Hello everyone. I've just joined. Im a Mum to two boys. My eldest (2.5 yrs) has been increasingly challenging from around 1 yr old. I noticed a long time ago that he didn't mix with other kids, or play in the way they did. At one point I thought he must have OCD when he began lining things up and grouping things together. We got a private speech therapist to do an assessment, as he wasn't speaking at all and would get very frustrated and bang his head on the floor. Her conclusion was he could be on the autistic spectrum. We asked for a referral through our GP. It was a 5 month wait for an appt with a paediatrician. I was so excited as I thought I could finally access some help and get advice on how to manage my sons challenging behaviour. But all we come away with was an appt for a hearing test (which he had a few months ago!) A referral to the NHS speech/language dept (9 month wait!!) And a vague diagnosis of being on the autistic spectrum, but they want to reassess him at 3 yrs old to determine how severe the autism. I realise what they're saying, that he's still very young and they want to wait until he's a little older to diagnose properly. But it's very frustrating, and I'm left with no guidance. Ive purchased a booklet on autism, from the answers I gave in the questionnaires it would appear my son is a sensory seeker. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to deal with his behaviour when we're out and it's very embarrassing when he kicks and slaps me. People look on in shock at times. My husband is in denial and says he'll grow out of it/will learn to change! Just feel very alone in trying to deal with it. Doesn't help that my Mum recently passed away. Anyone available to chat? X