Published on 12, July, 2020
Hiya im new and I'll go over and introduce myself shortly.. But I need help and advice from anyone who can advise me.
My son is 8 he had speech delay and didn't start talking until late on. I always thought something was wrong but could never pinpoint it. He has been under senco at school on and aoff and last year went under it again and there was talk of dyslexia - nothing more mentioned. I got a support team involved who did an adhd screening but that got ruled out. Long story short I'm at breaking point. He doesn't listen doesn't maintain eye contact likes things to be his way or no way he struggles to maintain friendships he lacks the understanding .he takes things literal and doesn't understand the concept of danger. Anything out of the routine sends him in a tizz and I have constant battles everyday. He only eats soft food and has to have his soft comforter with him always.
At school they say he's well behaved and socially has friends but I disagree as they don't hear the conversations and don't realise he has no friends out of school and in school id class them as acquaintances for the past year I've been wondering if he is on the autism spectrum possibly PDA??
I just don't know where to go from here as I keep getting fobbed off.
Help please xx
Hi Nsmil3anna and welcome to the community!
There is lots of useful information on the NAS website around understanding autism, possible diagnosis and strategies to support your family. Have a look at some of these links and if you have any further questions let us know and a moderator or community member will try to help.
You may like to read our general information about autism:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if your son is on the autism spectrum, they would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx
If you are looking for a diagnosis for your son, it is very important that you see someone with experience of autism spectrum disorders. Details of diagnostic services can be found on our Autism Services Directory: http://www.autismdirectory.org.uk/services/autism-services-directory.aspx
You may also want to look at our section that provides advice for parents, relatives and carers of people with autism.http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/parents-relatives-and-carers.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: http://www.autism.org.uk/Working-with/Health.aspx
You may like to have a read of the National Autism Plan for Children to see what you are likely to expect and what you can ask during the assessment . Please scroll down to the bottom of the page and go to page 3 on summary report, page 11 for full report for the Essential Components for a complete multi agency assessment:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children/national-plan-children.aspx
Best wishes,
Heather - Mod