Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I'm new. New to this forum and new to thinking about autism beyond what I've seen on tv or heard on the radio.
I have a 2.5yr old son. Talking to his key stage worker (KSW) at his nursery yesterday I asked what they mean when they say "you know what he's like". What is he like? I asked. We only have one child so I have no frame of reference.
His KSW casually said that my son can have emotional reactions to situations which are disproportionate considering his good language/communication skills, and that can be a sign that he is on the autism spectrum.
He said it was 'something to look out for' or 'keep an eye on', I forget which.
So now I'm trying not to project this throwaway comment onto him and I'm frankly a bit confused about what to look out for and how to look out for it and what to do if I notice it.
My son is generally a happy, affectionate, articulate little boy. Should I just forget the conversation or will I potentially help him in the long run by assuming he may be on the spectrum?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Tim.
I would want to know what qualifications the nursery key worker has to make any comments like that about autism. It may be that his understanding of autism is limited to stereotypical misinformation about the condition and a throw away comment like that would at the least be unhelpful and at the most would be unprofessional. I would have thought that if there were concerns about your son that led the staff to consider that he might possibly have an autistic spectrum condition, then this should be discussed with you at a proper meeting with whoever holds the role of SENCo at the setting. From the information in your post it is impossible to know whether your son might be autistic, the traits and presentation are just so varied and what you describe could very well be typical 2 year old behaviour. Has your son had a 2 yr check from the health visitor? Were any concerns highlighted there? I would recommend that you ask who the SENCo is at the nursery and ask for a meeting. In terms of supporting your child, I would suggest reading books like Raising Your Spirited Child, The Highly Sensitive Child and The Explosive Child. They all talk about temperaments and give strategies for emotional responses.
Thank you. You're right, I've been wondering what qualified them to make the comments too. I don't want to ignore something important but similarly don't want to jump to conclusions. I'll arrange a meeting with nursery and check out those books.