Speech therapist assessment- referred to paediatrician for ASD testing

[annieannietomjoe]

Hi there

First post here, my son has had problems with severe glue ear (no ear drum vibration at all but not sure how long for) and had an operation to have grommets about 6 months ago. As a result I self-referred to local SALT (speech and language team) to see if speech therapy would be beneficial and available for him. He is only 2 years 2 months. When we were there she said that she would like to refer him to a paediatrician for ASD testing (not sure if this is the correct way to call this). I was in a bit of shock as this was totally unexpected and struggled to process in the moment so didn't get a chance to ask many questions (hormones also everywhere as 15 weeks pregnant) so now I am not sure what we should do? What the process is?

It has been mentioned before by a family member (psychiatrist) that she believes that he could be and I have sometimes thought that myself but glue ear can mimic the symptoms of autism. His eye contact is not great but getting better with DH and I, other people not so much, he was never very 'loving' but now is on his terms only, he is a very energetic boy and very able physically. I think he struggles to understand emotions (if I'm upset it does not affect him for example). He gets very frustrated very quickly and becomes explosive (throwing toys ect). I feel like he tantrums more than other kids I spend regular time with but that could be due to frustration with his speech/communication. He was not babbling or pointing or saying any words until about 22 months (after grommets). He spent about a year spinning one toy and not being interested in any other toys and now is obsessive with cars/trains and will play for considerable time. I could go on and on.

I am not 100% what I am asking - maybe how did you know? Would you think it is likely that the speech therapist could be wrong and just be being very cautious? (She was very detailed and older so had a lot of experience.) How long is the wait for testing? What are good resources to look up? (Have googled but find a lot quite overwhelming)

If you have got this far - thanks very much!

I haven't had any experience of hearing loss and grommets, so I'm not entirely sure what the crossover behaviours might be. I imagine the frustration of not being able to communicate properly must be huge.

Some of the things you've said sound like my ds at that age. The tantrums, throwing things, being obsessive about toys and being able to concentrate on things he likes for long periods of time. My ds also seemed to take no notice of my emotions and often laughed if I got angry. My ds also had ok eye contact with me and DH and not so much with other people.

SALT were the first people to mention ASD to me (ds was diagnosed at 4). The process here is that you are referred to a paediatrician for an initial review then put on waiting list for an ADOS assessment. We had to wait a year between the two. The process and waiting times vary from area to area.

We realised something was going on with ds when he suddenly started to lose all his language and became very withdrawn at about 18months.

I found reading about autism helpful, particularly 'The Reason I Jump' and 'Fall Down Seven Times Get up Eight' also 'The out of synch child' which is about sensory processing disorders, which often come with ASD.

In the meantime things like ABC charts can be helpful. You basically keep track of your child's behaviours to help work out triggers. Using visuals and makaton can also be helpful.

Sorry he lost his language when he was just over 2 not 18 months

Thanks @livpotter - will have a look at the books and ABC charts.

We knew due to a speech regression, obsession with spinning and lining up toys, and mega meltdowns.

OP no one on here will say your ds has autism, we couldn't truly know. However your ds sounds a lot like my ds who was diagnosed with asd at 2. He's now 4 and thriving, still has Asd obviously, but has come on a lot and is the love and light of my life. As is my daughter!

I'm going to be really honest, the therapist doesn't sound like they're being over cautious by what you describe of your son, and I think an ASD evaluation is a sensible idea. Your ds is still really you g and early intervention will help 😁 my son had salt, visual aids and some makaton, I also read lots and lots of blogs, books etc to educate myself on asd. It's been a journey, still learning, as is ds, but things are easier in many ways. I remember being where you are and it's scary and puzzling, but keep chatting on her and to professionals, it will get better.

Thanks @Takiwatanga - appreciate the honesty! Will get reading so I can understand better what it potentially all means.