Concerns after nursery raised possible ASD signs in my 19 month old

[Liesontoast]

Hi all

I have a little boy who is 19 months old. His scored Red twice on the WELLCOMM tool kit. He was measured at 15 months with Red but was Green in the band below and he was going to be retested at 18m and he scored Red again and was Green in the band below. The nursery also mentioned possible signs of ASD, emotional regulation and parasocial relationships. There are no emotional outbursts at home. His always been quite chilled out and always slept and ate well. He loves anything to do with water and sand and could play for hours. I just thought I’d lucked out on a chilled out baby, his never shown signs of clinginess apart from when his unwell or sometimes being dropped off at nursery.

He doesn't play pretend and will not always follow simple instructions but will get me a ball or book when asked and bring me his shoes sometimes.

I’ve done the MCHAT checklist and he did score a 3. I’ve got to have a follow up with nursery next Wednesday and I’ve got a local drop in centre I can take him too and a call on Monday with a speech and language therapist. I’m just so so sad for him. I don’t want him to find life harder than it already is. I’m also so bogged down with my own feelings of inadequacy about parenting a child with ASD. I worry I’m not going to be the parent he needs but I don’t see ASD I just thought he was very typical little boy. Has anyone got any tips for getting a diagnosis if we do get one? How do I navigate this water for him?

Performing assessments at your own is not a good idea because it will cause tension and you will stress out. I would recommend a professional assessment is better because it will be authentic and would be done by some expert.

I think you’re doing everything right OP. He’s your first and has only scored 3 in the M-Chat so nothing is blindingly obvious.

If he does get assessed, the list is likely to be long but you don’t need a diagnosis to apply for an EHC needs assessment.