Got the diganosis finally

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we got "the call" today from the psychologist who did the asd screening for our 4 yr old. she has the report ready and we are meeting with her next Wed to go over it, but she did give me the diagnosis over the phone when i asked. she confirms what we thought and gave him a diagnosis of Asperger's.

ive been letting it sink in today and breathing huge sighs of relief. we knew he would be somewhere on the spectrum, it was just frustrating how long it took to get the answer. it wasnt a suprise and emotionally today is actually easier than yesterday, since now we know exactly what we are dealing with.

and then i came to the abrupt realization that ive been so focused on getting his diagnosis that i didnt think about what comes after.

i have NO IDEA what we do next.

im sure life will go on much as it has for the first four years. we have an iep mtg this coming week so we hope to have an idea of what kind of services they can help him with (speech is already underway for articulation issues). we will continue to do more research and reading to find out more about as and how to help him.

other than that, i have no clue where we go from here.

Hi.

Getting a confirmed diagnosis is a relief. It also carries other feelings sometimes. I remember feeling a sense of loss when my son was formally diagnosed PDD-NOS. I had to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't just a "late bloomer" but that there was something more serious going on.

I checked your profile and couldn't determine where you are located. You will get some information from your psychologist, but you might want to connect to a local support group (even if it is online) to find out about the services in your area and how to access them.

Remember, services vary from country to country, province/state to province/state and even regionally within each province/state.

Also, brace yourself for people trying to sell you stuff/services. Even well meaning friends/family might bring you articles and ideas about products/services that they read about. Anything from saunas to chelation. From restrictive diets to supplements. Be aware that there is lots and lots of information out there - there is also lots and lots of misinformation and outright lies. Some things are slightly helpful for some individuals. Some things are downright dangerous or often just useless and expensive.

Even though you will want to do anything to help your child - take time to evaluate any therapy, product or service. Use your limited resources wisely for what will work best for your child and your family.

I live in British Columbia, Canada. We have funding for ABA therapy ($22,000 per year). This money can also be used for the services of Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. A portion can also be used for parent education. We also are eligible for "respite care" which would be a couple of thousand dollars that can be used for extra help so that my hubby and I can get out of the house (although there is a looooooooong wait list for this!!).

The thing is - it is important to ask several professionals what you are entitled to. I didn't know that I was entitled to Respite Care. The government worker who gave me the diagnosis never told me. My consultants didn't know about it. Even a social worker with the Ministry of Children didn't tell me about it (I actually reported myself to Child Welfare because of my high stress levels!!). I only knew about Respite Care because a wonderful ABI worker mentioned that she was hired elsewhere for a few hours of week to do respite care and told me to call and ask specifically about it. Egads - I could have been on the waitlist over a year ago! So ask ask ask. Also, get in contact with other local parents who have been through the system and get info/advice from them.

Anyways, good luck with everything.