How to get school to support an Autism referral for your child?
Do you have genuine concerns about your child’s speech and development?
Do you feel as though your child’s school are not taking your concerns serious enough?
Are you feeling frustrated and anxious that the school are not recognizing the difficulties you are experiencing when at home with your child?
I think you’ll agree with me that in most cases, schools hold a lot of power when it comes to the autism assessment process. This can be extremely frustrating for parents and guardians, especially when your school isn’t ‘seeing’ the same difficulties you might be experiencing when at home with your child. Inadvertently, schools can hold a lot of control and influence when it comes to getting an autism assessment. At CareGen, we recognize how important it is for you and your family to be well-informed about the autism assessment process so that you can start a dialogue with your child’s school about the options available to you.
Did you know there are other ways you can address the concerns you have about your child? We have taken the time to list a few of the options available to you so you can get the best outcome for your child….
Go to your GP
Not many parents know this, but your GP is the care coordinator of your child’s healthcare needs. This is why with any healthcare service/assessment that you or your child have ever completed, a copy of the outcome will always go to your GP for their records. Your GP has the power to bypass any reservations that school may have and go straight to your local Autism Assessment team to make a referral.
If you can evidence that your child is experiencing certain difficulties (we’d recommend keeping a journal of incidences that may have occurred in the past), then your GP may be able to use this information within the referral letter, for the consideration of the assessing team.
Top Tip: Why not bypass all this hassle and book a free consultation with a qualified clinician here!
Using Another Environment
One industry secret that isn’t widely known is that you may not need school input at all in getting an Autism assessment. Technically speaking, you need evidence of your child’s difficulties in 2 or more separate environments. The usual second environment is school (due to your child being in this environment often) however this could also mean several other places. For example, if your child does a regular activity on the weekend, you could ask staff within that environment to evidence any difficulties they may be noticing.
In short, if school are not recognizing that your child is struggling (or is masking at school), then why not explore other environments they spend a lot of time in (that isn’t family orientated). This could be the key to you acquiring the support that your child needs to better their future.
Request A Sit-down
Okay, so we’re not in the mafia but the premise is still valid. If all else fails, then we would recommend meeting with your child’s SENCO and class teacher. Now the trick here, is not to plead with them as to why your child ‘should’ have a referral to an Autism service, but to discuss what their objections are.
Once you know why they don’t feel your child needs an autism assessment, then you could delve deeper into possible behaviors that school may have missed. Remember, there are lots of children in a classroom so it would not be uncommon for a teacher to miss some subtle behaviors that your child is exhibiting. Nevertheless, if you are still struggling to have your concerns heard then you can arrange a free initial consultation and speak with a trained clinician here.
Did you know – CareGen offer quick and easy online autism assessments for children and adults with a trained clinician. Free initial consultation. Appointments available within weeks. Affordable and flexible payment plan option. Start your journey with us today here.