Autistic new Mindee

[Sweetpea]

Hello

I've had an enquiry from a parent who says their 3yr old is autistic.

What type of things can I read or think about to prepare for when we meet?

Thanks

Sweetpea x

[amyp]

Autism varies so much, he is probably very mild and had a few social problems. It's great they have diagnosed it so young.

http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism.aspx

I would just go with what the mum says and you will no doubt meet a social worker along the way.

He may have a few phobias or extreme traits but just ask mum about her routine with him and she will be your greatest resource x

[Kiddleywinks]

I'm not by any means saying the child isn't autistic, but I don't believe they can or do make an autistic diagnosis on a child so young.

A friend of mine has been fighting to get her child diagnosed, it's taken her 4 years and in all that time she's been told come back when x is 6. Even when she took the child to the doctor and it all kicked off because x didn't want the doctor to listen to her chest, the doctor then had first hand experience of an 'episode' and mum was still told to come back when she's 6 :panic:

I would want as much information from parent as possible as the autistic spectrum is so varied and complex, and your local CAMHS may be able to give you information on managing a child with autism, and of course the autism organisation (link above) are brilliant

[Simona]

I agree with Kiddlywinks as the child is so young
As he is 3 he would have had a check from his HV and any worries would be recorded by her.
Ask the parents if you could liaise with the HV and once you have their permission and reassure them everything is confidential you can rely on what the HV advises and the 3 parties can work together to best support the child.

children with autism vary so much depending on how they are affected but they are very rewarding to work with.

Good luck

[linzi133]

My son was 2yrs and 5months when he was diagnosed and I know lots of parents who were given their child's diagnosis before the age of three.
Please don't say they can't be autistic because they are young. If they are diagnosed early it normally means it is very obvious and they will/prob need lots of input early. And in all of the families I have known and supported an early diagnosis was a lifeline! And all of the children I know with an early diagnosis went to very specialist provision.
Those families I supported where the diagnosis came later 3-4yrs went on to mainstream or mld schools. A later diagnosis either means their autism didn't smack you in the face and the paediatrician was erring on the side of caution in waiting to give a diagnosis.

Sorry if this is a bit if a rant.

[Kiddleywinks]

Linzi, I wasn't saying mindee isn't autistic just that a diagnosis so early is very unusual - at least it is in my area unless parents pay for assessments privately.
(I don't believe should have been I've been led to believe so apologies for not wording it correctly)

An earlier diagnosis for my own son would have prevented a whole heap of tears, frustration and upset that's for sure!

[linzi133]

Linzi, I wasn't saying mindee isn't autistic just that a diagnosis so early is very unusual - at least it is in my area unless parents pay for assessments privately. (I don't believe should have been I've been led to believe so apologies for not wording it correctly) An earlier diagnosis for my own son would have prevented a whole heap of tears, frustration and upset that's for sure!

In our area they promote early intervention but that's mainly because there is a high instance of severe ASD in my area.... I know of 10 families in my town alone whose children are under 6.... And I live in a rural area!!
HV in my area have a lot of training to spot Asd. I just remember reaching out for support and being baffled by the amount of people to say we wouldn't get a diagnosis early..... Yet we all known early intervention is very important.

I just wanted to point out that early diagnosis does happen but it can be an indicator of severity. I know one family where all the professionals knew when the child was 9 months old that he was autistic and that family didn't get diagnosis til he was 2yrs 8 months.

The frustration for families is immense! I know what you mean kiddywinks. It has to be the most heart wrenching time of my life. And those people /friends and professionals who supported me through that time will always hold a special place in my heart.

[linzi133]

Hello I've had an enquiry from a parent who says their 3yr old is autistic. What type of things can I read or think about to prepare for when we meet? Thanks Sweetpea x

If you would like some support I would be happy to help.

The best advice I can give is just to get the best picture you can on what the child understands and how the parent communicates with their child.
Ask what professionals are involved- speech /portage/ etc.
ask about any behavioural difficulties. Reassure the mum that any behavioural issues will be supported in the best way you know how. Again ask how the family manage.
Ask about safety issues... Sense of danger and ask how the family get our and about-- buggy,wrist strap.

There is so many things you can ask depending in the child. Just ask the mum to be open and honest with you.

I am happy to support you in any way I can. I support 6 families on a voluntary basis and I provide respite to 2 families as well as volunteering with the portage service..
Pm me if you'd like to
X x x

[macherie]

My daughter was diagnosed with autism at 3yrs old after only one appointment with the autism assessment team. I don't think early diagnosis is an indicator of severity, it simply means the child is ticking all the boxes in the psychologists criteria for autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
DD is now in p1 at the local primary school.

ASD is a wide spectrum and the best thing to do is talk to mum. You might also find he behaves differently with you than at home. My DD is very passive at school but can be aggressive at home. Take things one day at a time and when you need advice pop on here and ask.

DD likes routine so we have a picture schedule displayed on the kitchen wall. ASD children also don't understand the concept of time. DD can read the clock but she would still go into a meltdown everytime she had to stop playing/drawing. I invested in the learning resources time tracker - its like a traffic light system that counts down the time she has left and you set it for what time you want. So now when she's playing I set the timer and tell her tidy up in 10mins, she can see the lights changing colour and there are less meltdowns.

[linzi133]

My daughter was diagnosed with autism at 3yrs old after only one appointment with the autism assessment team. I don't think early diagnosis is an indicator of severity, it simply means the child is ticking all the boxes in the psychologists criteria for autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
DD is now in p1 at the local primary school.

ASD is a wide spectrum and the best thing to do is talk to mum. You might also find he behaves differently with you than at home. My DD is very passive at school but can be aggressive at home. Take things one day at a time and when you need advice pop on here and ask.

DD likes routine so we have a picture schedule displayed on the kitchen wall. ASD children also don't understand the concept of time. DD can read the clock but she would still go into a meltdown everytime she had to stop playing/drawing. I invested in the learning resources time tracker - its like a traffic light system that counts down the time she has left and you set it for what time you want. So now when she's playing I set the timer and tell her tidy up in 10mins, she can see the lights changing colour and there are less meltdowns.


You are very right is saying that ASD is a spectrum and every child is different. My statement about severity of difficulties was related to the early diagnosis and that age is not a factor is diagnosis which was what one person was suggesting....that because the child was very young they couldn't possibly have a diagnosis. Every area is different. In my area children who are picked up early are diagnosed before they are 3...these children invariably go on to specialist provision.

All children are different and all ASD children are completely different. I used to work in specialist provision for children with ASD before I went on to have my own child with ASD (go figure).
As a parent of a child with ASD it used to wind me up when people thought I was daft/stupid thinking we would get a diagnosis so early as there is a misinformed belief that ASD is not routinely diagnosis until 5-9yrs when the reality is much much different. And the heart ache that these families go through fighting through the system is unbelieveable. I know I've been there, I've supported families and I care for a number of ASD children.

My point is to anyone is to support these parents who have children with ASD as best you possibly can without making judgements. Their lives are hard enough as it is....
(this is an emotional and rant worthy topic of mine!!! :laughing:)

[dawn100]

You are very right is saying that ASD is a spectrum and every child is different. My statement about severity of difficulties was related to the early diagnosis and that age is not a factor is diagnosis which was what one person was suggesting....that because the child was very young they couldn't possibly have a diagnosis. Every area is different. In my area children who are picked up early are diagnosed before they are 3...these children invariably go on to specialist provision.

All children are different and all ASD children are completely different. I used to work in specialist provision for children with ASD before I went on to have my own child with ASD (go figure).
As a parent of a child with ASD it used to wind me up when people thought I was daft/stupid thinking we would get a diagnosis so early as there is a misinformed belief that ASD is not routinely diagnosis until 5-9yrs when the reality is much much different. And the heart ache that these families go through fighting through the system is unbelieveable. I know I've been there, I've supported families and I care for a number of ASD children.

My point is to anyone is to support these parents who have children with ASD as best you possibly can without making judgements. Their lives are hard enough as it is....
(this is an emotional and rant worthy topic of mine!!! :laughing:)

I think it's great that some places in the country where early diagnosis is happening but I know in my area they don't really happen and even gp's tell parents they won't get a diagnosis untill the child is older, my friends son wasnt diagnosed until he was nine after years of battling for help and diagnosis. In my experience I have never heard of anyone being diagnosed so young just lots of stories of people battling for years for help so until reading this thread I didn't think you would be diagnosed so young that doesn't mean I don't think children that young didnt have autism just that doctors don't like to diagnose young. When that is people's experience you can't really blame them for thinking early diagnosis doesn't happen.

[suziealderton]

My daughter was diagnosed with autism at 3yrs old after only one appointment with the autism assessment team. I don't think early diagnosis is an indicator of severity, it simply means the child is ticking all the boxes in the psychologists criteria for autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
DD is now in p1 at the local primary school.

ASD is a wide spectrum and the best thing to do is talk to mum. You might also find he behaves differently with you than at home. My DD is very passive at school but can be aggressive at home. Take things one day at a time and when you need advice pop on here and ask.

DD likes routine so we have a picture schedule displayed on the kitchen wall. ASD children also don't understand the concept of time. DD can read the clock but she would still go into a meltdown everytime she had to stop playing/drawing. I invested in the learning resources time tracker - its like a traffic light system that counts down the time she has left and you set it for what time you want. So now when she's playing I set the timer and tell her tidy up in 10mins, she can see the lights changing colour and there are less meltdowns.

Hi where did you get the time tracker from please? Think it would really help my daughter x

[teacakepenguin]

I was reading this thread the other day, and today I have had an enquiry from a mum whose 3 year old has autism and she's considering taking him out of preschool as it's not suiting him. Rather than start a new thread I hope it's ok to just ask a question on this please, as it might be something related to this situation.

One of the things that I wondered was what to do about fees. I know this child already a little and know he gets one to one help at preschool which is funded. If he were to come here I'd have to seriously consider what other children were here at the same time as him. I would probably not want many other children here at the same time as him, which therefore means he's costing me more, but it feels very wrong and discriminatory to charge his parents more. It would impact on my earnings though, as I'd have to turn away other children. Or would I be able to claim the funding, as preschool currently do?

I'm going to meet with the mum for a cuppa and a chat, and will be bookmarking this thread!
Jx

[macherie]

My point is to anyone is to support these parents who have children with ASD as best you possibly can without making judgements. Their lives are hard enough as it is....
(this is an emotional and rant worthy topic of mine!!! )

Totally agree with you linzi, we all take one day at a time and like yourself I'm happy to offer support where I can and will gratefully accept any passed my way.


Hi where did you get the time tracker from please? Think it would really help my daughter x

Suzie I got the timetracker from Amazon. When I first got it I set it for 30mins and told DD when times up she had to finish her art - this didn't really work a she then rushed for the full half hour worried her time would be up. We now set it for 10mins, so ten minutes before I need her to change task I set the timer in front of her and say ok 10mins then its coats on, dinnrtime, bedtime etc. Don't allow any haggling for extra minutes when it says "times up" stick to it. I found a great improvement after just a couple of weeks. Of course on a bad day we will still get a bit of a meltdown but we're getting there.

[Kiddleywinks]

Pre-school may well do more one to one with him due to the amount of other children in their care at one time, so a smaller setting may suit him more purely because the LO would automatically get more one to one care but without you having to reduce your numbers.
The spectrum of autism is so varied that it would really depend on any specific care requirements child and parent needs as to how you decide to charge.

As a parent of an autistic child I would have paid additional fees if my son had needed one to one that meant his CM could not take on additional children as a result (as it was we weren't aware at the time he was autistic, and he can cope with small groups anyway)

Your LA should be able to advise if there is funding available to you if you decide to take on LO/it is needed, and also any additional training available to help you attend to his needs better :thumbsup:

CAHMS and the autistic society are also fantastic sources of information and support (our local cahms run a group for under 5's once a month)

[Sweetpea]

Thanks everyone you've all been super useful.

I will review the way I work with parents so I can be more supportive with them and also gain a better picture of the situation.

I'm certainly getting the timer, it'll be great for all my Mindees.

Everyone is so helpful on this forum, thanks so much for your answers