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Need Urgent Advice...we are clueless

aboutorrin
I am working in Woking (Surrey) and we are returning citizens from Australia. Our son has just turned two and we are seeing some unusual behavior in him which has traits of Autism. These include:
  • Does not respond to name calling.
  • Lack of eye contact
  • Regression in speech - loss of 3 meaningful words and gestures such as clapping, waving, etc.
  • No meaningful playing with toys - everything goes to the mouth or he throws it back
  • Does not point to objects or notices objects when we point at it.
  • Does not speak any more than (mama, papa) 
  • Gazes in blank and at bright light
  • Keeps to himself - keeps running and jumping and shouting at times

We are very concerned parents and we URGENTLY need advice on the following:

1. How. do we decide which therapy to go for.
2. Do we wait till he is formally diagnosed and assessed by the NHS? I hear it takes months.
3. Do we start ABA or similar therapy while we wait
4. Where do we find these basic guidance?
 We are very concerned parents and your response to the above questions are very VITAL.
Parents

  • You guys can do a number of things at home to help him out without it being an "official" therapy e.g.

    - play people games (peekaboo, round and round the garden, hide and seek, chasing games etc) to develop eye contact and social comm skills

    - use snack times and meal times to encourage initiation and requesting (developing lang/comm skills) e.g. Put a motivating snack in a closed clear container and open/give snack after he has reached/pointed/looked at it. respond any body movement/gesture/vocalisation etc at first

    - use a "now and next" board to support his understanding of what is happening (relieving anxiety around change, routine etc and supporting his emotional state and behaviours) have an a4 sheet with "now" on one side and "next" on the other. take photos of moments in the day e.g. "Now" (photo of breakfast) "next" (photo of Thomas cartoons)

    - if he's finding it hard to look at photos/pictures, use relevant Items to show him what will happen next e.g. a soft toy for "bed time" a favourite plate for "lunch time" his scooter for "park" etc

    in the meantime get down to the GP ask for a referral for assessment. Waiting lists are long. Don't be too quick to jump onto one particular type of therapy or another - ABA in particular is considered controversial to say the least by many practitioners in the uk. is your son in any kind of preschool provisIon? 

Reply

  • You guys can do a number of things at home to help him out without it being an "official" therapy e.g.

    - play people games (peekaboo, round and round the garden, hide and seek, chasing games etc) to develop eye contact and social comm skills

    - use snack times and meal times to encourage initiation and requesting (developing lang/comm skills) e.g. Put a motivating snack in a closed clear container and open/give snack after he has reached/pointed/looked at it. respond any body movement/gesture/vocalisation etc at first

    - use a "now and next" board to support his understanding of what is happening (relieving anxiety around change, routine etc and supporting his emotional state and behaviours) have an a4 sheet with "now" on one side and "next" on the other. take photos of moments in the day e.g. "Now" (photo of breakfast) "next" (photo of Thomas cartoons)

    - if he's finding it hard to look at photos/pictures, use relevant Items to show him what will happen next e.g. a soft toy for "bed time" a favourite plate for "lunch time" his scooter for "park" etc

    in the meantime get down to the GP ask for a referral for assessment. Waiting lists are long. Don't be too quick to jump onto one particular type of therapy or another - ABA in particular is considered controversial to say the least by many practitioners in the uk. is your son in any kind of preschool provisIon? 

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