You are correct; waiting is part of the process-For us it was one year for a psychiatrist, two years for a TSS, one year for a GP & on it went but once it's in place you are hoping it works out & if it does not then it's another waiting game so hang in there & don't give up we all go through this process. And I am learning that some insurance companies are not covering our son's care. Two years ago some stuff was but not this year. We are now paying for over half my son's care.

You should have many forms to fill out to give the doctor's an idea of who your child is. Once they read your paperwork they should have taken your child to a playroom & observed your child at play & talking with your child. Then other doctor's come into the room & do their part. As your child gets older doctor's have a serious of questions they ask them to make a proper diagnosis. My son still has two diagnosis because some of the doctor's cannot agree on if it's PDD-NOS or if he is on the Autisum Spectrum. I just go with PDD-NOS because that is what most doctor's feel is best. Also this past two years doctor's added ODD so it's ever changing as he gets older & doctor's do another evaluation.

Its going to be ok and you are not alone.
I couldn't remember milestones either. I knew there were delays, but no clue about exactly when the milestones occurred. I felt like an idiot and a terrible mom. What mom doesn't remember? Well turns out there are more than you think. It really threw me off for the rest of the evaluation. I was sure the Dr thought I was a terrible mom because I couldn't remember the details of my own child's life.
Our dr gave us the results after the tests were complete the same day. I cried and cried and really was ready to go the minute she got out her pen and paper and drew the ' Autism umbrella' on her notepad. I stopped being able to hear what she was saying. I thought I might faint, actually. The Dr would look at me so sad and stop talking so I could cry. I told her to keep going because I wanted out of there. I probably remember about 20% of what she said.
Its really going to be ok. If you don't get the results you think you should have, call someone on the team and explain how overwhelmed you were that day. Ask if you should have a do over and if the answers you gave affected the diagnosis.
They surely understand how hard this is for all of us parents.
And one more time-Its going to be ok.

My 3 year old non verbal daughter was diagnosed with Autism in August 2012. The first appt we had was in July and she was just having an awful day. She ended up being very sick that day (which she wasn't when she woke up) and by the end of the appt., she had like a 103 fever. I was so upset because I thought, "how are they suppose to get a diagnoses after what they just saw?" She was really not herself at all that day. In the end when we went for the last meeting, they did tell me that they could not acturately give me a diagnoses based on what they saw. We had to do it again somewhere else with another appt. So hang in there..

Thank you. I haven't ever really posted and I'm glad I did. All my friends said that there professionals and it's there job, I just wanted to ask someone who has been in my shoes. This site is great. Just being able to see that I'm not really alone and everyone's experiences come together to help & support each other.