Snelly Report post Posted January 4, 2012 Hello, I am new and have never been on a forum of anykind before (not even sure if I am posting correctly, lol) My 3 year old son is in the proccess of being diagnosed with Autism and its a long and difficult road and wondered if there is anybody out there in my situation now or who once was? Find it hard to deal with sometimes and feel a bit lonely Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tally Report post Posted January 4, 2012 Hello, and welcome. You seem to have got the hang of posting There are always people who can help out if you get stuck with anything, so don't be afraid to ask. My own situation is very different to yours because I am an adult with Asperger's, but there are lots of other people here who have young children with autism. I'm sure they will come and say hello once they see your post. I hope you will feel less lonely once you settle in here. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justine1 Report post Posted January 4, 2012 Hi and welcome I am a mum of four boys, my middle two have ASD. Sam was diagnosed age 6, he is 8 yrs old now, with aspergers. He got a statement October 2010 and has been attending an ASD unit attched to mainstream since last May and is doing very well. It has been a very long road indeed with him, luckily on the right track now. Dan is almost 6 and was diagnosed with HFA age 4 1/2. He is very withdrawn at school but does alright at the moment attend a small mainstream school without statement, this may change next year when he has to change schools. The forum has helped so much, especially with education side of things as the info is never just provided you have to research for yourself. I do not think I could have got through the statementing process with Sam if not for the forum. Diagnosis process is very emotional, part of you may feel relieved to know what you are dealing with another part will feel upset and sad. Just remember your child is the same after the diagnosis as they were before the diagnosis.All children can achieve their goals with the right support, it may tak ea little longer but never give up hope. Luckily he may get the support from the start as he is yet to start school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkshine Report post Posted January 4, 2012 Hello Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snelly Report post Posted January 5, 2012 Thankyou Tally/Justine 1 You are so right, the road is VERY long with getting diagnosed and I feel I wasted a lot of time in denial about it. Onnce I faced up to the fact that is has a problem I was ridlled with guilt for not taking action sooner! I find I am banging my head against a brick wall sometimes and constantly chasing people for appointments, results, followup calls etc... I realised that Brogan does not have the worst case of Autism but am filled with the worry of not knowing how things are going to work out for him. He was due to start nursery yesterday (Wednesday) but they have put him off starting because he is not potty trained (he has major bathroom hangup's) and have arranged for me to go in and have a meeting 2 moz with my husband and asked us not to bring Brogan with us.....I think they are going to be awkward about him not being potty trained but I think they should make allowances for him, does anybody else think so or am I just being biased about my situation? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
justine1 Report post Posted January 5, 2012 Oh my word that is just stupid! He is three after all not all 3 yr olds are potty trained. Seems like they are being awkward. My youngest is 3 1/2 and has no diagnosis, he is still in nappies, at his pre school there are at least three other boys( that I know of) in the same boat. The staff just said we work together to get him trained which we are doing. I know of other people who have kids age 5/6 still in nappies not because of development but because of continience issues. So the pre school should work with you to get him out of nappies. Dan still has ocassional accidents even at age 6. He was potty trained just before 4 yrs old but then was not dry at night until after 5. It can be very long,every child is so different. I know its not me because Sam and my eldest Josh both were dry from age 2 and neither had any accidents at pre school or school, very lucky I guess. Just tell the school what you do at home and maybe find ways of making the toilet a not so scary place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Report post Posted January 5, 2012 Hello & Welcome, I am Dad of DS who is now 7, diag with Autism at around 3. It is a long road with highs and lows. Welcome to the forum, I am not a prolific poster, but lurk a lot, and am constantly amazed at the level and depth of knowledge expressed by some of the posters on this site. Andy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxgirl Report post Posted January 5, 2012 Hi Snelly, Don't eat yourself up with guilt worrying about what you think you should have done sooner, your lad is still incredibly young and has plenty of time to get all the help that he needs, he hasn't missed out on anything at all, so do try to let that one go. Likewise, try not to preoccupy yourself too much with worrying about the future and how you think he may or may not turn out. Again, he is so very young and has a lot of developing and progressing still to do. My lad is 18 now, although those early years of diagnosis are still very fresh in my mind, but there is no way I could have predicted then how my son would have turned out at 18 and nor can I predict how he'll be at 30, so my advice is don't even waste time trying at this stage. He is getting a very early diagnosis and that bodes very well for getting all the support he'll need when he starts school. Re. the potty-training, I worked one-to-one with a lad at playgroup who was still in nappies and it wasn't a problem at all so I think the nursery should be able to accomodate your son. Good luck with your meeting. ~ Mel ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted January 5, 2012 Welcome to the forum I felt guilty about my daughter's late diagnosis at 15 so don't feel too bad - your son is young enough to be able to start his education with the support he needs so you are not too late by any means. Hope the meeting goes ok tomorrow. Plenty of children are unreliably toilet trained at this age so this surely cannot be a first for the nursery. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RainbowsButterflies Report post Posted January 6, 2012 Hi and welcome I was diagnosed as an adult, but my daughter (4) is under a paediatrician for suspected Aspergers and my son (2) shows signs of AS and ADHD. Beth wasn't potty trained until 3 years 3 months and she still has accidents when she gets distracted so it's quite normal! (null) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snelly Report post Posted January 6, 2012 Thankyou for all your feedback! The meeting went really well and Brogan will start on Tuesday and I will also attend with him for his 1st wk to help settle in as smoothly as possible. The staff seem lovely and have plenty of experience of children in Brogan's situation (which suprises me that hey had an initial issue with the toilet situation) so fingers crossed he will like it there and improve with time......Thanks again for the goodluck wishes folks, means a lot x x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted March 14, 2012 Welcome and good luck with your son and the nursery. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
