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I dont know if I should be going to my gp to get him referred to diagnose something else

This discussion was created from comments split from: Hello my name is Hannah and I'm an educational psychologist.
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It's great that the school are recognising and trying to support your son's needs. There are all sorts of reasons for language and learning difficulties. Often with one difficulty, such as autism, have aspects of other specific difficulties as well. It sounds like your son would benefit from a thorough assessment to clearly identify his learning needs. You can:
- go to GP/paediatrician and ask for referral to a clinical psychologist (under health umbrella) for a thorough and detailed assessment of his learning and language needs
- go through school to have an assessment by a local authority educational psychologist; as they are often limited to time it will be important for you to ask the psychologist to undertake a full cognitive assessment as well as other assessments for language, learning, etc. The benefit for an educational psychologist is that they have a good understanding of the education system and are able to make recommendations for resources/support that directly relate to classroom practice and the psychology of teaching and learning
- You also have the option to employ an independent clinical or educational psychologist
If language is an issue then I would recommend an assessment by a speech and language therapist experienced in assessing and working with children on the autistic spectrum.
For promoting his social, emotional and communication development I highly recommend www.scerts.com
How old is your son?
Glad things are moving forward, albeit slowly which is frustrating. Often when schools describe a child as unique it is because they either don't fully understand a child's behaviours or they don't see the progress they expect in light of the interventions they have put in place. Once your son's needs are more clearly understood things should move forward. Best of luck!