Anyone done a 3Di assessment?

[mrsbaffled]

.....how long does it take? As I understand it, it is very long! What are the questions like?
(asking as DH and I will most likely be doing it for DS1 (nearly 9)).

Thanks x

[MareeyaDolores]

It's quite good (not done it personally, but have heard second-hand experiences). Some bumf

[CurrerBell]

We did it a few months ago. It took around an hour I think. There were lots of questions about DS's early development, e.g. whether he used to point, and when he started talking (stuff that was quite hard to remember!). There were questions about facial expressions and imaginative play, and lots more stuff that we hadn't realised were relevant. I can't remember a lot but I know it was very thorough - and it gave us a diagnosis of Asperger's, after months of previous appointments and doubt.

It felt a bit weird that a computer came up with the diagnosis, all in DS's absence... but I wish we'd been able to do the 3di assessment right at the beginning!

[mrsbaffled]

Thank you x
I am keen to do it, really. I just want to know one way or another. DS1 isn't a clear cut case, but he definitely has AS traits. The paed said they may not give him a dx even if he has it, depending on whether she perceives it as helpful to him.....surely if he has it, he has it?!!

Did you get AS dx, then, not HFA? I thought they were phasing out the term "Aspergers"?

[CurrerBell]

Hi, we got a kind of dual diagnosis of Aspergers / HFA (it says both on the official letter, used interchangeably). I have heard they were trying to phase out the term Aspergers, but I personally use it because I think that term is still better known. It's all a bit confusing...! DS knows he has a 'special brain' and it is called Aspergers (he thinks of it as being really good at maths!).

Not sure what your paed means... surely a diagnosis will always be helpful, if he has it?!

DS wasn't a clear cut case either... he is only 6 so some of his traits are still emerging. He does have friends and can be quite confident in some ways... he can also do some imaginative play. But he can't cope with certain noises and situations - and takes things very literally. He can get quite stressed and end up being very disruptive in class - not listening, being impulsive and only doing things on his own terms. I was terrified he'd go through school being labelled as a troublemaker... However, his teachers were very relieved to have a diagnosis and it's really turned things around for him at school.

I think of the diagnosis as an explanation, not a label. Now we know why DS gets stressed, and the teachers can make small adjustments that make him feel more secure.

Has your DS had a SALT assessment yet (speech and language therapist)? In our case there were a lot of initial doubts from the paed, but we pushed for a SALT assessment and this made things much clearer. Based on this report, the paed agreed to let us do the 3di, and that is what she based her diagnosis on.

[mrsbaffled]

I think I will push for the "explanation" (as you so rightly put it)....

No, no SALT involvement. We have seen physio, cognition and learning team in the past, and done OT. The paed was happy to suggest 3Di based on his history, family history and meeting him. They are also going to observe him in school.

[CurrerBell]

As the paed is happy to suggest doing a 3di then that's good - you probably don't need the SALT. I just found she picked up on a lot of subtle signs (such as DS missing social cues) that helped to convince the paed to take things further.

Shortly after the diagnosis my DS also saw an educational psychologist who observed him in school. She spoke to his teachers and me, and came up with a lot of really helpful insights. She also helped convince the paed to add yet another 'thing' to his diagnosis - PDA (pathological demand avoidance). This helps to explain why his Aspergers traits were not completely clear cut.

So it still feels a bit like an ongoing process of working out where DS fits in the spectrum... but that initial diagnosis was so important to accessing the right help.

Ironically, the paed who diagnosed DS only met him once, for about five minutes, about a year ago!

[Handywoman]

We have been offered the 3di among other things as part of our MDT assessment. But we have to wait nearly two years as it forms part of the MDT assessment. Seems like it would be sensible to offer this to parents at the beginning........ ho hum.

[mrsbaffled]

Wow! That is a long wait...we were led to believe it would be before Sept, but perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick?

[Handywoman]

Well I guess it depends where you are. Ours has been contually creeping backwards. Every time I ask the time moves back about 3-4 months!