Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone, I am new to this site and not sure wether this is the best place to post my question.. but il give it a shot, I am in need of advise, My eldest son is 7 and I have been struggling for the past 2 years to get help for him. He has always had a few funny quirks shall we say but is has hightened over time, I have asked for help from the school, doctors, social services and any one I could really. I do not know if he would be considered as having Autism but I do suspect he is on the spectrum. I have voiced my concerns and just been told hes a bright child that's being naughty for my attention! This is so not the case, he has huge melt downs, he tends to go for hitting out if they are not handled correctly, then he will completely close off as if you are not there, and he will cry for hours until you can find away to get him out of it ( well i get him out of it as i'm the only person who can) He struggles in a big way with change, even the slighest change is to much to handle, I have to tell him exactly what we are doing, where we are going and who will be there, if this doesn't go the way it was planned he has a melt down, He also suffers anxienty and some days just doesn't want to leave the house, he has no awarness of any type of danger and has no respect for aurthority, myself, my parents or the police, i'm at a loss what to do next to help him.. he's such a beautitful bright boy, it's breaking my heart to see him like this, he's struggling alot at school and I fear if I don't get some sort of diagnois and help then school will get worse and he will slowly drown with all the pressures of every day life flooding in on him.. Can anbody relate? Is there something in thinking he is on the spectrum or am I just being silly like the school says? any advice would be greatfully recieved xx
I don't think it is right for the school to be dismissive like that. Children behave differently at home from at school for one thing - there are plenty of posts on this - children will try to keep a low profile in school to avoid unwelcome attention from peers but let go at home. Also the kind of contact teachers have doesn't place them in a position to observe all the time.
If you are concerned you should approach your GP. What you describe sounds appropriate for autistic behaviours but you need to get a referral, through the GP, to experienced assessors. It is in his interests to get the right facts. If it is not due to autism it might be something else.
Read the "About Autism" pages on the NAS website. They are a bit erratic, and you need to search patiently. Deep down in the menu there is a lot of very useful information. If you can be more informed, you can better address know-it-all teachers being, frankly, unprofessional.
Also use the search for services in your area (red maps on home and community pages of the NAS website). Again its a bit unreliable, depends what you ask for, and often comes up with London services first even if you are asking about Newcastle. See if there is a local NAS group or other parents group. They can give advice on how best to proceed and can give you support through the process.
Ask questions on here about behaviours. Other parents can respond telling you their experiences.