@RJMay3 Getting a diagnosis has been challenging in many instances. My first wife's nephew is autistic, but his initial diagnosis was "autistic-like tendencies" because the doctor didn't want to "stigmatize" him. The lack of a "proper" diagnosis made it difficult for him to access benefits to which he should be entitled. That was circa 1971.

@whoHearer I purposely didn't read teacher reports for students new to the school... I wanted to make my own assessment. I also HATED the end of the year when we were expected to put the ins and outs of someone else's life in paragraph form...it never seemed enough...even regarding nonverbal students.
I'll gladly have a 3 hour discussion on each student, regarding how to give them the tools they'll need in life. There never was a set formula for successful teaching, other than tenacity.