Are you sorry you got your kids diagnosed?

Question

Did you have your child diagnosed through the local government? If your child has a condition like 'sensory processing disorder' are you glad or sorry you got them diagnosed? Is it better to just get private treatment, or does the government provide good services? Any information would be helpful?

Answer 1

As a parent of a child with autism and one with learning disabilities as well as an advocate for others, I think it is extremely important to get the diagnosis of the school or county. The reason is this..schools will not provide services unless the child is tested by them. Without the diagnosis from that testing, you are ineligable for services and the truth is, very few people can afford them on their own. Many insurance companies provide limited coverage of things like speech, OT and PT . It is bes to take what the schools and county can offer and use personal insurance to supplement it. Also, without the formal diagnosis, the schools will not have to make any allowances or adaptations...a situation which can lead to problems and frustration for the child. I always tell parents to take the diagnosis and get the services. You can always request a re-evaluation, provide supportive evidence from private sources and diagnostic codes can be changed if the testers feel it is not longer accurate. Labelling is no longer nearly as big an issue as it once was, but with budgets shrinking, children without a formal diagnosis rarely get the assitance they need.

Answer 2

My daughter was diagnosed as being developmentally delayed at age 2 through the Washington State birth to three program. I am so incredibly happy with the resources we got through the state program, I wouldn't change a thing. My daughter is a highly functioning 7 year old now, and I can't imagine what should would be like had we not gotten the services we did. If you can afford private treatment, I think its wonderful, but for people who are at the mercy of the system, its wonderful that it can work. I wish all the government services were offered at the same level in every state. I know here in Florida the services are lacking compared to what we recieved in Washington.

Answer 3

The government provides great services. My daughter was diagnosed with congenital torticollis when she was 3 months old and failure to thrive, then with global developmental delay a few months later and then 2 months before her 1st birthday we found out she has hearing loss that cannot be fixed. There are some great programs that come to our house to work with her, she is now a happy almost 2 year old who is learning sign language and does speech therapy to help her learn to talk. If it wasnt for the government services she probably wouldnt be the little girl she is today. And im glad we found out all her problems as soon as we could because it gives us more of a chance to get her the help she needs and to nip the problem in the bud before it gets too bad.

Answer 4

When your child has a disability, you need all the help you can get. Governmet agencies, school districts as well as private insurance treatments. My son recieves SSI and medicaid throught the gov't, behavior therapy and respite care throught the state, 15 hr of classroom time from the schools and medications from his dr. Having a diagnosis has made all the difference!

Answer 5

As a service provider, I can tell you there are many beneficial programs available for diagnosed children only, so it's good to get an official diagnose.

Answer 6

I have an ADHD chiald and a slightly Autistic 2 year old and I am glad they can get government help. Some of it can be expencive and insurance wont cover it all.

Answer 7

I'm very glad for the services my child has recieved.