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<blockquote data-quote="SRL" data-source="post: 125025" data-attributes="member: 701"><p>My experience, and that of many parents who have been in your shoes, is that when you first step into this possibility, a label seems like a MAJOR issue. Check with the same parents a few years down the road and the label issue is often a non-issue. At age 4 you should consider any label to be a working diagnosis. Live with it for awhile, research it, rub shoulders with other parents and adults with the same labels. If it truly doesn't fit in a year or so, go back and look at it again.</p><p> </p><p>I was in your same shoes with a child who had borderline Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) traits at age 5, anxiety, some speech and sensory issues, more social than most kids with that cluster of issues. The diagnostician opted not to give an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) label since he was borderline clinically and atypical in that he was far more social than most kids on/near the spectrum. At first I was relieved he wouldn't have the "dreaded label". Then I was nervous because it made getting school services much more difficult. When he hit a brick wall in first grade I actually pushed to have the school give him an educational label of Autism instead of speech/language because it helped to communicate his issues to staff better. Our district has done an awesome job in Autism training for their staff so qhen they read that word they have an automatic connection with issues the child might face and ways they might be helped. And finally, I was just approached by difficult child's case manager to discuss what we were going to do about next year because he's reached the point where his issues now have reached the point of "no educational impact". In nearly every way, he's just like his typical peers at school. In two years when his next triennial review comes up if things continue, the label will likely be dropped.</p><p> </p><p>My whole thinking process on labels changed because I saw their useful side and stopped focusing on the negative "going to be labeled for life" thoughts. Think about it as going on a trip. </p><p> </p><p>A label is like a road sign pointing people in a direction to give your child help. It helps you as a parent research information and link up with other parents. It helps teachers and school staff to know or learn classroom strategies to help them succeed. Having a road sign always helps people see where they need to go.</p><p> </p><p>A label is like a ticket. With this ticket you are more likely to be able to buy the things you may need for your child on this trip: early intervention, therapies, insurance coverage, school services, etc. It's not that you couldn't perhaps get some of those things without the label, but it will be more difficult and likely more costly. </p><p> </p><p>And finally, a label is not always forever. Some kids do continue on the trip and continue to have issues throughout their life, and need to keep the label. Others respond well to interventions, good parenting, understanding teachers, and their issues fade away and then the label can be thrown away because it's no longer needed. It's a myth that schools want to slap a label on your kid and keep it there for life--in fact it's just the opposite. Most parents here have to fight to get schools to give their kids appropriate educational labels because it obligates the school to provide appropriate services.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SRL, post: 125025, member: 701"] My experience, and that of many parents who have been in your shoes, is that when you first step into this possibility, a label seems like a MAJOR issue. Check with the same parents a few years down the road and the label issue is often a non-issue. At age 4 you should consider any label to be a working diagnosis. Live with it for awhile, research it, rub shoulders with other parents and adults with the same labels. If it truly doesn't fit in a year or so, go back and look at it again. I was in your same shoes with a child who had borderline Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) traits at age 5, anxiety, some speech and sensory issues, more social than most kids with that cluster of issues. The diagnostician opted not to give an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) label since he was borderline clinically and atypical in that he was far more social than most kids on/near the spectrum. At first I was relieved he wouldn't have the "dreaded label". Then I was nervous because it made getting school services much more difficult. When he hit a brick wall in first grade I actually pushed to have the school give him an educational label of Autism instead of speech/language because it helped to communicate his issues to staff better. Our district has done an awesome job in Autism training for their staff so qhen they read that word they have an automatic connection with issues the child might face and ways they might be helped. And finally, I was just approached by difficult child's case manager to discuss what we were going to do about next year because he's reached the point where his issues now have reached the point of "no educational impact". In nearly every way, he's just like his typical peers at school. In two years when his next triennial review comes up if things continue, the label will likely be dropped. My whole thinking process on labels changed because I saw their useful side and stopped focusing on the negative "going to be labeled for life" thoughts. Think about it as going on a trip. A label is like a road sign pointing people in a direction to give your child help. It helps you as a parent research information and link up with other parents. It helps teachers and school staff to know or learn classroom strategies to help them succeed. Having a road sign always helps people see where they need to go. A label is like a ticket. With this ticket you are more likely to be able to buy the things you may need for your child on this trip: early intervention, therapies, insurance coverage, school services, etc. It's not that you couldn't perhaps get some of those things without the label, but it will be more difficult and likely more costly. And finally, a label is not always forever. Some kids do continue on the trip and continue to have issues throughout their life, and need to keep the label. Others respond well to interventions, good parenting, understanding teachers, and their issues fade away and then the label can be thrown away because it's no longer needed. It's a myth that schools want to slap a label on your kid and keep it there for life--in fact it's just the opposite. Most parents here have to fight to get schools to give their kids appropriate educational labels because it obligates the school to provide appropriate services. [/QUOTE]
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