Help with Autism please.?

Question

Our son is 2 yrs and 7 months and doesn't speak yet. after having hearing test (he was fine) we are now waiting for an assesment but have been told by Paediatrician he has problems. Having suspected Autism already (is showing 3/4 red flags) I hoped someone may be able to tell us what to expect next with regards to assesing him. ie will he have brain scan etc. Many thanks.

Answer 1

I dont know the assesment process but i do know about the schooling aspect of autism. Autistic children normally go to a special school from as early of an age as possible, some start at 1 years old. they do this because autistic children learn differently than you or I do, it's a lot of music, speech therapy and believe it or not, flashcards! You will have to start using flashcards everyday at home with him. Just in case he is my suggestion would be to start looking into schools in your area now and look into Physical/Occupational/Speech and Music Therapy Places for him also, sometimes they come in one area like they do around the area I live in. If you are in the Sacramento area, I can reccomend a great school to go to.

EDIT: I'm in the United States, CA to be exact, sorry :( I dont know of any good schools but here is the Autism of America website below, they will probably be able to help direct you to a UK number, there is probably an e-mail address so you dont get hit with the phone bill. The lady below mine is correct about traits of an autistic child. Another thing is that there senses are extremely sensitive, more so than ours.  I knew of a few kids that would flip out if they were around florescent lights because they would say that they "hurt their ears, cause they were so loud." Here is a few websites that might be able to give you some more information the last one is based in the UK

Answer 2

Hi Hun ...when Thomas pictured left went through this diagnoses ...well let me start ..He had hearing tests but was very uncooperative and they were unable to get a result, so the next step was a six week assessment at our local hospital, during this they basically watched him and how he was around other children and how he played ..me and the parents that were  there were allowed to stay with them BUT not while they were being interacted with just so we could see what was happening ..they gave him tasks to do puzzles and toys like wooden games ... they looked at his basic development...within 2 weeks Thomas was 'officially' diagnosed but we still had to go for the rest of the assessment..Thomas was then given a statement of special needs and now attends a special school he is 10 now still non verbal and still in nappies, Thomas is on youtube if you want to take a look, if you want to know anything ..get in touch  

Ang

Answer 3

My brother is autistic,he is 13 years old,I don;t know much about assesing because im only a year and a half older than him. I looked this up and this should help ::

http://www.behavior-consultant.com/aut-d...

Has everything on it!

All i can say,I hope you the best!! x

Answer 4

Probably the next thing the Paediatrician will do is  the CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) or CHAT (Checklist For Autism in Toddlers).  During the assessment the Dr. will ask you a bunch of specific questions relating to your son's development while observing the way he plays, interacts with you etc.  During the assessment the Dr. may call your son's name periodically, ask him questions (even though they know your son doesn't speak) or try to engage /interrupt your son's play to see how he responds. From here the Paediatrician will be able to (based on the scores) make a diagnosis of autism, although he may want to see your son a few times before he gives a definitive diagnosis.  I'm not from the UK (Canada)  but I believe this is pretty standard testing for autism.  I've never heard of anyone having to do brain scans or blood tests (although they may if they suspect it could be something else or in addition to autism like fragile X syndrome... but you'll have a "heads up" on that I suspect!)  Good luck and best wishes for your family!

Answer 5

Is your son making eye contact? Does he do things repetitively? IE: clapping, hand flapping...I have a twelve year old autistic grandson and he was developmentally OK (he babbled and had about twenty words)  until he hit two and a half and then he went backward. You are doing great by recognizing there could be a problem. We waited too late before realizing he needed help. There are many programs that can help children with light to severe Autism. It is not as scary as it sounds if you catch it early. Autistic children are usually very interested in one thing. My grandson was infatuated with vacuum cleaners! IF..and that's a big IF, your son is diagnosed Autistic get him into Behavioral Therapy ASAP. Be consistent and patient and stay after any service that can help and I promise your road will not be nearly as rocky. With proper speech therapy EARLY he may speak or use hand gestures. Good Luck and God Bless you.