Advice on help for DS with ASD

[BearKey]

I'm hoping that someone can give me some advice on what support / therapy/ changes in school etc helped their ASD DC. My DS (7) has recently being diagnosed with ASD and I'm trying to find out what support I can now put in place for him. Ideally on the NHS as budget is tight for private therapy.

He struggles with social situations and is very sensitive, but in the main has issues with anxiety and meltdowns when things don't go the way he wants them to, or he's asked to do something he doesn't want to. He also has sensory needs and spends the majority of his time flapping / spinning for fun. Academically he's doing really well though.

Thanks for reading.

Make an appointment to see the school's SENCO, they'll be able to tell you what is available. I doubt there is anything outside of things like social stories at school though. Also try the National Autistic Society.

I think it's a tricky question, as what works for one child, may or may not work for another.

What really helped my DS at school was having a card he could show the teacher if he needed to leave the room. It prevented meltdowns in school. Just having the cars and knowing he could leave the classroom at any time was helpful.

With hindsight ear defenders would have been very helpful. He wars discreet ones now he's older, but it wasn't a "thing" 10 years ago.

I found the advice from an occupational therapist really useful, we were referred from GP.

From our experience with ds 9, we have found that small tweaks and adaptations in the classroom have had massive positive impact. A whiteboard on his desk with the task instructions to keep referring to to stay on task, ear defenders accessible if/when he needs them, a space set up just off the classroom to go to should he feel overwhelmed.
Also, I've noticed in the last 6 months he has been much more able to identify his emotions, know how to mitigate overwhelm and just a general sense that he has more control over his environment which I think is massive.
When he was younger we used a lot of visual aids at home abd school.
Good luck

Would GP or SENDCO agree to refer for an occupational therapy assessment and recommendations? Some adjustments at home and/or school might make a big difference.

You could also contact your local SENDIASS service to ask for advice. And see if you can find local support groups.

Sitting right at the front of the class in front of the teacher really helped DS as he couldn't filter out distractions and would miss half the input otherwise.

I'm a bit fan of OTs.

Whoever did the diagnosis should be able to write up the accommodations and therapies recommended for your DS’ particular presentation of ASD. There is no one size fits all solution for ASD, so what works for our DC might actually make your DS worse!

So I’d request the consultant send a letter to the school with their recommendations for accommodations and also ask the consultant to send a letter to the GP with request to do referral(s) to appropriate therapy. The consultant might charge a fee to do this, but it’s cheaper than trying random things.

My eldest has really benefited from assessment by Educational Psychologist and an OT assessment. Having a supportive teacher really helps too. He has a fidget box in his classroom that he made and chose what went in it. He can use them when he has finished his work. He also has separate guidance from his teacher to help him process instructions for his schoolwork then pops his ear defenders on to do it. It's really helped with his concentration.

I benefitted from the Early Bird Plus programme that the National Autistic Society run. Its free but they ask for a £20 donation to cover costs.

Thank you everyone. I have an appointment with the SENCO later this week and will definitely look into an OT assessment. Hopefully the GP can refer me, but I dread to think.what the waiting list is like at the moment!