DS diagnosed with autism yesterday by Daphne Keen

[Soutty]

I have waited 6 months for an appointment with Daphne Keen. I was expecting a diagnosis of autism and yet the way I feel now makes me realise that a little bit of me must have been hoping for her to say that he just has a language disorder or that she wasn't sure.

She was absolutely certain. She acknowledges he doesn't meet all the criteria. He is sociable with a good imagination. But still she is 100% sure he has autism.

There's nothing anyone can say I guess. He's still the same boy - just a boy that's a little bit closer to getting a statement now than he was before we got the news we had dreaded. That's a positive thing I suppose.

It doesn't matter how much you know in your heart something isn't right it still hits you like a ton of bricks and a part of you is hoping you will be told it's just a bit of a delayed development all will be well.

Ds doesn't fit a lot of the criteria for autism and some days I still think maybe they are wrong and then he'll do something that jolts me back to reality.

In someways a diagnosis changes everything and changes nothing.

I gave myself a few days to cry and feel low, then I took a couple of weeks and ignored it totally and then I took a deep breath and started doing what needed to be dOne.

Be kind to yourself for a few days

Know how you feel - was told this week at Gosh that ds will never catch up (gdd) and altough I knee it already and I should be happy after all the investigations that he imdoesn't have any horrible illness causing his delay it really hit me, cried and cried and cried... And I'm not a crying type. Hope you will be better soon there is nothing for us to do than just get on with it, altough thinking about future I would love to hide somewhere with my beautiful little boy to save him from the bad big world... there we go, crying again :( You are not alone xxx. Sorry to rant not very helpful probably.

Big ((hugs)) Even though you know its still a slap in the face. 3 months ago I kept replaying the final words in my head that the proff said despite going there knowing I was right about my DS. I would say its only now sunk in once I had a report in my hands in black and white.

Allow yourself time to adjust to the news as I doubt it will happen overnight. Well done though on seeing this through and you can not fight your DS corner for help.

xx

I'm sorry, soutty. It's that final secret hope extinguished. I know it's a cliché, but it hasn't changed your DS, just changed your expectations. And he is still the same lovely child he was last week. Now you can use this information to fight his corner.

Have some ((((hugs)))). X

babiki, you sound like you could do with some ((((hugs)))) as well.