Preschool autism referral

[MsChatterbox]

Hiya,

My sons preschool want to do a referral for autism. I'm a bit taken aback by it and wondered if there's anyone out there to talk to!

What do you want to talk about ?
The process ?
The reasons they are referring him ?

Hi!

Probably the process yes I don't really know what's going to happen.

Maybe what it will mean if he is autistic! Support wise I mean.

Maybe how I can support him at home too!

The assessment process varies depending on where you live. In some areas it is CAMHS who assess and in others it is a community neurodevelopmental paediatrician. You may see SALT and OT as well, and there may be a diagnostician test such as ADOS.

A diagnosis doesn’t necessarily result in additional support. Many DC are assessed, diagnosed then discharged. If DS needs additional help in nursery it should be based on his needs, not a diagnosis.

How you can help him at home will depend on his needs.

Excellent answer from @Imitatingdory

Unfortunately, as the process is different, it is difficult for us to say. Where I live, CAMHS aren't involved, children get referred to a Community Paediatrician. They then (if they believe it may be autism) refer them to the neurodevelopmental pathway and they sit on a waiting list for 2 years unfortunately.

Also, 100% what Dory said about support at Nursery and school. It shouldn't depend on the diagnosis (although, it can be helpful to access some things, as he gets older). If he is finding it difficult to access Nursery, then the staff there should be making adjustments and putting things in place to meet his needs, whether he has a diagnosis or not.

Thank you guys. His preschool is absolutely amazing so they definitely wouldn't be waiting for any diagnosis to support him! I always was aware I had to do a lot of mental preparation with him but wasn't sure if that was just an age thing but literally after a couple days of him going there they were in contact with me to discuss extra support he may need!

Good to know about the process thank you again!