Suspect ASD and have no clue about anything

[howliscream]

Hi.
I really need some advice and hope this is the place to get it. Sorry if this is a bit long and badly worded but just trying to get this down in words is really difficult for me.

My DS is 2 and a half and for a while now I've had this nagging feeling that something's not quite right and that he's different in his behaviour to his peers. There's a lot of issues which if you look at in isolation, seem normal for the age but when you put them together I just can's shake this nagging feeling that he might have ASD - i've done a little bit of research on the net which has confirmed my suspicions of some of his behaviours (see below)

• speech delay (says daddy, yeah and no and points but that's it)
• has issues with dealing with people. If someone gets too close he waves his arms and makes an "urgh, urgh, urgh" sound. He even does this to me and DH if we try and interact with him and he's not in the mood.
• he likes to play alone and even when we take him to playgroups he never interacts with the other children
• he plays very repetitively. His favourite thing is to get Connect 4 and put all the counters in and then take them back out again and repeat endlessly or just throw hundreds of items behind the sofa and then go and retrieve them
• is very obsessed with numbers
• is very particular about certain things. If he's playing with a puzzle whichever order he puts the pieces in first, is the order it has to be done in every time.
• has never been very cuddly but have to say this has improved of late

Anyway I finally broke down about it this morning to DH and said how worried I am. He was initially very "oh he's fine" but as today's gone on and he's watched DS with this in mind, even he seems worried now (we went out for lunch and DS went and got all the salt and pepper pots off the other tables and lined them up).

I've made an appointment with the GP for next Tuesday but I don't even know if this should be my first port of call and what exactly should I say to him? Does this sound like ASD and if the GP thinks so, what happens next? I've looked around the SN board here but have found it be a bit overwhelming as I have no real knowledge of SN and all of the terminology.

Would appreciate any guidance. Have got really tearful typing this as seeing it all in print has made me think why didn't I do anything sooner? I guess we had put all these things down to little eccentricities in his personality. I have never in my life wanted more to be wrong about something

Hello there. First of all welcome. I hope you find the board as useful and supportive as I have.
I had a similar experience to you and my son is now 4. He was diagnosed with ASD earlier this year. However, I have no idea re your child. You have done the right thing going to the GP. Hopefully the GP will refer you to a paediatrician. Would it be helpful if you wrote down your concerns and take them with you to the appointment. If there is an issue, you have done the right thing by seeking out help at this young age. Early intervention is a wonderful thing. Please keep posting on here. Best support network around!
And a big hug x

I'd second that.

March to the GP with a steely glint in your eye. Explain as you have done here. Don't be fobbed off and get yourself a referral to the paed.

You are your ds's best advocate and you all deserve the very best care and advice.

You will get that here. Keep posting.

Early intervention can do a lot.

hugs.

I agree :) tell gp exactly what you have said here.
Take some notes and some examples of behaviours displayed .. And get a referal.
Much better to get it checked out and it come out clear than not get it checked.

Welcome to the board .. Your in good hands.
On a little note .. If your gut feeling ringing alarm bells trust yourself.

Thirded

If you get no joy from the G.P is there a speech and language drop-in anywhere near? Health visitor might know of one and Sure Start centres often have them.

The SALT who saw my DS recognised a possible problem simply by talking to me and watching him play. She referred him to the child development team and Paed bypassing the GP altogether.

Best wishes

Thank you so much for your replies - it means a lot and I have just cried at your kindness (am feeling very fragile)

I think you're right that I should write everything down as I know I will probably forget stuff when I go into see the GP.

Do you really think this is early intervention? I feel so guilty that I should have realised/acted sooner.

Thanks again.

Milady - I forgot to mention that he did see a SALT about 3 months ago. We attended a workshop and got some advice but they didn't think there were any problems and closed his case so we just assumed it was a case of he'll talk when he's ready..

(((((((hugs)))))))
what a shame i have no knowledge of this but i feel for you i hope you get something sorted out, your doctor should beable to point you in the right direction.
i too have 2.5 year old son who i have my concerns about, he is seeing speech therapist as only says a handfull of words...it is his repetativness that causes me concern his thing is hoovers he has 6 of his own but will sit with mines up to two hours at a time playing with it, honeslty all his is interested in is hoovering his wee face lights up when he sees one in a shop,catalogue or on tv...bless him x

Hell yeah this is early intervention!
We approached our health visitor when DS was 2 and told to come back when he was 3.
I felt guilty about that but no point dwelling on the what ifs...
Your son needs you to channel your energy into seeking out the best help if it is required, not spending time feeling guilty.
Sorry that sounds bossy and it wasnt meant to be!!

Just wanted to say hello & to agree with earlier comments

We also started to have concerns about DS2 when he was 2.5 and eventually took him to the GP at 2.8. He's now 3.3 and we're expecting to get his formal ASD diagnosis next Tuesday, following a multi-disciplinary assessment which has taken place over the last couple of months.

So, I just wanted to give you some un-Mumsnet ((hugs))! The first few months after taking the first steps are an emotional rollercoaster, but you're definitely doing the right thing.

Definitely write things down and take the list. I kept a notepad file and jotted down quirks and idiosyncrasies DS has as I remembered them and I had three pages of A4 after a week or so

I took it along to the Paed appointment and he was diagnosed that day, which was a bit of a shocker but better than months of faffing around.

Not saying that this will be the case for you at all but it will focus you. Doctors always seem to sort of hypnotise me into agreeing with them and going away (until recently )

Hi..just wanted to show my support. Definately write things down. I am going through gp etc just now for diagnosis of AD for my daughter and what i would say to you is stay strong, stand your ground and dnt let anyone tell you that they know what is best for your child. Gut instinct is a wonderful thing and you know your child best. Good luck
Sorry for being ignorant..what is ASD? It has been suggested on mumsnet that i should be looking at this for my daughter instead of AD but i have no idea what im looking at.

babybear it stands for Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Info from the National Autistic Society here

Howli.. :) we have plenty of tissues, cake and tea here..We will also give you a nudge when needed as well.
Remember if you are unsure of anything someone on here should be able to help.

Thank you so much everyone. It's great to know that there's all this support and knowledge here.

I'm typing a list as we speak. I'm already thinking of more stuff I left off my OP so definitely need this to show the GP.

howliscream,
I'm not a regular here (yet!.....) but wanted to chime in with my support too.
In my experience with my DS who's almost 4 and about to do the ASD assessment, it is so important not to be convinced by people that you need to "wait and see". You need to have your concerns taken seriously - that's not to say you have anything serious to be concerned about yet if you gwim, but the best thing to do is go into appt with the GP with your objective to get a referral to paediatrician. There's waiting involved so the sooner the better and don't be turned away to come back in a couple of months. The more intervention you can get will only benefit him.
Hope it goes well!
x

I just remembered something else I left off. I tried googling for it but it's hard to put into an easily searchable term!

DS has these little 'episodes' where he looks past you (as if he's looking at someone) and babbles/sounds just explode from him (almost like Touretttes) but he is ecstatically happy whilst it's going on and just has this elated and really animated expression on his face. It's actually really nice to watch as he looks so happy and like he's having a lovely conversation with someone.

Just wondered if anyone else had experienced this or knew if this is a symptom?

Could be verbal stimming

Pop that into google and see if it fits :)

Oh thank you, that's really useful for me too as my son does this. I tell DH that perhaps DS is talking to people on "the other side" and it freaks him right out.

Now do I let him know there's an explanation for it or not?

Milady - that's what I always used to say. I was convinced he could "see people"

Am off to google now..thanks CupCake

:o milady!! Do not tell your dh.. :o you could keep it up for ever < snigger>.

Ds2 bounces and flaps etc.. But also has verbal stims.
Everyone does it mind .. It tends to be about the extent and if it is causing an issue..
Ds2 stims when excited, happy, and worried. He sometimes sounds like an angry beaver when he is in overload.. Basically we can tell his mood from the stim he is using. :)

I don't mind the idea of people "elsewhere" (woo) looking after DS, it's a bit of a shame really but DH will no doubt be relieved.

When I tell him.

Hi all

I meant to update sooner but all of us have been poorly and then my SIL went into labour early and was not very well so have been so distracted with all that, not had a chance to even browse mumsnet!

We went to see the GP and gave him the list of symptoms and he just started typing out a referral straight away, no fuss (I think it helped that DS remembered the room from his injections and started crying and screaming - you could see the Dr visibly wincing!)

So I'm now waiting for an appointment however I have Bupa through my work and I gave them a call on the off chance they would cover it and was surprised to find that they will cover the consultation up to a diagnosis (if there is one).

So now I'm wondering how to find a good paediatrician. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

Starlight - I'm in east london.

I guess ASD is do far ranging and lifelong it would cost them too much.

Hi all

I've managed to find a paed. I spoke to their PA on Monday who said she would be back Thurs and that she would pass on my details and get back to me to let me know if she would see me or not. She also asked "is it you that has suspicions or the GP?" (I was a bit at this as it made me feel like she only wanted interesting cases where it's definitely ASD - surely if I'm, well Bupa, are paying, it shouldn't matter? Maybe I'm being over sensitive...)

I'm starting to feel really nervous now and quite sad as keep looking at DS ad thinking if we get a diagnosis, this is like a big turning point and the rest of his life could be different to what we imagined. Sorry I'm not really expressing myself well here. It's just that so many people when talking about his speech delay say "oh he'll talk when he's ready" and "I knew someone whose kid didn't talk until 3/4/5 and now they don't shut up" and now from reading some posts on this special needs board, I see that for some with ASD speech doesn't always get better.

Had lovely cuddles with DS before bed and was talking to him saying "mummy would it love it if could talk to me" and I got so tearful just wondering exactly how much he understands - it's so hard when you get nothing back.

Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself here as have not even got an appointment yet but just feeling a bit sad about it all today