Introducing myself

Hi - I have a 16 year old son who has the same diagnosis as your daughter. I'm new to the diagnosis of ASD so am trying to learn about it still

Hi Tall Girl 

Nice to meet you. Have you had a long journey to get to you teens diagnosis? My teen was diagnosed at 10 yrs tho her nursery started raising concerns at 3. It's been quite a journey since then fullof heartbreak & anguish but also with times of  joy great pride and huge ️She constantly amazes us with how much she can achieve. We've had the (sadly) usual battles with benefits,care& health services,guardianship issues and specifically with education- I still feel angry about how the education system spectacularly failed her.(She eventually refused to go back to school mid-3rd year) After 3 yrs of her being in a huge dark hole,mentally and emotionally, she seems now ready to move on a bit and generally seems a bit happier with herself , she is incredible the way she has picked herself up and made huge leaps forward despite all the overwhelming adversity. She is bang in the middle of this transition to adulthood and is finding it very painful, but as is her way, she is still managing to find joy in her life.  I hope your son is finding the strength to cope with all this & that you are too. Stay strong for him- autistic teens really need the constant love of their parents eve though it can be SO VERY DIFFICULT! I hope we can support each other,maybe even share a laugh! Sending you love and hugs!

Hi Tall Girl 

Nice to meet you. Have you had a long journey to get to you teens diagnosis? My teen was diagnosed at 10 yrs tho her nursery started raising concerns at 3. It's been quite a journey since then fullof heartbreak & anguish but also with times of  joy great pride and huge ️She constantly amazes us with how much she can achieve. We've had the (sadly) usual battles with benefits,care& health services,guardianship issues and specifically with education- I still feel angry about how the education system spectacularly failed her.(She eventually refused to go back to school mid-3rd year) After 3 yrs of her being in a huge dark hole,mentally and emotionally, she seems now ready to move on a bit and generally seems a bit happier with herself , she is incredible the way she has picked herself up and made huge leaps forward despite all the overwhelming adversity. She is bang in the middle of this transition to adulthood and is finding it very painful, but as is her way, she is still managing to find joy in her life.  I hope your son is finding the strength to cope with all this & that you are too. Stay strong for him- autistic teens really need the constant love of their parents eve though it can be SO VERY DIFFICULT! I hope we can support each other,maybe even share a laugh! Sending you love and hugs!

Yes, it's been a pretty long journey. My son didn't really show any major signs until he was about 9 (although looking back there have always been issues). He has been in and out of CAMHS ever since, with little benefit really until a couple of years ago when he was eventually seen by a Psychiatrist (LOTS of pushing from me to get this!) He was initially diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression, but I always had ASD in my mind. Again, it was a bit of a fight to get the testing as he doesn't display some traits and is very good at masking. I think I was the only person that he ever showed the 'real' him to. He also missed the last couple of years in school, so only managed to take a couple of exams (this frustrates him massively). Schools just aren't the place for most children with ASD - I think most non ASD children struggle too. On the positive side, I now see him growing in confidence and hopefully this will continue. Love and hugs to you as well - it would be good to stay in touch xx