklists and surveys and all that seemed to bear more weight than what they actually observed in my son. I say all this to forewarn you, so you can take lots of time in filling them out. I was under the impression they were merely screening tools. I had NO IDEA that they would be used so heavily in the diagnosing process.

 

I agree with the bolded part 100%. I could say more, but I don't want to turn you off to the entire evaluation process altogether.:tongue_smilie:

 

Be prepared for a team of specialists. If there ISN'T a team, I'd find another place, to be honest. There should be a developmental pediatrician, preferably a neuropsychologist or someone of that "ilk," a speech and language pathologist, an occupational therapist, and a physical therapist. They'll do a physical examination (somewhat similar to a well-child check). The different specialists will do some testing in their field - the SLP will check for speech/language issues, the PT will check gross motor skills, OT will check fine motor skills, neuropsych will administer IQ testing, etc.

 

Another thing I would do is to print out a copy of the DSM-IV criteria for Asperger's, and if they do give you a diagnosis, I would have them specify just how/why he meets the criteria. My oldest was misdiagnosed because he does not actually meet the criteria, but they felt he could benefit from services.:glare: Meanwhile I'm just SURE he has CAPD, which would totally explain his language/social issues. But I'm not bitter about it at all.....:tongue_smilie:

 

Hope you can get some answers!!!