I agree. But in some parts of the country, the wait to see a developmental specialist is outrageous so you have to weigh the benefits/risks. Most special ed folks are well-meaning, but can be poorly educated in psychological assessment tools and certain areas. But many are eager to learn, and really want to work with you. In our case, we were fortunate enough to find small local educational conferences in the summer on autism and paid the relatively minimal ($100) registration fee for some teachers and paraprofessionals to go. Made a huge difference in terms of knowledge for these folks as well as goodwill from the school. You can argue all you want that the school needs to provide the training, but they don't and you have to know how to game the system a bit. If they like you, they are more likely to like/tolerate your child.
I disagree a little on it being a battle to get a different opinion. These diagnoses change all the time and schools are used to that. They might not want to test him more than once every 2 years, but you can test him all you want independently (unfortunately this costs big-$$$$). But focus on the services, not the diagnosis. If they'll give him 3 hours of occupational therapy a week, or a time out plan to keep him out of the principals office, who cares what his label is?
Very true! Huge shortage of qualified child psychiatrists. And no one wants to medicate their child, but sometimes it is the best decision and can make a huge difference. For the most part, these aren't kids that are trying to be bad. They're trying to be good, and their brain chemistry won't let them. Removing that frustration can make a world of difference.
I wish this were true! As someone who is forced to try to compete for grants, I can report first hand that there is very little money out there. During President Bush, the NIH research budget was slashed and it hasn't gotten any better under Obama. And with the Great Ressession, foundations just aren't giving like they used to