Autism

[Foxdiamond]

On 02/11/2021 at 10:20, ClaphamFox said:

Inspired by the 'Sensory rooms' thread on the main forum, plus a few DMs with another poster, I thought I'd start a thread for anybody who wishes to discuss anything related to autism. 

 

I'll start. Just over a year ago, my partner and I began to suspect that our son might be on the spectrum. This came as a surprise to us as his vocabulary was good and he'd hit all of his developmental milestones until around three. He'd always been a bit challenging in terms of sleep and emotional regulation, but he seemed 'normal' in other ways so we didn't worry too much. Then when other children his age started to be more social and have back-and-forth conversations, we noticed that our son was really struggling to use his language in a social/pragmatic way, which was isolating him from his peers. We consulted his nursery, doctors and various therapists, and they all basically told us they think he's on the spectrum, although he hasn't been diagnosed yet.

 

A year later, his communication skills have improved a lot and continue to get better all the time, but he finds back-and-forth conversation tricky unless it's with me or his mum. He still faces a challenge in regulating his emotions - most of the time he's very happy, but if something upsets him it REALLY upsets him, and it can be difficult to make him feel better. Sometimes he can be very 'stimmy' - making strange noises, running up and down, waving his arms  - while other times he can be very calm, relaxed and talkative. So far, he doesn't seem to have major sensory issues and is quite happy in crowded/noisy places.

 

Our son was due to begin school in September but we've held him back a year because he would have been one of the youngest in his year as well as having additional needs, and we were worried that he'd be overwhelmed in a class of 30. He is now coming on really well at nursery (with help from his therapists) and we feel confident he'll be ready for school next September, when he'll have just turned five. The major challenge/choice we have now is finding the right school for him. My partner does not like the local state primary - our son attended the nursery attached to the school for a while and our experience of them was not positive - so we're casting the net for an alternative school. This is occupying a great deal of our time and thoughts at the moment.

Anyway, that's a brief summary of my situation. I'd love to hear the experiences of anybody else who wants to share them...

 

 

Thank you for raising this. My grandson is on the spectrum. He is a lovely boy and we love him dearly. It was a shock to have official confirmation but we have adjusted. We are lucky in that he is bright and does communicate well. Dealing with emotional upsets to his routine or if something goes wrong are the main challenges for him. It is important for all concerned that this not a child being naughty or just playing up but trying to cope with anxiety etc. 

[tw511]

47 minutes ago, Houdini Logic said:

My niece went for an assessment at Cauldwell and they made the assessment within the day. It's a very clever process and I felt comfortable that their diagnosis was sound. The place was naturally ASD friendly though it's still inevitably a stressful day for the child. It doesn't need to take any longer than a day - they work with the child in different scenarios and can make an assessment on that. After the assessment day it takes around 4 weeks to get the report/outcome

Thank you that's really helpful.

 

We're in Sheffield so assessment will be at Ryegate but I think the process sounds largely the same. 

[Tommy G]

Came across this thread so going to post this, if only to get it off my chest...

 

We have a son called Oliver who as 3 in Aug. Things were pretty normal 0-15 months apart from lack of first words, he was also a late walker (15-18 months can't remember when) We became increasingly concerned when he didn't verbalise anything - and still doesn't. His eye contact can be mixed, sometimes good but often he struggles. He is surprsingly good with sleep, usually sleeps through but can have challenges faling asleep. Doesn't point etc basically a few classic autism signs.

 

We have him enrolled at an Ofsted oustanding nursery in Burbage who have been absolutely fantastic with him. He goes 4 days a week and touch wood has never missed a day apart from Chicken Pox. He is getting better at socalising with other children but will often play alone, and finds it very hard to focus or concentrate on anything very well, and can get upset either when there is lack of familiarity or other people but is happy to meet new adults rather than kids his own age. 

 

He is 4 in August so at the stage of aplying for schools and EHCP, we have had a successful SEND application approved  for additional funding that the nursery helped us with. He has S&L therapy privately and has recently had NHS S&L therapy every fortnight although this has taken us 18 months (NHS a complete joke in support of Oliver) I have had him assessed by a private Paediatrician at the Spire which was well worth it and she will make a decision in 6 months time on whether to push for a formal diagnosis. The Consultant was excellent so if anyone else wants to go down that route or needs contacts for S&L therapists PM me, the appt wasn't cheap, approx £600 from memory but would spend it 10 times over for the piece of mind it gave me and my wife. 

 

I am very nervous at the moment about schooling, he wouldn't cope in mainstream and he will of just turned 4 - we are beginning to potty train but as you know it isn't a quick job. I am also nervous about talking about it - very few of our friends know what we have been going through and it's just hard, many of them have kids who are neurotypical - it's just a really tough situation tbh. 

 

I also met with the MP Luke Evans (my local MP) who was surprisingly helpful and managed to get things moving on a few fronts for me and will also personally support our EHCP application. I am pretty new to all this and learning, as any parent does.....but it is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have always been very career concious and worked extremely hard, many 12 hours days in my 20s and was appointed to the board of a company last year at 32, that seems like a complete walk in the park compared to dealing with this.  

 

Reading it back.... the post above is a bit disjointed but hopefully gives you a flavour. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tw511]

4 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Came across this thread so going to post this, if only to get it off my chest...

 

We have a son called Oliver who as 3 in Aug. Things were pretty normal 0-15 months apart from lack of first words, he was also a late walker (15-18 months can't remember when) We became increasingly concerned when he didn't verbalise anything - and still doesn't. His eye contact can be mixed, sometimes good but often he struggles. He is surprsingly good with sleep, usually sleeps through but can have challenges faling asleep. Doesn't point etc basically a few classic autism signs.

 

We have him enrolled at an Ofsted oustanding nursery in Burbage who have been absolutely fantastic with him. He goes 4 days a week and touch wood has never missed a day apart from Chicken Pox. He is getting better at socalising with other children but will often play alone, and finds it very hard to focus or concentrate on anything very well, and can get upset either when there is lack of familiarity or other people but is happy to meet new adults rather than kids his own age. 

 

He is 4 in August so at the stage of aplying for schools and EHCP, we have had a successful SEND application approved  for additional funding that the nursery helped us with. He has S&L therapy privately and has recently had NHS S&L therapy every fortnight although this has taken us 18 months (NHS a complete joke in support of Oliver) I have had him assessed by a private Paediatrician at the Spire which was well worth it and she will make a decision in 6 months time on whether to push for a formal diagnosis. The Consultant was excellent so if anyone else wants to go down that route or needs contacts for S&L therapists PM me, the appt wasn't cheap, approx £600 from memory but would spend it 10 times over for the piece of mind it gave me and my wife. 

 

I am very nervous at the moment about schooling, he wouldn't cope in mainstream and he will of just turned 4 - we are beginning to potty train but as you know it isn't a quick job. I am also nervous about talking about it - very few of our friends know what we have been going through and it's just hard, many of them have kids who are neurotypical - it's just a really tough situation tbh. 

 

I also met with the MP Luke Evans (my local MP) who was surprisingly helpful and managed to get things moving on a few fronts for me and will also personally support our EHCP application. I am pretty new to all this and learning, as any parent does.....but it is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have always been very career concious and worked extremely hard, many 12 hours days in my 20s and was appointed to the board of a company last year at 32, that seems like a complete walk in the park compared to dealing with this.  

 

Reading it back.... the post above is a bit disjointed but hopefully gives you a flavour. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can relate to so much of this. Great post, not disjointed at all. Having a good nursery makes such a big difference doesn't it?

 

Kinda wishing we'd looked into the private route now but I think it would have been financially tricky. I guess we're getting there.

 

I concur it can be the hardest thing and steepest learning curve. And definitely tough having few people to talk about it to who understand.

[Foxdiamond]

15 minutes ago, tw511 said:

I can relate to so much of this. Great post, not disjointed at all. Having a good nursery makes such a big difference doesn't it?

 

Kinda wishing we'd looked into the private route now but I think it would have been financially tricky. I guess we're getting there.

 

I concur it can be the hardest thing and steepest learning curve. And definitely tough having few people to talk about it to who understand.

Very best wishes to all coping with this. 

[weller54]

5 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Came across this thread so going to post this, if only to get it off my chest...

 

We have a son called Oliver who as 3 in Aug. Things were pretty normal 0-15 months apart from lack of first words, he was also a late walker (15-18 months can't remember when) We became increasingly concerned when he didn't verbalise anything - and still doesn't. His eye contact can be mixed, sometimes good but often he struggles. He is surprsingly good with sleep, usually sleeps through but can have challenges faling asleep. Doesn't point etc basically a few classic autism signs.

 

We have him enrolled at an Ofsted oustanding nursery in Burbage who have been absolutely fantastic with him. He goes 4 days a week and touch wood has never missed a day apart from Chicken Pox. He is getting better at socalising with other children but will often play alone, and finds it very hard to focus or concentrate on anything very well, and can get upset either when there is lack of familiarity or other people but is happy to meet new adults rather than kids his own age. 

 

He is 4 in August so at the stage of aplying for schools and EHCP, we have had a successful SEND application approved  for additional funding that the nursery helped us with. He has S&L therapy privately and has recently had NHS S&L therapy every fortnight although this has taken us 18 months (NHS a complete joke in support of Oliver) I have had him assessed by a private Paediatrician at the Spire which was well worth it and she will make a decision in 6 months time on whether to push for a formal diagnosis. The Consultant was excellent so if anyone else wants to go down that route or needs contacts for S&L therapists PM me, the appt wasn't cheap, approx £600 from memory but would spend it 10 times over for the piece of mind it gave me and my wife. 

 

I am very nervous at the moment about schooling, he wouldn't cope in mainstream and he will of just turned 4 - we are beginning to potty train but as you know it isn't a quick job. I am also nervous about talking about it - very few of our friends know what we have been going through and it's just hard, many of them have kids who are neurotypical - it's just a really tough situation tbh. 

 

I also met with the MP Luke Evans (my local MP) who was surprisingly helpful and managed to get things moving on a few fronts for me and will also personally support our EHCP application. I am pretty new to all this and learning, as any parent does.....but it is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have always been very career concious and worked extremely hard, many 12 hours days in my 20s and was appointed to the board of a company last year at 32, that seems like a complete walk in the park compared to dealing with this.  

 

Reading it back.... the post above is a bit disjointed but hopefully gives you a flavour. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Absolutely relate to your post.

My granddaughter is Autistic and my daughter has been battling to get the EHCP for her.. it's a complete joke the process you have to go through (and cost!!!).

Feel for you so much.

[ClaphamFox]

On 25/01/2022 at 13:17, Tommy G said:

Came across this thread so going to post this, if only to get it off my chest...

 

We have a son called Oliver who as 3 in Aug. Things were pretty normal 0-15 months apart from lack of first words, he was also a late walker (15-18 months can't remember when) We became increasingly concerned when he didn't verbalise anything - and still doesn't. His eye contact can be mixed, sometimes good but often he struggles. He is surprsingly good with sleep, usually sleeps through but can have challenges faling asleep. Doesn't point etc basically a few classic autism signs.

 

We have him enrolled at an Ofsted oustanding nursery in Burbage who have been absolutely fantastic with him. He goes 4 days a week and touch wood has never missed a day apart from Chicken Pox. He is getting better at socalising with other children but will often play alone, and finds it very hard to focus or concentrate on anything very well, and can get upset either when there is lack of familiarity or other people but is happy to meet new adults rather than kids his own age. 

 

He is 4 in August so at the stage of aplying for schools and EHCP, we have had a successful SEND application approved  for additional funding that the nursery helped us with. He has S&L therapy privately and has recently had NHS S&L therapy every fortnight although this has taken us 18 months (NHS a complete joke in support of Oliver) I have had him assessed by a private Paediatrician at the Spire which was well worth it and she will make a decision in 6 months time on whether to push for a formal diagnosis. The Consultant was excellent so if anyone else wants to go down that route or needs contacts for S&L therapists PM me, the appt wasn't cheap, approx £600 from memory but would spend it 10 times over for the piece of mind it gave me and my wife. 

 

I am very nervous at the moment about schooling, he wouldn't cope in mainstream and he will of just turned 4 - we are beginning to potty train but as you know it isn't a quick job. I am also nervous about talking about it - very few of our friends know what we have been going through and it's just hard, many of them have kids who are neurotypical - it's just a really tough situation tbh. 

 

I also met with the MP Luke Evans (my local MP) who was surprisingly helpful and managed to get things moving on a few fronts for me and will also personally support our EHCP application. I am pretty new to all this and learning, as any parent does.....but it is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I have always been very career concious and worked extremely hard, many 12 hours days in my 20s and was appointed to the board of a company last year at 32, that seems like a complete walk in the park compared to dealing with this.  

 

Reading it back.... the post above is a bit disjointed but hopefully gives you a flavour. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this, Tommy. And thanks also to those others who have provided updates above.

 

Tommy, your situation is very familiar to me. Our son is a June baby and was due to start school in September but we decided to defer a year because we were worried that the combination of being one of the youngest kids in the year and having additional needs would not be good for him. It just didn't seem like he was ready, so we decided to push back his entry to reception to this September. It was the right decision: our son is now doing really well at a new nursery and we feel confident that he'll be ready for school by September.

 

Our situation has been complicated in that we originally received permission to defer by the governors of the local school, but we have since decided we don't want him to go to that school. After an intense few months of research and visits, we have chosen another school in a village a few miles away and they have said they want to take our son, but the local authority has warned us that we're not guaranteed a place because we're not in the school's immediate catchment area. An EHCP would virtually ensure we got a place, but we don't have one of those yet (we applied ages ago but the local authority has been very slow in processing it). As it is, I think we'll probably get into our chosen school as they're not usually oversubsribed, but until we know for certain it's going to be a nerve-wracking few months...

 

Yes, it is tough in a way that is very difficult to convey to friends with neurotypical kids. Our son is making great progress with his communication skills, which we're very grateful for, but his emotional regulation is still a major problem - the other morning I spent well over an hour following him around the house, cajoling/pleading/begging him to get dressed for nursery - despite the fact that he loves nursery! Bedtimes are horrendous too - it can sometimes take 2-3 hours to get him to sleep. My partner and I are often so exhausted we become impatient with each other, which obviously doesn't help. But then something wonderful happens (like being told by his nursery that he's starting to approach other kids and ask to join in & is making spontaneous comments in group activities) and things suddenly start to look all rosy again.

 

It's an emotional rollercoaster, mate.

Edited 26 January 2022 by ClaphamFox

[enmac]

Saw this thread tonight. Maybe helpful? 

 

[MPH]

On 25/01/2022 at 06:20, tw511 said:

 

 

Also, this may be a bit random, has anyone had any experience of their child refusing to look at the dinner table? We recently moved him from a booster seat at the table to a cushion, so he's lower down. Now he sort of sits side saddle and refuses to look ahead. When he wants food from his plate he'll sort of side eye it or squint so he's looking at the bare minimum of table. I'm guessing it's a sensory thing that there's something about the way the table looks from the new viewpoint that's overwhelming. Was wondering if anyone had seen anything similar? Would try and raise him up again but then he won't fit under the table!

 

this might sound a bit daft, but have you tried looking at  the table from his angle where his chair would be?

 

 

Is there a light near the table? Could he be catching the light bouncing off the table into his line of sight? A light from outside now in his line of sight?

 

just an idea.

[The Year Of The Fox]

A girl I’m seeing has a little lad of 6 who we believed was autistic. 
 

He has speech issues mainly in the sense that his range of vocabulary isn’t perhaps what it should be for that age. We have trouble conversing in depth with him too. Sometimes he’s a little chatterbox which is bloody great to hear (albeit with limited vocabulary). Other times it seems like he ‘zones out’ and feels like you’re talking to a brick wall. It got to the point where I thought he may have Absence Seizures. 
 

His mum has taken him to get private diagnosis and treatment as we weren’t having any luck with the NHS. He’s come back all clear on the absence seizures and are waiting to hear where he could be on the autistic spectrum. 
 

The main issue seems to lie at school though. He’s becoming more and more withdrawn/speaking less. He doesn’t tell his mum why (after the teachers have reported his quietness to his mum at the end of the school day) We we’re worried about him being bullied but we don’t think that that’s the case, and he’s a very popular lad at school. 
 

As a side issue, it’s been incredibly difficult for his mum to come to terms with his autism diagnosis. She’s not from this country originally, and her home country (I believe) probably have an equivalent to our 1970s sort of outlook on autism etc. Whilst she understands our country is a lot more forward thinking than her own, it’s still really  upsetting for her worrying about the difficulties he might face in the future
 

[jonthefox]

46 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

A girl I’m seeing has a little lad of 6 who we believed was autistic. 
 

He has speech issues mainly in the sense that his range of vocabulary isn’t perhaps what it should be for that age. We have trouble conversing in depth with him too. Sometimes he’s a little chatterbox which is bloody great to hear (albeit with limited vocabulary). Other times it seems like he ‘zones out’ and feels like you’re talking to a brick wall. It got to the point where I thought he may have Absence Seizures. 
 

His mum has taken him to get private diagnosis and treatment as we weren’t having any luck with the NHS. He’s come back all clear on the absence seizures and are waiting to hear where he could be on the autistic spectrum. 
 

The main issue seems to lie at school though. He’s becoming more and more withdrawn/speaking less. He doesn’t tell his mum why (after the teachers have reported his quietness to his mum at the end of the school day) We we’re worried about him being bullied but we don’t think that that’s the case, and he’s a very popular lad at school. 
 

As a side issue, it’s been incredibly difficult for his mum to come to terms with his autism diagnosis. She’s not from this country originally, and her home country (I believe) probably have an equivalent to our 1970s sort of outlook on autism etc. Whilst she understands our country is a lot more forward thinking than her own, it’s still really  upsetting for her worrying about the difficulties he might face in the future
 

This is one of the biggest hurdles you'll face. As soon as i and my sons mum realized mainstream education wasn't working , we pushed for SEN education . Places at these schools are rare but that didn't deter us and we kept pushing. Eventually he got a place at a school in Hinckley and the transformation was unreal (albeit over a number of years ). Remember, do whats best for the child , not your self esteem. 

 

In my last post i pointed out some things he achieved and on Monday he came home with this. Like i said before, different doesn't mean broken.Good luck mate.

 

 

 

[The Year Of The Fox]

14 minutes ago, jonthefox said:

This is one of the biggest hurdles you'll face. As soon as i and my sons mum realized mainstream education wasn't working , we pushed for SEN education . Places at these schools are rare but that didn't deter us and we kept pushing. Eventually he got a place at a school in Hinckley and the transformation was unreal (albeit over a number of years ). Remember, do whats best for the child , not your self esteem. 

 

In my last post i pointed out some things he achieved and on Monday he came home with this. Like i said before, different doesn't mean broken.Good luck mate.

 

 

 

That’s really good to hear about your son.
 

I feel he’d be better off in a SEN setting but don’t want to make inquiries as I don’t want to step on her toes. She’s also worried about taking him away from the friends he has in his current school. It’s difficult for me as a sort of bystander, but must be much harder for her.

 

This is a great thread to have, just when I was looking for something like this, for myself, to help me understand things more

[Tommy G]

4 hours ago, jonthefox said:

This is one of the biggest hurdles you'll face. As soon as i and my sons mum realized mainstream education wasn't working , we pushed for SEN education . Places at these schools are rare but that didn't deter us and we kept pushing. Eventually he got a place at a school in Hinckley and the transformation was unreal (albeit over a number of years ). Remember, do whats best for the child , not your self esteem. 

 

In my last post i pointed out some things he achieved and on Monday he came home with this. Like i said before, different doesn't mean broken.Good luck mate.

 

 

 

Is this Westfield infants? I presume looking at your lad hes a bit older than that. I know the other special provision is Dorothy Goodman. Just intrigued as I'm local to that area, don't feel obliged to tell me either. Cheers

[jonthefox]

19 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Is this Westfield infants? I presume looking at your lad hes a bit older than that. I know the other special provision is Dorothy Goodman. Just intrigued as I'm local to that area, don't feel obliged to tell me either. Cheers

He was at Dorothy Goodman. South wigston college now. 

[Tommy G]

12 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

Thanks for posting this, Tommy. And thanks also to those others who have provided updates above.

 

Tommy, your situation is very familiar to me. Our son is a June baby and was due to start school in September but we decided to defer a year because we were worried that the combination of being one of the youngest kids in the year and having additional needs would not be good for him. It just didn't seem like he was ready, so we decided to push back his entry to reception to this September. It was the right decision: our son is now doing really well at a new nursery and we feel confident that he'll be ready for school by September.

 

Our situation has been complicated in that we originally received permission to defer by the governors of the local school, but we have since decided we don't want him to go to that school. After an intense few months of research and visits, we have chosen another school in a village a few miles away and they have said they want to take our son, but the local authority has warned us that we're not guaranteed a place because we're not in the school's immediate catchment area. An EHCP would virtually ensure we got a place, but we don't have one of those yet (we applied ages ago but the local authority has been very slow in processing it). As it is, I think we'll probably get into our chosen school as they're not usually oversubsribed, but until we know for certain it's going to be a nerve-wracking few months...

 

Yes, it is tough in a way that is very difficult to convey to friends with neurotypical kids. Our son is making great progress with his communication skills, which we're very grateful for, but his emotional regulation is still a major problem - the other morning I spent well over an hour following him around the house, cajoling/pleading/begging him to get dressed for nursery - despite the fact that he loves nursery! Bedtimes are horrendous too - it can sometimes take 2-3 hours to get him to sleep. My partner and I are often so exhausted we become impatient with each other, which obviously doesn't help. But then something wonderful happens (like being told by his nursery that he's starting to approach other kids and ask to join in & is making spontaneous comments in group activities) and things suddenly start to look all rosy again.

 

It's an emotional rollercoaster, mate.

Can your son enter reception again or will he be in year 1? It states in the code you can push for them to start in reception which is what I presume we will try and do!

 

Sorry to hear about your schooling troubles and I hope it all works out for you - it always does in the end I hope!

 

The bed time thing I agree with too, does he self settle? Or literally needs you in the room? I agree its stressful enough and does cause problems when you are both very tired and at your wits end!

[ClaphamFox]

16 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Can your son enter reception again or will he be in year 1? It states in the code you can push for them to start in reception which is what I presume we will try and do!

 

Sorry to hear about your schooling troubles and I hope it all works out for you - it always does in the end I hope!

 

The bed time thing I agree with too, does he self settle? Or literally needs you in the room? I agree its stressful enough and does cause problems when you are both very tired and at your wits end!

Yes, he will be entering reception. We have an agreement with our 1st and 2nd choice schools that he can do that. He will almost certainly get into one of those two schools, so thankfully there's no risk of him being forced into year 1. We're actually a lot happier about schools than we were a few months ago. We really like our 1st choice and our 2nd choice isn't bad either. We've spoken to both at length and we're confident they'll provide a very supportive environment for our son.

 

He needs one of us in the room (usually his mum) to get him to settle. To be honest I think we could have worked on getting him to self-settle more than we have, but since we became aware that he's likely on the spectrum we've tended to mollycoddle him a bit and make lots of exceptions for him that he perhaps doesn't really need. Sleep will definitely be a focus for us over the next few months...

 

[Tommy G]

6 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Yes, he will be entering reception. We have an agreement with our 1st and 2nd choice schools that he can do that. He will almost certainly get into one of those two schools, so thankfully there's no risk of him being forced into year 1. We're actually a lot happier about schools than we were a few months ago. We really like our 1st choice and our 2nd choice isn't bad either. We've spoken to both at length and we're confident they'll provide a very supportive environment for our son.

 

He needs one of us in the room (usually his mum) to get him to settle. To be honest I think we could have worked on getting him to self-settle more than we have, but since we became aware that he's likely on the spectrum we've tended to mollycoddle him a bit and make lots of exceptions for him that he perhaps doesn't really need. Sleep will definitely be a focus for us over the next few months...

 

It's normal to make extra allowances so dont feel guilty for that, we do the same. One thing we do contend with at the min is although he is non verbal he is very noisy, it can sometimes be funny but other times embaressing. He does shout quite a bit, make a few old dears jump at supermarkets etc and doesnt talk gibberish - almost his own language. My aim is hopefuly one day he can talk and communicate with us properly 

[tw511]

12 hours ago, MPH said:

 

this might sound a bit daft, but have you tried looking at  the table from his angle where his chair would be?

 

 

Is there a light near the table? Could he be catching the light bouncing off the table into his line of sight? A light from outside now in his line of sight?

 

just an idea.

I did try this but now I think about it, it was at breakfast with natural daylight. Might try again later at dinner time see if there's something obvious when the lights are on, cheers.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Just reading the rest of this thread 

 

I’d never heard of this EHCP thing until about 15mins ago 

 

One of the trickier aspects is of it all from my point of view is how she doesn’t like to discuss the issue, nor really what Spire Hospital have said etc. (She goes with the lads Dad)

 

I know they’ve diagnosed him as autistic, and believe their next appointment is the report on where he is on the spectrum.

 

I guess from that point on, an EHCP will automatically be allotted? 
 

And an EHCP is the only way you have a chance of getting into a SEN school?

 

Once again, this is a brilliant thread to read for reference

 

Thanks

[The Blur]

I recently attended an Autism Awareness training and learn some tidbits which I can see some parallels in my behaviour.  I do have some particular habits which if jeopardised which make me feel quite stressed to an extent which I feel some cramping in my breathing.  

 

I personally don't think I would be on spectrum as I think there are few other health conditions that my behaviour can be attributed to.    However I am curious to find out however at the same time I have some understanding of the incredibly long waiting lists for the diagnosis- my issues are very minor and I have learnt over years to get on my life very well.   Would this be viewed as uneccesary 'bed-blocking' if I go for an assessment?

[tw511]

1 hour ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Just reading the rest of this thread 

 

I’d never heard of this EHCP thing until about 15mins ago 

 

One of the trickier aspects is of it all from my point of view is how she doesn’t like to discuss the issue, nor really what Spire Hospital have said etc. (She goes with the lads Dad)

 

I know they’ve diagnosed him as autistic, and believe their next appointment is the report on where he is on the spectrum.

 

I guess from that point on, an EHCP will automatically be allotted? 
 

And an EHCP is the only way you have a chance of getting into a SEN school?

 

Once again, this is a brilliant thread to read for reference

 

Thanks

My understanding, which is sketchy despite going through the process as it feels more complicated than it needs to be, is that you need an EHCP for a SEN placement but an EHCP doesn't guarantee that. More it's a statement of the child's needs and provisions that need to be in place be that in mainstream school, Integrated Resource or specialized school. 

 

I wouldn't assume the ball will automatically get rolling with a diagnosis, you have to be fairly proactive and the success rate of getting one is low. You need plenty of evidence, although obviously having the diagnosis and report will help a lot. You certainly don't need a diagnosis to apply for one (we got one but are still awaiting assessment) and I guess some kids with ASD won't need one if it is less severe and they cope without support. 

 

Once armed with an EHCP it goes before a panel who designate what school/provisions are assigned. You state preferences but don't get to directly choose. You can appeal their decision . Some schools require an official ASD diagnosis (most likely autism specialized schools) some don't. 

 

I am happy to be corrected by someone with a better grasp where I am wrong, but hope this helps in some way 

[tw511]

1 hour ago, The Blur said:

I recently attended an Autism Awareness training and learn some tidbits which I can see some parallels in my behaviour.  I do have some particular habits which if jeopardised which make me feel quite stressed to an extent which I feel some cramping in my breathing.  

 

I personally don't think I would be on spectrum as I think there are few other health conditions that my behaviour can be attributed to.    However I am curious to find out however at the same time I have some understanding of the incredibly long waiting lists for the diagnosis- my issues are very minor and I have learnt over years to get on my life very well.   Would this be viewed as uneccesary 'bed-blocking' if I go for an assessment?

I think everyone should have the right to assessment particularly if a diagnosis (or not) would help even in any small way.

 

I suspect a possibility about myself, but like you am quite hesitant as I get by. I actually am not sure as an adult how you get the ball rolling, probably discuss with your GP first? I've not been to a GP in years so no idea if this would be a useful place to start or whether they'd be uninterested.

[The Blur]

16 minutes ago, tw511 said:

I think everyone should have the right to assessment particularly if a diagnosis (or not) would help even in any small way.

 

I suspect a possibility about myself, but like you am quite hesitant as I get by. I actually am not sure as an adult how you get the ball rolling, probably discuss with your GP first? I've not been to a GP in years so no idea if this would be a useful place to start or whether they'd be uninterested.

 

I believe a GP referral is needed then you would get sent a screening questionnaire by ASD services to determine whether you could potentially meet their eligibility criteria for further assessments.   I think it would be more likely for GPs to process the referrals as it wouldn't really be their call to judge whether if you could be on the spectrum.

 

 

[tw511]

Our son had his autism assessment this week. He got a dual diagnosis on the day of ASD and learning difficulties. Even though this is no surprise to us I'm still taking time to digest and process this. Maybe I wasn't quite expecting the dual diagnosis but it does make sense. 

[MPH]

12 hours ago, tw511 said:

Our son had his autism assessment this week. He got a dual diagnosis on the day of ASD and learning difficulties. Even though this is no surprise to us I'm still taking time to digest and process this. Maybe I wasn't quite expecting the dual diagnosis but it does make sense. 

I totally get why you need time to process that.

 

 

I remember when  we got the diagnoses for our son, I never thought anything about wether we would love him less for any behavioral difficulties he may have, but it did rock me thinking about the struggles that might lay ahead for him. Would he get picked on by other kids at school?  Would he get the help he needs? How would my wider family interact with him at gatherings? And quite selfishly, maybe insecurely, would he be able to love me?  
 

I can tell you it was one of the greatest days of my life that he was able to actually tell me “ love you , Daddy”  I mean , I wasn’t trying to force him to say it, I just want that kind of  relationship with my son.

 

 

you’ll find you have more questions than answers right now but that’s ok. Just be there for him. The rest will all happen in due course.