Published on 12, July, 2020
My son has been showing some signs of autism for around 2 years now. Teachers have mentioned it to me but they won’t test him until he is 6. Recently it’s been getting tougher to understand whether his behaviour is just because of his age or whether it is down to autism. With him not being able to be tested until he is 6, is there anything I can do to get any help in figuring this out?
Hi NAS67707,
You may like to read our general information about autism:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if your son is on the autism spectrum, they would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children.aspx
If you are looking for a diagnosis for your son, it is very important that you see someone with experience of autism spectrum disorders. Details of diagnostic services can be found on our Autism Services Directory:
https://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
You may also want to look at our section that provides advice for parents, relatives and carers of people with autism.
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/family-life.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/professionals-involved.aspx
You may like to have a read of the National Autism Plan for Children to see what you are likely to expect and what you can ask during the assessment . Please scroll down to the bottom of the page and go to page 3 on summary report, page 11 for full report for the Essential Components for a complete multi agency assessment:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/children/national-plan-children.aspx
I hope this is useful!
ChloeMod:)