I don't know what to do anymore.. :(

[Lozzy3003]

Hi All. My 4 yar old son has just been diagnosed with ASD i'm still unsure about everything revolving that, we had expected to be told he needed speech therapy but the pediatrician saw more than i had. My 5 year old son has speech difficulty too but he also displays signs of frustration and can get aggressive towards others, mostly to other children. He also has no sense when it comes to the main roads, he has ran out in traffic quite a few times and while i'm on my own with 4 other children it has proven difficult. I have spoken to the school asking them to write a report of all the things they notice with him but his teacher keeps telling me nothing is wrong with him and that she feels it is academic but i can't understand how fighting other children for no reason has anything to do with his learning, then she changes her tune and tells me it's his behavior. He struggles working in a class environment, he tends to work better in small groups but he hates joining in for plays and p.e and she has even told me that she has had times where he will go under the table distracting others during lesson but then tells me that it hasn't happened at all. I have an appointment with my doctor in a few weeks hoping to get refereed but i am desperate to know if it's something else underlining because i don't know how much more of his anger and lashing out i can take. He is constantly attacking his younger brother and it then causes more problems for him because then i can't calm him down. I am just wondering if it could be signs of ADHD or something else? Thanks.

[Ineedmorepatience]

If your younger son has just been diagnosed ask your GP to refer your older one to the same team who dignosed him. They will know your family history and might be the best people to help.

Teachers are notoriously bad at spotting Asd/Adhd, get him seen by specialists.

Good luck

[Imaginosity]

I have a 6 year old with high functioning ASD and a 4 year old who has no issues and is very sociable.

DS1 was diagnosed at age 5 and his behaviour a year later is far better than it was - he is no longer rough with other children and engages quite well at times (when he feels like it). There is hope for your DS especially if he gets the help he needs. DS1 needed Physio , occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and resource hours in school. Much of this work was done by us at home in the evenings after attending a few sessions with the Physio etc and them explaining what we needed to do.

As a consequence of all this help there is no comparison between this years behaviour at school and last years behaviour. It's not perfect but it's nowhere near as bad as it seemed it was going to be.

I wouldn't think a 4 year old having no road sense is unusual. My 4 year old who has no SN would bolt out on the road if I don't watch him like a hawk - normally I hold his hand as I don't trust him near roads. I've seen other children younger than him who seem sensible around roads. I see 6 year olds on out street who run out on the road without looking left or right

When DS1 was assessed it was a very full assessment by a number of specialists - that would have identified if it was just ASD it if there was anything else like ADHD. Did your DS have a full assessment?

[Imaginosity]

Oh sorry - I got mixed up between your 4 year old and your 5 year old-but hopefully a lot of what I posted above is relevant