My son needs to see a pediatric neurologist due to possible autism: Advice?

My son had a global assessment done. In the summary results they gave us, they wanted him to see a pediatric neurologist for some other testing due to having autism symptoms, but they said it’s not autism. They wanted us to see them get their thoughts on things to see if what they are seeing is due to neurological issues. Well, the pediatric neurologist refuses to see him since he doesn’t have a diagnosis. Idk what to do. I am at a loss here and could use help or advice. Pic of results will be in comments once approved.

4 Likes

I’m going through this actually. Well, sort of. My 4 year old was sent to a pediatric neurologist due to showing signs and symptoms of autism, but they didn’t want to diagnose him with autism. However, the neurologist saw us. Maybe see if they could make a referral for you?

I perform global assessments. Your pediatrician should be able to find a developmental pediatrician/neurologist that will take the referral

1 Like

No advice but it took until my sister was 12 to get a diagnosis of autism. My parents are saints, they spent 12 years fighting every school, every doctor, everyone they encountered trying to get an answer and finally they got a diagnosis and she got help. My sister went from being 12 with the mental capabilities of a 5 year old to being almost on par for her age. She is 17 now, on a special needs basketball team as their star player, making straight a’s, and is set to graduate almost on time. My only advice is keep fighting, keep calling doctors, keep getting referrals, just dont be quiet. Be loud until they hear your voice. You are mama bear, your job is to roar until someone notices your cub. You got this, stay strong!

3 Likes

"Rule out such and such, autism,etc. Is the diagnosis. Call back the original Dr and demand a diagnosis

What about a special school that specializes in diagnosing him with autism. My six year old was diagnosed at age two through a school that specializes in special needs

Your pedi needs to find a neuro who will see him.

Ask for a referral to an autism center. They can help A LOT with ehat to do next, how to help him and what he needs. How to be a parent to an autistic/ADHD child.

1 Like

A couple of questions does your son have sensory issues. Is he able to speak clearly? How are his fits. Do they last for hours? What they did for my son was his cognitive behavior test motor skills and speech

Call your pediatrician and tell them that the the doctor they referred you to will not see you, they will fix it.

I have never heard of a neurologist not seeing a patient because there is no diagnosis. I do know that they don’t like to put a label of autism though. My son’s official diagnosis is pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified. He only meets 3 of the 6 criteria for autism. Unfortunately, if you do want to qualify for services a diagnosis is needed. There should be something that can be used based on his developmental delays or see if there is another doctor that you can be referred to. Personally, with an attitude like that, I would not be very trusting of that doctor.

You can research different neurologists in your area and then call your insurance to have the referral made out to who you pick. Our insurance company allows us to do that as long as they are in network. If there is a particular Dr I want to take my children to for specialty services, I just call up our insurance and tell them who I want on there.

My daughter was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) at 5 years old. :blue_heart::jigsaw:

PDD NOS. Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified.

If your child is between the ages of 3 (I believe) through 18 the public schools where you reside can provide you with services. They cannot, obviously, make a diagnosis, but perhaps the school psychologist could refer you to a different, more cooperative neurologist?

Check to see if there is a “Child Find” office in your area. Google it and see if it meets your needs. I’m in Tennessee and here they provide evaluation and special needs services.

You needs to see a developmental pediatrician. Waitlist can be long but the wait can be worth it. Hang in there.

It looks like on his eval he has more than one diagnosis. Did they not list them on your referral. ADHD,dmdd

Have your doctor make the referral. Take care of this sooner. I have an autistic son and it took two years to get a diagnosis because my kids Dr just wouldn’t make the right referals

Finally a neurologist (head of Neuro) saw him after surgery and took interest in his case have him a diagnosis and things been great since. All new drs with my son

My sister turned to a occupation therapist and they have been extremely helpful. It’s worth a try

Maybe have the pediatrician put down a different reason for the need to see the neurologist and that can get you in the door, unfortunately that’s what we had to do :pensive:

Sounds like an insurance and/or paperwork issue. Maybe try calling his pediatrician and talk to the office to see if you can get a referral to the neurologist or if his doctor can give him a diagnosis. They might even know of a better neurologist that’s easier to work with.

1 Like