When did you find out your child was autistic and where they were on the spectrum?

[FunRequirement]

I'm just wondering if a not talking at 2 years old automatically puts a child on a specific end of the autism spectrum, or if it's too early to know.

[YeTalkShiteHen]

DS1 was diagnosed at 4 although it was agreed with professionals involved from around 2.

DD was 4, so was DS2.

Have you spoken to your GP and got a referral for a paediatrician?

[DrDreReturns]

We suspected it at 18 months but he wasn't diagnosed until he was four. Probably too early to know in your case.

[FunRequirement]

I spoke to our GP who agreed to the referral but the waitlist is so long for a paed and the paed has to triage/decide if they will allow us an appointment. I need to give them a week and then check if we have been allowed on the waitlist. I have also tried going through BUPA but they wont cover anything mental.

[TwistedStitch]

My son had speech therapy involvement from 2 until 5. We got a referral to a paed at 7 and he got his diagnosis of autism at 8. I didn't push for it sooner as at the time his difficulties were put down to his speech delay so waited for that to catch up.

[YeTalkShiteHen]

We had speech and language, ed psych and pre 5 learning support from around 2 for all 3 bairns with strategies and plans in place, the formal diagnosis did take a lot longer.

[BrioLover]

We had a diagnosis of high functioning autism at age 5, and we visited the GP with worries when he was 3. It took 6 months to be seen by the community paediatric team, a follow up appt another 6 months later with a diagnosis a year after that. If we'd had to wait for an ADOS panel/assessment then it would have been another 12/18 months.

[BrioLover]

Oh yes and like @YeTalkShiteHen we had learning support in place, and had done some specific autism parent coaching, from age 3 when he went to the nursery class at school.

[Branleuse]

the spectrum isnt like a rainbow or a line. You dont really get placed at one end or another. It doesnt work like that.

[JessicaKenny2018]

My little boy is 3 in January he has been seeing the paediatrician for about a year now, he is non verbal, he has just been placed on the waiting list for an autism assessment last month, I think there is quite a wait for the assessment process to start as well.
They told me because he is so young lots of assessments will take place in different settings

[EggysMom]

A two-year-old not talking is just that, a two year old who doesn't talk. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are anywhere on the autism spectrum.

As somebody else said, the spectrum is not a line. It's a ring, an infinity loop, a circle that you can be anywhere inside.

To answer your topic though, our son was monitored from 8 months onwards due to developmental delay, and was referred to CAMHS after his third birthday. Diagnosis took 6 months of observation. He would be described as 'low functioning' as he has severe learning disability also.

[JessicaKenny2018]

The reason my son has got the referral now is because he has had language regression he had a few words 5 ish then stopped saying them all, I thought this was just him being a bit laid back about talking but the paediatrician said it's language regression.
He also spins, he doesn't like any form of shopping or days out he will simply scream with his hands over his ears, he hand flaps, is very sensory, and will not interact with other children at all, some days he will allow them to play around him but other days he will scream if he feels there in his space

[fleshmarketclose]

Ds diagnosed aged just 3 has moderate autism.
Dd diagnosed week after second birthday has moderate autism.
Dd's early diagnosis was aided by her seeing the same team that diagnosed her brother.

[lorisparkle]

I suspected from about 18mnths but was ‘reassured’. Saw SALT at 2yrs 6 months who said ‘speech delay’ then recognised it was a ‘speech disorder’. I was still concerned so saw paediatrician at about 7yrs and diagnosis was at about 8 yrs but ‘atypical autism’ as he does not quite fit all the criteria. As pp have said autism is a complex condition with many aspects. You can be severely effected in some areas and not others. Some people with autism can talk very well, others are non verbal and others somewhere in between. There are also with specific language disorders but not autism and others with a delay. Without an in-depth assessment it would be hard to judge.

[JessicaKenny2018]

We have been waiting over 7 months now for SALT luckily we have portage in place that have started to introduce PECS with my little boy, when I spoke to SALT they said that is all they would currently be doing anyway but we can't go any further with the autism team until we get SALT in place

[Snappedandfarted2018]

Ds is doesn’t talk and is under speech therapy. We just got referred to cahms after seeing the doctor about our concerns. He’s behaviour has been a big factor in his referral as well as his lack of communication. He smears faeces everywhere anytime of the day, has destroyed his bedroom ripped his roller blind, ripped carpet up etc, he refuses to listen walk anywhere and regularly has tantrums. He’s 2 and half, we are on the waiting list but had a meeting about the process and the help and information I’ve received has been a big help.

[JessicaKenny2018]

Snappedandfarted2018 my son also does the spreading faeces everywhere he even tries eating it I've been told it's a sensory thing.
My son has seemed to have hit a downward slope over the last few weeks, so I'm going to call paediatricians secretary on Monday I think.

[Snappedandfarted2018]

It’s awful isn’t it no matter what time of day he will do it. We ended up putting old jumpsuits of his sisters on him but he got it off. I’ve now got a zip up swim suit which seems to be doing the trick.

[JessicaKenny2018]

We have bought vests with the poppers that go under the nappy from amazon