Well our wait over, DD has autism :(

[Eloise73]

This wasn't a shock for us but i'm so surprised at how devastating it still was to hear those words.

After the assessment (which was through a DISCO and observation by a community paediatrician, a speech therapist, 2 occupational therapists (one of which was our OT who comes to our home to help our DD) and our health visitor) we just felt a bit like zombies, very numb really as i'm sure a lot of you will relate to.

We were told she is too young for us to know where she is on the spectrum but that her communication level is very very behind and we need to go back to almost baby basics as far as teacher her to communicate back and forth etc. However, she is clever, has hundreds of words in her vocabulary and can now count to 100 (she's obsessed with numbers) and knows her alphabet etc. so they said in a couple of years time she may move up the spectrum to aspergers which I didn't know was possible.

We were told to learn PECS as soon as possible and do intensive interaction with her, I ordered the DVD already.

I don't know what else to say, couldn't go in to work today, am a bit of a mess really (and the gin last night was a BAD idea...). Once this stops i'll go back to 'fight for my baby' mode but I need to catch my breath first...no idea how my husband managed to go into work today.

I'm off to ring the NAS Surrey now, need to get doing something I think before I slip further into my pity party...

Thanks for listening xx

Awwww. Sorry you feel so low.

You've every right to feel sad, really you have. But you are her best advocate.

Take your time getting your head round it. She's still the lovely little girl she always was.

Give yourself some time; it IS going to get better.
I think it's brilliant that your daughter has words and so many abilities already; try to focus on the positive. She sounds like a lovely little girl (my DS is really into numbers too)

Chin up! :)
Our big assesment for DD is next weds, then I may join the pity party....with sympathy gin. Im well prepared but as you said the words are still bound to be a shocker. How old is she? My DD loves numbers, letters etc but cannot answer direct questions.

HUGS

Give yourself time to adjust - personally I think having hundreds of words is fabulous - does she use them to request or comment ? PECS could well be appropriate if not but otherwise don't make the mistake of doing anything advised for the sake of doing something Advice varies enormously for autism and there is no one answer.

It does hit hard, however prepared you think you are.

It took nearly 2 years for dd1 to be dx'd, with me pushing every step of the wy as I "knew" she was ASD. I still walkked out of the appt and cried all the way down the road - dh thought something really bad had happened when I called him, as I was crying so much - he was very relieved to hear it was "only" the news we had been expecting!

Take some time, relax, and absorb. Your dd is still the same dd she was yesterday - lovely, bright, and the light of your life.

btw - whereabouts in Surrey are you? I am in Surrey too, if you fance a meet-up/chat about stuff

I experienced the same feeling yesterday, its very hard, even when you know, like you said just hearing the words, is still very upsetting, so I can totally relate.

Sending you lots of hugs , the news that your dc has ASD is always a shock (even if you are expecting it), we have been through it twice, even though dd2 was clearly ASD it came as a shock as we got a dx so early (thought it would take longer). Dd2 was diagnosed at 3 years of age, we were also told that they did not know where she was on the spectrum due to her age, we went back to the pead this year (aged 4 years) and expected to be told where she is on the spectrum, we still don't know but we were told she has not got AS as her speach has not caught up.

Dd2's main problem is communication and speach, when she was diagnosed she was non-verbal and non-responsive to our voices. She started using PEC's at the age of 2.5 9before dx) and then music therapy at the age of 3. She is now talking (3-4 word sentances) and responds to simple comands.

I think my way of coping with the dx (with both my dd's) was to reasearch as much as i could on ASD and therapys. We started using ABA and floortime (with help from her nursery). I felt as if i had to proove people wrong and i felt dd2 would catch up. She has not caught up but she has improved so much and will be starting MS school in september.

Please take your time to take it all in, it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact i have 2 dd's on the spectrum, i still get upset when i see them with nt children as you can see how different they are.

Take care xxxx

if youa re looking at intensive intereaction you might think about something like DIRR (Greenspan, books on Amazon)

But give yourself a few days for it to sink in and be gentle with yourselves

Hope you are OK x

I haven't been told anything beyond ASD, definitely not Aspergers.

WRT Intensive Interaction - that was my most favourite part of my last job, it is the most fun therapy ever xx

hearing the DX is always hard, regardless of if you knew it was coming or not. There is always that little doubt in your mind beforehand that the doctors are wrong and that your child will be fine.

Take a few weeks to absorb what you have just ben told before diving in. It will take you a while to "get used" to the DX, it took me over a year to accept DS2's DX.