Advice

Please don't do ABA. ABA is considered abusive by the autistic community.

Why is it considered Abusive

Absolutely don’t pull him out of school because that’s something he likes. Aba is hit or miss with the teachers anyways. But request aba in the afternoons. My son is about to be 3 and has been in aba, and will be starting special Ed pre school soon and we will just move aba for after school. They should be able to accommodate you

Hi, May I know based on what qualities they determine as level 3?

He is non Verbal, his social skills and play skills

He also has repetitive behaviors

ABA is conversion therpay for autistics. It uses programming methods to encourage neurotypical behaviour and discourage autistic behaviour. The methods used cause distress and trauma. It is compliance focused rather than focusing on the underlying needs of the individual.

@Hema Levels of autism are given when the DSM 5 is used to diagnose, as the ICD 11 has already done away with levels and focuses on specific support needs instead.

Levels are given based on the degree to which an individual is currently affected by their autistic traits in two areas- social communication and repetitive behaviours. A level 3 diagnosis is based on experiencing high levels of distress and needing high levels of support in both of these areas, wheras a level 1 diagnosis means an individual currently needs less support/experiences less distress.

These are only two areas of autistic traits so the levels are not thought to be super useful as they aren't specific enough and don't relate to enough areas. Functioning fluctuates and support needs to be highly individualised so the expected revision to the DSM is that it will follow the ICD and stop issuing levels as part of diagnosis.

When my son was 3 i did pre school and aba in the afternoon.

At age 5 he started saying words thanks to aba and speech not school since they said they never heard him talk. i pulled him out of school to homeschool him and do all his services instead now he is saying sentences. Maybe keep him in school right now that it is only 3 hours and aba in the afternoon and later on decide on what is best for him once school wants him to stay there for 6 hours.

Please don't do ABA. It is traumatic and abusive for autistics. I'd encourage you to look into CBT instead and do as many early intervention programs as possible.

So my son would have to get diagnosed again? And if so how often

What is CBT and PRT this is the first time I’m hearing of both

CBT is cognitive behavioral therapy which aims to help to regulate emotions and to change negative thought patterns to positive healthy ones. Here's a more detailed article.

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/autism/conditioninfo/treatments/cognitive-behavior

PRT is pivotal response treatment and assists with developmental issues such as executive functioning, social skills, and self regulation. Here's an article about PRT.

https://med.stanford.edu/autismcenter/prt.html

Ty

I’ll look into Both

did you get an additional recommendation from the paediatrician?

My kid is 4 and got recommended speech therapy and OT by his developmental paediatrician now he is in JK with an individual learning plan, likes school and practicing 2-way communication.

See if getting an occupational therapist works for you, also find some sensory playgrounds designed for neurodivergent kids, i am finding them to be helpful.

He’s in OT and speech now and has a IEP for school