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Newly diagnosed 8 year old son with ASD - looking for helpful tips

NAS74633

Hi my 8 year old has just been diagnosed with ASD, specifically social communication difficulties. He’s extremely bright and performing really well at school academically and made improvements so we have been told he doesn’t need SENCO support any more (they think he’d be better in the classroom to continue working on the social communication). He finds large groups difficult to navigate and is very rules based so finds it hard to adjust/go with the flow. Paediatrician has discharged him and pointed us in the direction of local mencap (waiting for a call back) and NAS. I’m basically wanting to try and better understand my son’s view of the world, how I can best support him and what (if anything) I should tell him about the diagnosis (paediatrician was seriously unhelpful and just got directed to NAS website) but can’t find anything relevant. Does anyone have any advice from your experiences inc any good books or resources. I really want to try and find the positives in this diagnosis and help him play to his strengths. Thanks

  • I read 'The Reason I Jump' and found it helpful, although every autistic person is different. 

    Although he may not need SENCO, which I think is good as it shows he is not severely affected, and teachers should be able to communicate with him anyway, he may need extra help transitioning to secondary school, and you may need to explain the diagnosis sometime before that, but that depends entirely on what his specific issues are.

    Depends on his level of understanding but maybe it would help him to understand that when he feels different or 'odd', its called 'autism' and there are lots of people with autism it just means he will find some things harder. It's a spectrum and he sounds to have 'mild'version if that is possible. The NAS links should include some strategies, eg how to relax if overwhelmed. He does not need to disclose the diagnosis to other kids if he does not want to.

    He is lucky to have supportive parents who have taken the trouble to try and understand.

  • in reply to Kitsune

    Hello sorry for the late reply - lots going on at the mo.  No my son doesn;t know he's got the diagnosis (although suspect he knows he's a bit different).  I'm like NAS74653 how do I even start this/should I- have had really mixed messages on this point!

  • Dear , welcome to the NAS online community and thank you for sharing. You may find some useful information in our page on post-diagnosis support for parents: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/post-diagnosis-support/parents-and-carers. 

    Our page on communication for autistic people may also offer some insight on the topic: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/communication. 

    In terms of the school support, the following page contains a lot of helpful information about education for an autistic child: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/education. This includes information regarding getting extra support for your child in their education setting.

    I hope this helps.

    Best wishes,

    Anna Mod

  • in reply to Kitsune

    I’m in a similar situation, my 9 year old son has just been diagnosed recently, he is very bright & achieves academically but struggles socially & emotionally.  It feels bitter sweet as we knew the diagnosis would come but nothing really prepares you for it. We haven’t had the conversation with him yet, any tips on how to do this would be good. And any info on what we can ask of school would be really helpful also. Thank you x 

  • It’s really good that your son seems to be doing so well but I’d be wary of them withdrawing the support of the SENCO. ASD doesn’t go away and though some of us can do fantastically academically, it doesn’t mean that we don’t still struggle with the Autistic stuff ie social communication differences; sensory issues; needing more routine and structure than our peers. Does your son know that he is Autistic?