Hi to all

[A and A]

Hello to everyone

 

We think our 2 half year old son may be autistic, after the manager at his nursery pointed some things out to us, we looked up the symptoms of autism and found that he has too many of them for us to ignore. He already had been booked in for a hearing test a while back as we were worried about him not responding to us when we call his name. That test was done last week and hearing is all ok. The Dr. who did the test has refered him to our local CDC, we have also been to our GP and he has refered him to a peadiatrician.

 

We found this Forum in our search for information, and think it would great to talk to people in a similar situtaion.

 

Until about a week and a half ago, i had no idea what the symptoms of Autism were. From what ive read early intervention is important, parents really need to be made aware of the symptoms so diagnoses can be made as early as possible.

 

 

just to say thanks for the imformation we have already gained from this forum.

Anthony and Anna

[zaman]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck on the journey. If your child does turn out to be on the spectrum then you are right that early intervention can make a big difference especially when it comes to starting school.

[Karen A]

Anthony and Anna.Hi and welcome to the Forum.

It sounds like a lot has happened for you all in a week and a half.

I am glad you found the Forum. <'> Karen.

[jordansmum33ok]

Hello to everyone

 

We think our 2 half year old son may be autistic, after the manager at his nursery pointed some things out to us, we looked up the symptoms of autism and found that he has too many of them for us to ignore. He already had been booked in for a hearing test a while back as we were worried about him not responding to us when we call his name. That test was done last week and hearing is all ok. The Dr. who did the test has refered him to our local CDC, we have also been to our GP and he has refered him to a peadiatrician.

 

We found this Forum in our search for information, and think it would great to talk to people in a similar situtaion.

 

Until about a week and a half ago, i had no idea what the symptoms of Autism were. From what ive read early intervention is important, parents really need to be made aware of the symptoms so diagnoses can be made as early as possible.

 

 

just to say thanks for the imformation we have already gained from this forum.

Anthony and Anna

 

Hi, welcome to the forum

i first got a diagnosis when my son was 2 but then the proffesionals looked at adhd for the following 3 yrs..

i hope you dont have that battle

its good that you have done your research .. i too knew from early age he was different etc

hope all goes well x

[A and A]

Ive been reading also that sometimes diagnoses can take a while, is this generaly true? and if so, do you thinks it's because of money or because they dont want label a child as autistic? I would have thought even at the slightest suspision of autism proccesses should be started to give that child as much help as possible.

[jordansmum33ok]

Ive been reading also that sometimes diagnoses can take a while, is this generaly true? and if so, do you thinks it's because of money or because they dont want label a child as autistic? I would have thought even at the slightest suspision of autism proccesses should be started to give that child as much help as possible.

 

 

Probably a bit of both..

i think they dont like to diagnois autism unless they have explored other areas 1st

for me it was a health visitor with 30yrs experience who 1st mentioned it to me.. i had other children who had adhd "girl" normally not as hyper but my daughter was off the wall.. at age 2 they was talking ritalin

and a son dyspraxia and mild add..

 

so after more parenting classes.. makaton.. intensive speech therapy, speech school.. play therapy.. etc

we was told adhd.. with autist traits.. so moved 200miles to get him better schooling without need of a statement in that area.. as was advised to do so

 

then finally 4 yrs later moved back as needed a statement and support.. he was diagnosed aspergers

 

age 6

 

was a total of 14 proffesionals who completed the statement.. shocking huh when at age 2 there was strong case for aspergers..

 

would say i get pretty mad when i hear people say it off the cuff that a child has it.. my sister new teacher has just come out of training and is telling my sister

her little girl has it

 

ive had yrs of experience.. personal and proffesional and i would never say it

 

my advice is to work with the proffesionals.. keep smiling and dont let up

 

[dana]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I have a son who is almost 10 and we are just in the beginning of the whole process. I was told by one professional from Norway that the process has to be long because they have to exclude any other similar condition before giving dx of ASD.It is sometimes very hard to do it because they have similar simptoms. I suppose it depends on the skills of the profesionals involved in dx wheather they will give an accurate dx and also how much they take into account the parents observations and experiance with the child (24/7).

 

Danaxxx

Edited May 12, 2009 by dana

[A and A]

hi jordonsmum and dana, what are the other problems that have similar symptoms to autism?

thanks

[Emma_74]

Hi A and A - from my own experience it has taken 4 years to get a dx for Connor who is now 10 and took 7 years to get one for my other son Kyle who is now 14 so hang in there!

 

Emma

[Karen A]

Ive been reading also that sometimes diagnoses can take a while, is this generaly true? and if so, do you thinks it's because of money or because they dont want label a child as autistic? I would have thought even at the slightest suspision of autism proccesses should be started to give that child as much help as possible.

 

Hi.I think that sometimes it just takes a long time for professionals to decide.For some children with ASD or HFA there may be a clear picture regarding possible ASD with questions raised from an early age.However for some children with AS the signs may not be obvious until a child is some way through primary school or even into secondary school.

Nobody ever raised the question of ASD with regard to Ben until he entered year 3 at primary school.One of our closest friends has a son who has ASD.Other friends are teachers and our family is welll known to paediatricians and a child and adolescent psychiatrist.They were all rather puzzled when I raised the possibility of AS. I am a trained community nurse and even three years ago was pretty aware regarding child development.Ben even had weekly speech therapy for dysfluencey [stammering] for eighteen months which involved SALT observation of play activities with me.The SALT never raised the slightest concern regarding ASD.Ben had attended an excellent nursery and very experienced teachers thought he was very bright with advanced language,had had lots of adult input and had a bit of an atitude at times.

The only reason Ben was picked up with regard to AS was because of the awareness of his year 3 teacher.She had a son who had been diagnosed with AS.She explained that Ben reminded her of her son and her son had AS.When I told my friends I think some of them thought it was a very strange idea that Ben could have AS.

Anyway we spent three years where there was ongoing debate about Ben's diagnosis.The assessments involved input from three consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists,three CAMHS registrars,a CAMHS consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist,a CAMHS psychotherapist ,a specialist SALT,two OTs and an EP and others [seventy professionals at the last count in three years].

In that time Ben had a dx dyspraxia,dyspraxia with social communication difficulties,dyspraxia and possible attachment disorder.

Finally a few months ago Ben was diagnosed with AS and dyspraxia.

The psychotherapists still do not really agree with the diagnosis and they know Ben better than anyone.

The process for us has been stressful and difficult.I certainly would not recommend it.

However I believe that ultimately the most helpful diagnosis is the correct one.

In almost anywhere in the country if Ben had been diagnosed with AS he would never have been offered psychotherapy.

A very wise CAMHS psychiatrist decided three years ago that it was not appropriate to diagnose Ben and that we should be offered psychotherapy.

Ben,OH and myself have benefited hugely because of her decision.

Ben is currently doing very well.He is doing so well that I think that he is debating whether he still needs any support regarding his AS.

This is a slight concern for me.He is due to go to secondary school in September and I would be keen to keep all of the support in place that we have spent much of the time in primary school fighting for.

 

I think Ben is thinking a lot about the AS dx and about whether he wants to be seen as different.I was able to say to him that people had decided that he has AS after very careful asessment.I was glad to be able to be certain that people had thought long and hard before giving the AS diagnosis.

We were fortunate that Ben obtained a Statement of SEN and support from ASD outreach without a clear AS dx.So we have had access to appropriate support.

However the AS dx has brought negative experiences for Ben.He has been patronised dreadfully by people who have stereotypical views of people with ASD.[Although he has AS Ben is very bright and talks like an adult.He does not like being talked to as though he is three].He as been verbally abused by people who believed he could not have a disability because he appears articulate and intelligent.

Ben has been limited regarding access to things he could do because people expect him not to be able to do things or to be a problem because he has ASD.

 

I guess what I am attempting to say it that although it is extremely important that children with ASD have access to early intervention it is also important that an over enthusiasm for early diagnosis does not get in the way of a thorough holistic assessment.

It is very unlikely in the current climate that the scenario would happen.However it is possible that in theory a child could be diagnosed prematurely with AS and the diagnosis could turn out to be incorrect.If that child were then provided with an intensive programme of input for ASD and were told that they had ASD I would speculate that they may well learn to behave as though they had ASD.For a child who did not have ASD to start with this could cause limiltations that might not have been there without the diagnosis.

I know that that scenario is very unlikely and extreme given the current difficulties in obtaining assessment and appropriate provision.However it is possible.

 

I thought I would add that I do completely agree with the idea of early intervention.I think the difficulty is that so much of the early intervention revolves around obtaining a diagnosis.There appears currently to be very little skope for offering some support and waiting to see.Karen.

 

 

 

[Karen A]

would say i get pretty mad when i hear people say it off the cuff that a child has it.. my sister new teacher has just come out of training and is telling my sister

her little girl has it

 

ive had yrs of experience.. personal and proffesional and i would never say it

 

my advice is to work with the proffesionals.. keep smiling and dont let up

 

Hi.A bit off topic I know.However my most recent example was in our newspaper on Saturday.A daughter who claimed that her father would almost certainly have been diagnosed with AS.

The evidence for this statement in the article appeared to be that he was a difficult man who was a bit obsessive about his interests.

 

[Karen A]

hi jordonsmum and dana, what are the other problems that have similar symptoms to autism?

thanks

 

Dyspraxia,speech delay,developmental delay,deafness or hearing impairment,attachment disorder,ADHD,behavioural difficulties related to particular styles of parenting,anxiety disorders,temprament [things like shy personality] and inapropriate educational support for children who are gifted and isolated from peers leading to frustration.

 

I have probably missed several things from the last.Most of them do not fulfill many of the criteria for a diagnosis of ASD and none of them fulfill all of the criteria.

However all of these things can present in a similar way .

An untrained or even partly trained observer may not be able to tell what the accurate picture is.

It is worth bearing in mind that the Consultant psychiatrist that could not decide on a clear diagnosis for Ben had been a consultant for twenty years.Any specialist SALT,paediatrician or EP will have trained for years.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Karen A

[Karen A]

Hello to everyone

 

We think our 2 half year old son may be autistic, after the manager at his nursery pointed some things out to us, we looked up the symptoms of autism and found that he has too many of them for us to ignore. He already had been booked in for a hearing test a while back as we were worried about him not responding to us when we call his name. That test was done last week and hearing is all ok. The Dr. who did the test has refered him to our local CDC, we have also been to our GP and he has refered him to a peadiatrician.

 

We found this Forum in our search for information, and think it would great to talk to people in a similar situtaion.

 

Until about a week and a half ago, i had no idea what the symptoms of Autism were. From what ive read early intervention is important, parents really need to be made aware of the symptoms so diagnoses can be made as early as possible.

 

 

just to say thanks for the imformation we have already gained from this forum.

Anthony and Anna

 

Hi.I thought I would emphasise that many of the parents on the Forum have children who would not have been picked up for referal to CDC.I think for children like yours who are refered to CDC because there are early concerns [under about the age of five] the process is usually much smoother than those who are picked up later.

There are new guidelines in place now with regard to time limits for ASD assessments via CDC but they are very new.Karen.

 

[Tally]

Ive been reading also that sometimes diagnoses can take a while, is this generaly true? and if so, do you thinks it's because of money or because they dont want label a child as autistic? I would have thought even at the slightest suspision of autism proccesses should be started to give that child as much help as possible.

 

You have only been here a day and you are already as cynical as the rest of us!

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

It's common for autistic children to appear deaf. Partly this can indicate that the child has poor interaction skills, but might also indicate sensory processing issues, which are also a common part of autism. I am an adult with Asperger Syndrome and although my hearing is very acute (to the point that some sounds are uncomfortable), I have difficulty following conversations. The hearing test is often the beginning of the diagnostic process of ruling things out.

 

Even without diagnosis, you can still try interventions at home. Even if it turns out your child is not autistic, if something works, then it is beneficial! Accessing formal supports in education can be more difficult without a diagnosis, but it sounds as though your son's nursery are trying to be supportive.

[Karen A]

You have only been here a day and you are already as cynical as the rest of us!

 

.......you speak for yourself.Me I have absolute trust and confidence in everyone. Karen.

 

[Tally]

I've never had any trouble recognising sarcasm you know

[A and A]

Hi, welcome to the forum

i first got a diagnosis when my son was 2 but then the proffesionals looked at adhd for the following 3 yrs..

i hope you dont have that battle

its good that you have done your research .. i too knew from early age he was different etc

hope all goes well x

 

Hi Karen when did you realise that u thought your son was different and how long did it take to get a diagnosis for him. We feel that we had to do our research as we had heard about ASD but knew nothing about it at all. We have agreat GP and the nursery staff are fantastic but we feel let down by the Health visitor as we pointed out our concerns about our DS and she just states that he is slow at developmental milestones which we didn't agree with so took it on ourselves to get him some help. Anna and Anthony

[A and A]

Hi Karen when did you realise that u thought your son was different and how long did it take to get a diagnosis for him. We feel that we had to do our research as we had heard about ASD but knew nothing about it at all. We have agreat GP and the nursery staff are fantastic but we feel let down by the Health visitor as we pointed out our concerns about our DS and she just states that he is slow at developmental milestones which we didn't agree with so took it on ourselves to get him some help. Anna and Anthony

 

 

please accept my apologies about the name as i was speaking to somone else called karen on the phone and typed it so sorry Anna

[thomastank]

 

 

Hi A and A, and welcome! My son was diagnosed with HFA last year aged 3 and a half, diagnosis took under a year. Good luck on your journey, and I hope you get your answers soon. By the way, it may be useful for you to keep a diary/list of various traits etc. to take to your peadiatrician, we did and we had a fairly smooth diagnosis, time has to be allowed for various professionals to observe your son in different settings, nursery, home etc. Do you have an appointment date? Good luck anyway.

 

[A and A]

Hi A and A, and welcome! My son was diagnosed with HFA last year aged 3 and a half, diagnosis took under a year. Good luck on your journey, and I hope you get your answers soon. By the way, it may be useful for you to keep a diary/list of various traits etc. to take to your peadiatrician, we did and we had a fairly smooth diagnosis, time has to be allowed for various professionals to observe your son in different settings, nursery, home etc. Do you have an appointment date? Good luck anyway.

 

hi there thanx for the reply, as we are new to all of this can i ask what HFA is. No we haven't got a appointment date just playing the waiting game all what has happened with Liam has happened over the last week and a half. You mentioned that you kept a diary/list of various traits what exactly did u include in that. as it seems we have alot to learn.

Good luck to you all as well.

 

Anna and Anthony

[Mum of 3]

Hi, A and A, welcome to the forum.

HFA is 'High Functioning Autism'. There is alot of debate about how HFA and Asperger's Syndrome (AS) differ...I couldn't begin to put all these arguments together, but I think HFA is given as a dx (diagnosis) where there was a delay in aquiring speech, AS is given where there was no speech delay. Now I'm going to duck for cover while everyone jumps in and proves me wrong!

[Karen A]

hi there thanx for the reply, as we are new to all of this can i ask what HFA is. No we haven't got a appointment date just playing the waiting game all what has happened with Liam has happened over the last week and a half. You mentioned that you kept a diary/list of various traits what exactly did u include in that. as it seems we have alot to learn.

Good luck to you all as well.

 

Anna and Anthony

 

Hi.

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp...045&a=14655

This link might help give you some ideas about information that you could include. Karen

 

[Karen A]

I thought I would say.We manage to use quite a lot of jargon and abbreviations here.If you are stuck with any other terms the ''Jargon buster'' might help.It is on the line in the top right hand corner.

[thomastank]

Hi, A and A, welcome to the forum.

HFA is 'High Functioning Autism'. There is alot of debate about how HFA and Asperger's Syndrome (AS) differ...I couldn't begin to put all these arguments together, but I think HFA is given as a dx (diagnosis) where there was a delay in aquiring speech, AS is given where there was no speech delay. Now I'm going to duck for cover while everyone jumps in and proves me wrong!

 

 

Hello, there, its already been answered but my ds didn't have a speech delay, but I wont start the debate. . .!!! HFA and Aspergers are very similar and we were just pleased to have a diagnosis.

 

Annoyingly I cant find the list we worked from (if I find it I will let you know) but if you look on general autism sites and aspergers you might spot things that your son does. For example my son was (and still is) obsessed with trains (thomas mainly). He also played the same game when he got out of the bath every single night for 2 years (pretending to be a ghost wrapped up in the towel), was/is very aggressive with other children, would never join in 'circle time' with other children, would always run off with no fear of leaving me etc. His language was not delayed but it was strange, ie he had made up words/phrases, would answer certain questions the same way every time. He was still in nappies (actually only just out of them during the day in the past few weeks and nearly 5). Put down everything that you think is unusual about him and take it with you to your appointment.

 

I really feel for you, its a very difficult time being in 'no-man's land' but I am sure you will get there and as you get to learn more about your son and learn more strategies life will get easier. Feel free to ask more questions. Oh, and the National Autistic Society website is very good. . . . .

 

 

 

 

[thomastank]

found it, this seemed to tick a lot of boxes with us. Hope it helps you.

 

http://www.researchautism.net/asditem.ikml...p;info=linksymp

 

[smiley1590]

heya good that you started you're own research into AS/ASD and what this all means and is know hard to get your head around difficult adjust to your son maybe being somewhat 'different' to others his age! sounds like doing right thing by getting him diagnosed early which it happened me earlier but no-one really knew the name behind the medical term at that stage so was better left and not said about looking back i'm piecing together past events of what happened! some of them i still won't know answers too! but would come closer than before i done alot soul searching! my parents and family always known there something not quite right with me dyspraxia didn't even fill that gap there something else behind that AS years later finding out i was confused angry upset etc as you can imagine and affects everyone in your family so

try read up as information as possible books and net are good way of doing this and oviously forums finding out other peoples personal experiences and stories which sometimes help find advice,comfort and someone who understands what REALLY LIKE to live your life! invention is crucial in overcoming so many obstacles and challenges daily me face with so many things that 'normal' N.T people don't think twice over because comes automatically from working brain cells! good that you been referred to paedtrcian now so help and support can begin soon for him to help him better his quality of how lives his life later on as does affect you more as you grow up to realise the 'differences' between 'them' and 'us'! and that makes more harder to accept and swalllow and still have pride over the situations faced with! his MH will benefit too people that havn't had early intervention will probably have worse MH than those than have worked with professionals alot throughout their life! hearing test is alot people's parents try first option then when this comes back clear then realise the possiblity of ASD is more reality than even thought before but it common sign checked before looking into ASD! i know shock to system to maybe think of idea to your son may have an ASD but give it time and effort and will come discuss with professionals (paedtrician) any concerns,worries etc you have over hs future etc alot ASD children don't respond to name! see alot proof of this on here funny enough! good luck with everything for you and your son! hope find the answers you looking for!

 

take care

luv ya loadz

XKLX hope this helps!

[A and A]

Hi again, and thanks for all the relpies, i think really our main concern is that if he doesnt get a dx he will get the support and help needed. Ofcourse the best diagnoses is the correct one, but we dont to be waiting around for months or years before we can do anything about it.

Just wondering what attachment disorder is? never heard of it till now.

Edited May 12, 2009 by A and A

[Karen A]

Hi again, and thanks for all the relpies, i think really our main concern is that if he doesnt get a dx he will get the support and help needed. Ofcourse the best diagnoses is the correct one, but we dont to be waiting around for months or years before we can do anything about it.

Just wondering what attachment disorder is? never heard of it till now.

 

Hi.Attachment disorder is the medical term for children who have difficulties with forming secure bonds and developing relationships.It usually occurs where a child has had difficult experiences in the first three years of life.This is most often an issue where children have been adopted or fostered.

In our case I had a history of childhood trauma myself.I was very anxious and depressed at times during the first three years of Ben's life because of my own history although I am very well now.It was thought that because I was unwell at a vulnerable time for Ben it may have created difficulties with attachment.However after three years of psychotherapy CAMHS decided that Ben was actually has AS after all.

ASD and attachment disorder are one of the few diagnosis that cannot both be given.....a decision has to be made regarding which is more likely.Our case was very unusual.In most cases of AS there is not a history within the family that would suggest that Attachment disorder is likely.That is why it has taken three years and even now the psychotherapists [who have supported us for three years and done an excellent job] do not really agree.Karen.

[A and A]

Hi.Attachment disorder is the medical term for children who have difficulties with forming secure bonds and developing relationships.It usually occurs where a child has had difficult experiences in the first three years of life.This is most often an issue where children have been adopted or fostered.

In our case I had a history of childhood trauma myself.I was very anxious and depressed at times during the first three years of Ben's life because of my own history although I am very well now.It was thought that because I was unwell at a vulnerable time for Ben it may have created difficulties with attachment.However after three years of psychotherapy CAMHS decided that Ben was actually has AS after all.

ASD and attachment disorder are one of the few diagnosis that cannot both be given.....a decision has to be made regarding which is more likely.Our case was very unusual.In most cases of AS there is not a history within the family that would suggest that Attachment disorder is likely.That is why it has taken three years and even now the psychotherapists [who have supported us for three years and done an excellent job] do not really agree.Karen.

Are there any other sypmtoms in attachment disorder other than the obvious?

[Karen A]

Are there any other sypmtoms in attachment disorder other than the obvious?

 

Hi.The behavioural signs of a child who may have attachment disorder can be very similar to the behavioural differences observed in children with ASD.

However as I said for the vast majority of cases where an assessment for diagnosis for ASD is requested a child has grown up in a secure home and has not had a history of repeated traumatic seperations or other issues that would lead a professional to suspect attachment disorder.To put it another way most children who may have attachment disorder have experienced neglect,abuse or traumatic seperation due to something like a medical emergency or sudden death of a close relative.

I have been on the Forum for three years and have not come across another case like ours.

In the vast majority of cases there would be no reason to think attachment disorder might be likely. Karen.

 

 

 

[A and A]

Hi.The behavioural signs of a child who may have attachment disorder can be very similar to the behavioural differences observed in children with ASD.

However as I said for the vast majority of cases where an assessment for diagnosis for ASD is requested a child has grown up in a secure home and has not had a history of repeated traumatic seperations or other issues that would lead a professional to suspect attachment disorder.To put it another way most children who may have attachment disorder have experienced neglect,abuse or traumatic seperation due to something like a medical emergency or sudden death of a close relative.

I have been on the Forum for three years and have not come across another case like ours.

In the vast majority of cases there would be no reason to think attachment disorder might be likely. Karen.

 

i guess thats pretty much ruled out, i think we are still looking at autism as i dont see any of the other symptoms from the other conditions.

 

After all the assments are done, who makes the final dicision on what the condition is? Does it have to be agreed by the various proffessionals involved?

 

thanks,

Anthony

[Karen A]

i guess thats pretty much ruled out, i think we are still looking at autism as i dont see any of the other symptoms from the other conditions.

 

After all the assments are done, who makes the final dicision on what the condition is? Does it have to be agreed by the various proffessionals involved?

 

thanks,

Anthony

 

Hi.

I was hoping you would be able to say that.If you happen to have a child with a difficult early life history and possible ASD it can make things very complicated.

 

[thomastank]

i guess thats pretty much ruled out, i think we are still looking at autism as i dont see any of the other symptoms from the other conditions.

 

After all the assments are done, who makes the final dicision on what the condition is? Does it have to be agreed by the various proffessionals involved?

 

thanks,

Anthony

Hi Anthony, my son was assessed by a speech therapist (came to watch him at home and nursery) and peadiatrician (who we saw several times in clinic). We had a meeting with them both (plus our portage worker came for support) and they agreed the diagnosis before discussing it more with us.

[Karen A]

i guess thats pretty much ruled out, i think we are still looking at autism as i dont see any of the other symptoms from the other conditions.

 

After all the assments are done, who makes the final dicision on what the condition is? Does it have to be agreed by the various proffessionals involved?

 

thanks,

Anthony

 

Hi.If the child development team are involved it is likely that they will do a brief preliminary assessment to decide whether to assess.However I think it is unlikely that they will not agree in your case.

The team may then ask you to attend a few appointments either with all of the team or individually with various members.

The team will probably then invite you to attend a further meeting for feedback and a possible diagnosis.

At least one further meeting will then be planned with you to discuss what support you might need.

As your child is young it is likely that several appointments might be offered to plan appropriate educational provision,SALT and any other support that might be helpful.

Even if there is a decision not to diagnose ASD at the current time the team should make recommendations regarding provision that might be helpful on the basis of the findings of assessments.

The professionals usually agree.If by any chance they do not agree [as in our case] the lead professional [usually the paediatrician or psychiatrist] has the final say.However if there was a disagreement they are likely to offer follow up to monitor how things are going.

In our case we were offered support for ASD even without a diagnosis because the SALT who did the ADOS thought it was needed.

 

[Karen A]

http://www.sncwd.org.uk/documents/national...plan%202003.pdf

Hi.This link might be useful.I have not read all of it yet and you may not wish to.

However it does give more information than the brief outline I have posted.Karen.

[A and A]

hi there can anyone help trying to get my head round the dla form and have got stuck on part 24 help the child needs when they go out during the day or in the evening as no idea what to put. Many Thanks

 

A and A

[Karen A]

Hi.I think I mentioned the extra support Ben might need if he was out.Things like increased supervision compared with others his age.Awareness of increased anxiety due to noises or busy environments.Lack of awareness regarding his own safety.Anxiety due to any unexpected occurence and inability to manage.Lack of awareness regarding traffic...would walk into the road without looking.I also explained that during any activities such as junior church adults are always aware of Ben's needs and provide extra support with activities.Need to go to places that are familiar or to plan ahead and prepare Ben regarding the routine.We cannot go to places unless I have checked toilet arrangements as Ben is very reluctant to use strange toilets.

[ben is 10 and has AS].Hope that helps.Karen.

[Karen A]

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1561&a=3330

This might help.

[smiley1590]

i get your a trusted professional who you have good relationship to go through this with you step by step as can be quite complicated and confusing and have to put alot negative affects down so see reality of how really it is for you and him with caring and support! if ring the NAS or email them they maybe to advise you further with this! good luck alot parents often have to battle with government benefit system as ASD is often hidden the points need to explained in good detail! my mum first time round had help from lady that assessed and diagnosed me! she helped write good answers to questions asked and went through fine though lot people i speak to do have problems when fill it alone! i think the form could be improved upon and ASD is sometimes not recognised as true medical condition still so be prepared for all options and situations!

 

i know may seem long winded which it is! but my mum now buys me anything i need or want with my money -food,clothes etc as i'm not able to do this on my own as my independant living skills and budgeting aren't great due to AS and dyspraxia!

 

good luck

 

i look at link on NAS for DLA info above as good guidelines made to help follow asnwering some unanswered questions when filling out the DLA form!

 

take care

XKX

[thomastank]

hi there can anyone help trying to get my head round the dla form and have got stuck on part 24 help the child needs when they go out during the day or in the evening as no idea what to put. Many Thanks

 

A and A

 

 

Hello, Celebra have a form which lists the questions and gives you ideas to think about. Check out their website (if you can't find it I'll send a link). Don't be afraid to write lots (additional sheets are fine) or repeat stuff I was told. . . . .