Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
My son is 2 ½ and is displaying traits of ASD, as picked up by both ourselves and the staff at his nursery. We’re currently going through the diagnosis procedure with the NHS but it seems like a very long process and despite all my questions I cannot get any clarity on the chain of events leading to a diagnosis. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to tell me about their experience in getting their toddler diagnosed and if there are any services we can access in the meantime? For example, I have heard really good things about the EarlyBird course but neither my GP or Health Visitor have even heard of it. Also would getting a private diagnosis help speed things up and enable us to get some help?
On a separate note, my husband and I are finding this whole process emotionally very difficult. We love our little boy very dearly, and while we think he might be on the milder end of the spectrum, we have a lot of worries about his future and how we can best support him. We also have another child due in a few weeks. If anyone has any advice on how they coped with the emotional side of this we’d really appreciate it.
Many thanks x
Hello there,
I would suggest still pursuing the NHS route as you will be able to access statutory specialist services. Your little boy will also have the legal protection for life too, once he gets a diagnosis. A real strength is that he is young enough to be able to benefit from specialist help and support as he develops, this will enable him to cope in a world where the majority are wired differently. He is also very lucky to have a motivated parent to support him. He will have many great ASD strengths - build on these. Good luck.
Dear NAS67483,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having difficulties in getting information about the diagnosis process for your son. There's lots of information on our website and you may find the page about diagnosis for children useful: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx. There is information about getting a private diagnosis a little way down that page.
You'll find information about the EarlyBird support programme here: https://www.autism.org.uk/services/community/family-support/earlybird.aspx
If you would like to speak to someone you might like to contact our Autism Helpline team who can provide you with information and advice. The contact details for the helpline are here. The Helpline is currently open 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday - it is often very busy and you may find that you need to call more than once before you get through.
I hope that helps.
Regards,
Kerri-Mod