Autism

Hello. My son was diagnosed at 6. I was aware of his autism but never thought it was bad enough to warrant a diagnosis and extra help. I was wrong he needs more help than I thought. I would start with keeping a mindset of helping your son rather than dealing with a child of autism. Autistic kids are amazing smart and loving kids who see the world differently than others. The best thing is to learn everything you can about your child and adjust your lives accordingly. With my son I have to be extremely strict and keep a routine. I am making a visual schedule to help him not feel so stressed with some of the things he has problems with that we have to do such as basic hygiene. Just remember everyone has good and bad days. Just make a safe space he can hide out for the bad days. My son's room has pillows and a punching bag for when he can't manage his anger he can kick and puck and throw things to his hearts delight till he can wind down and process things better. We have weighted toys and vest for him and more

Hi! My husband is on the spectrum and so are all of our 3 kids. Which Level is your son? This will greatly dictate how you can help him live his best life. The most important thing right now is to educate yourself. As his parent you hold the key to everything but you can’t hold the key if you don’t understand yourself. YouTube has some great videos that put the viewer into the shoes of an autistic person. Start there - it will help you see the world through his eyes (everything is too loud, too smelly, too bright, too tight, too loose, etc). Stores, school, public places etc can be torture just because his nervous system takes in too much all the time. Happy to share more about our daily life but we put the individual first and don’t expect anybody to conform just because society dictates it so. Good luck. Be prepared to get your patience tested and allow it to grow yourself as a human. Sending lots of love

I understand your frustration, as I fought for 5 years to have my concerns be taken seriously. It took leaving our home and switching continents to get professionals who were even willing to evaluate my kids.

But 7 is still an early diagnosis. There's so much support available that will change the trajectory of his life. In fact, there's so many services available that it can be overwhelming at first. And schools can be difficult to deal with.

There's a saying "if you meet an autistic child, you've met one autistic child." Each person's autism manifests itself differently. Some are super smart, some re average intelligence ir have cognitive impairments. Some have unique special interest, for others it might not be as identifiable bc the interest is socially accepted. Some are socially awkward, others social butterflies.

So..... to avoid overwhelming you with useless advice, it would be helpful to know what he currently struggles with and then maybe we can give you some ideas

I’m going to second everything else everyone is saying. My son was not diagnosed until he was about six. We’ve known since he was about two. He is considered level one, and does need some supports. He does struggle with social/emotional situations and behaviors, but as you said, is academically smart, and has very unique interests in certain things.

Some things to consider: he might benefit from PT, OT, ABA therapy, and other services. He may benefit from an IEP in school. Depending on where you go to school, you now have an official diagnosis, so his school should accommodate his needs accordingly. You should also look into medical Medicaid. Depending on your state, you can get Medicaid with their disability. Even as a secondary insurance, it will help. Copays can get expensive for therapies. As others have said, depending on what level he is may greatly affect his needs. Yes, not all kids with autism are the same. They are all very different.

For some reason, I can't directly reply to your reply. Given his current struggles, I'd recommend getting him in to PT for toe-walking and OT for help with left vs right and donning/offing shoes.

How does he do socially?

I seen this post and I can relate. I have a two year old who started early intervention maybe four months ago. I am still learning about autism and what it is. He’s been placed on the list to get tested but it can take 6 months to two years before he’s tested. This thread has helped me so much. Thank you

I work in ABA and truthfully the best thing you can do is teach emotional regulation. Set boundaries and hold them and use first then statements.

Find the resources to talk to other who are autistic as well!

Start diving into understanding the concepts of masking & how our world is set up for neurotypical men.

The book "Understanding Your Child's Sensory Signals" by Angie Voss has been incredibly helpful for us.