My son is 8 years old and not diagnosed yet, been waiting a year and a half for an assessment but the paediatritian and teachers say it's very likely to be high-functioning ASD. I haven't mentioned anything about this to him. I'm worried that if I don't start doing this soon, he'll just have his own more negative way of describing himself to himself. We talk about difficulties he has with sensory things, and I tell him it's ok to feel like that. He has difficulties with interacting with other children, playing and with making friends. My question is, when do you start talking to a child about autism as a specific thing?