Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi this is my first time using a forum i just wanted to say hi and share a little of our story. It has taken us 10 years to finally get a diagnosis for our daughter. We were told when she was 3 that she had autism but couldn't get a statement or any help. Her home life is fine she is the sweetest natured child ever it has been a very long hard struggle and now we have the diagnosis I feel we were left with no support she also has A.D.D and we have no dedicated service for that here either we are totally lost I'm terrified for her future she's going up to year 11 in september. I was given a list of Web sites and some leaflets and I feel completely overwhelmed by the volume of information on the Internet. I'm not sure what is relevant to her and what isn't. It would be great to have someone tell us what we do next. Sorry for long post lol does anybody else feel the same?
I would advise you to get your daughter fully assessed by a team of multidisciplinary professionals(Paediatric Neurologist, Dietician, Speech therapist, Occupational therapist, etc) to ascertain her peculiar needs. This was what we did with my now thirteen years old son. It was done in Red Cross Children's Memorial Hospital Cape Town in South Africa. After the assessment, we were given several options to choose from. Do no give up, there is some light in the tunnel.
i I wondered if you could tell me how a doctor who test to see if my son is autistic. My partner seems to think some of my sons characteristics match that of a child with autism. My niece is quite low on the spectrum and he thinks that our son may have similar traits.
We have a doctors appointment booked but I just wondered what a test would entail
Many Thanks
The diagnosis is not based on laboratory tests(or investigations). It is mainly based on clinical assessment of the child. There are some laid down criteria that if a child meets, he or she will be said to belong to the spectrum. I am not an expert in this field. I am only an informed parent of a child that belongs to the spectrum.