I'm just about to head off, so I'll reply in more detail in a couple of hours.

He had a blood draw, and that's what the pediatrician has asked for again. They took 5 tries to get his blood last time, and since then he has been absolutely terrified of needles, even vaccinations. He still talks about the blood test, and if he's at all tired or has a HALTS need he'll break down crying. Some nights he can't sleep because he's thinking about the blood test, which was a couple of years ago.

If he wasn't so scared, I'd just go ahead and have it done. But he's terrified, and he has no signs of anaemia at all. It's just the doctor is convinced my son "doesn't get enough iron" (despite not actually knowing what my son eats). As far as I'm concerned it's a non-issue and not relevant to his focus/emotional regulation/behaviour/anxiety. Ped and I have very different focus and concerns unfortunately.