Hello - newly diagnosed son

Hello!

I'm here because my son who is 11 was diagnosed with ASD yesterday after four years of trying. My husband and I suspected he was autistic since he was about five years old, and tried NHS referral aged 8, but the outcome was very borderline and because his school didn't support the referral (very old fashioned head and SENCO at the time) there was no diagnosis. Trying again recently it took a year to be told it would be another year for an ADOS. So we emptied our "rainy day" bank account and went privately. The outcome this time is that there is absolutely no doubt that he has ASD.

We are very relieved, after so many years of knowing it in our hearts, to be told that we weren't making it all up or that it was just "poor parenting"

E is very relieved too as in his words "I'm fed up of people not understanding me."

He's just started secondary school and is finding the transition quite hard, especially socially.

E loves Lego, Minecraft, heavy metal, cuddles and his current obsession is military history.

I'm a teaching assistant, runner, ukulele player and also mum to big sister who is nearly 14. She shows no signs of autism, but does have epilepsy which I know is more prevalent in those with ASD. 

So that's us... look forward to meeting other parents and sharing life on the spectrummy side!