Published on 12, July, 2020
Our two and half year old son has been diagnosed with ASD last week. Since then it seems we are walking in a dense fog. The worst part was that the consultant and therapist who gave us the diagnosis just seemed to let go and provided no further direction except pointing us to a parents workshop that will take place end of June sometime.
So we have the diagnosis and don't know what further support is available, what treatment is needed, whether treatment would help, just don't know anything at all. Started trawling through info on the net and seems to be so much that I feel overwhelmed and unable to comprehend anything.
I want to help my son (he has a good understanding - follows directions and instructions, but no verbal communication or emotional understanding), but not sure where to start.
Hi,
My daughter was recently diagnosed and I feel the same... what now? How will things change? My girl is almost 6 and already has a Statement of Special Educational needs which your little one should get (my nursery set the ball rolling with that) to get in place for when she started school. She has a 1:1 teaching assistant to help her through her day and loves school. (Although has very challenging behaviour). She too had very little verbal communication (she couldn't say her own name until she was 4) but we learnt a little sign language via nursery and we had a lady from Portage round and she began to communicate via signs and then when her speech came along she dropped the signs. Shes also very visual so pictures help for timetables and communication on both sides.
We too asked about how will things change for her and we too were told about a workshop. I wondered about therapies for Sensory Proccessing Disorders etc which I must find out.
Im hoping once we've been on the workshop it will open other doors and things will become easier to understand. It's a lot to take in!! Youre not on your own though hun. x
Don't forget that ASD is a spectrum disorder. We are all different. Some people need DLA/lots of support whilst others "just" need their parents and teachers etc to change the way they deal with us. If you watch Born Naughty on C4 at the moment you will see that a transformation in behaviour is possible for some if people learn what buttons to press and which buttons to avoid. Every autistic child benefits from people, especially parents, learning how to get the best out of them.
Hi, welcome . It can feel like you're just left hanging post diagnosis. Just as well we have this site. Check out the home pg. There's loads of info so take your time. Imo you shd concentrate on learning about autism + how it affects your son as an individual. That's so v important for his future. Also check out the posts. Lots of info on lots of subjects. Post whenever you want to, ask whatever you want. Also via the home pg you can check out if there's a support group in your area. If that's of interest to you, then have a look. You shd check out claiming benefits for your son. You shd also ask via social services for a carer's assessment. Remember you can't do everything at once. Take things 1 step at a time. As you learn you'll feel more in control of things + it will be a great help to your son.