Autism

Can I ask how you got assessed so quickly please my son keeps getting rejected by cdc! X

My son just turned two x

Hi! My son is also on the waitlist of an autistic diagnosis. But we have to wait until he is 2 and a half. If you ever want to talk it would be great! I don’t know any other mums with autistic children xx

Same as me feel completely alone

@Deanna hi. After my sons first bday when he was 15 month old I spoke with the health visitor and I explained all my concerns. She did the assessment questions they do when they turn 2 years old and seeing he did score low with my answers and all the things he was missing or stopped doing with time she referred me for autism assessment. She said I could wait till May and so it happened. Recently after his sec bday in January he was diagnosed with autism and I’m working to help him. Call the health visitors or go yourself there when they are at the library like we went when they were babies and we would weigh them, don’t need appointment. Tell them your concerns and ask to have appointment with them to speak for his 2 year old development and if he scores low in that appointment she will refer you for autism and anything else you might have concerns with like hearing or so on. Really hope you get one soon.

I’ve actually done all that and the cdc rejected his referral as he isn’t in a nursery setting which he can’t go to until September and been assessed by early years support team he has been scored birth - 6 months in making relationships and communication and understanding etc x

@Deanna chase it with the health visitor and don’t wait as the sooner he gets help the better he gets and early intervention is the best in this case x

The cdc said I have to wait another 6 months and health visitor hasn’t spoken to me since x

@Deanna in some cases it might be late development rather than autism. They call it a late bloomer. If he has signs of autism they should refer him. My son wasn’t in nursery at the time the referral was done by the health visitor. But I did send him two months after as we qualified for 15 free hours of nursery.

@Laura ofc we can. It feels lonely when you don’t know anyone as many ppl are not even educated on autism and don’t understand it.

He shows multiple signs of it and have a family history and early years support team have said he needs 1-1 support and enhanced level of educational support x

My Son was referred the day after he turned 2 we are still waiting but I know it can take a few years x

Hi. I’m just jumping in from a professional point of view. Please avoid ABA therapy. A lot of the adult Autistic community have come out and said they found it traumatising and led to masking. NHS wait times are significant however a lot of their websites contain strategies. For example Hertfordshire NHS trust have some strategies and webinars. If you do want to pay, go for an independent speech and language therapist instead. Make sure they are registered with the HCPC (regulating body) who is neuroaffirming/aware of the neurodiversity model. I also wouldn’t think of them in terms of catching up as they may just learn in a different way and have different strengths. Accept any form of communication and offer lots of options (Makaton, gesture, pictures, verbal). Reach out to your family centre as some have groups/support for SEN children. Xx

We’re on the waiting list for speech therapy, not too sure if it’s autism or speech delay is half brother has sensory autism. So we’re stuck in the lovely waiting game. Hoping to start nursery September as an hour session in July to see how it goes 😬