Child autism where do i start??

[Natgeorge]

Ive suspected my child is autistic from around a year old she is now 4 and is due to start school this September. I have booked an appointment at the doctors to get a referral do anyone know how long it usually takes for a diagnosis and what help i can get i am in halifax west Yorkshire. I just don't think my child will cope unless the school knows she is different.

Hi Natggeorge,

Why do you think your child is autistic? did her pre-school / nursery raise any concerns?

It took us about a year to get from GP referral to the full multi disciplinary assessment but we first saw the paediatrician in a couple of months.

She went to nursery for afew weeks and they had afew concerns with communication interacting with other children and adults and very challenging behaviour. I know all the signs as autism runs in my family and her father is bi polar

18 months is average in a lot of areas, some are 2 years.
Go to your GP with a list of reasons why you think she needs to be assessed, take a letter from nursery outlining their concerns and ask how long the process takes in your area.

Diagnosis for my daughter took about 3.5 years but it depends on area and if school are supportive (ours wasn't).

If you go on your country's local offer page there will be details of organisations in your area that may be able to help

Did anyone apply for DLA for there child and did they need a diagnosis?

Ours took probably 2 years but that's because we first saw a paediatrician when she was 2. From when they first told us they thought she was probably autistic to a diagnosis was 1 year (with an appointment inbetween).

From the point of view of getting supports and understanding from school, you shouldn't need a diagnosis to get started and for them to start putting supports in place. Can you contact her school now before they break up for summer and ask to talk to the SENCO?

I second the recommendation to look up your Local Offer: there may well be e.g. parent support groups etc. you can access even without a diagnosis that will help you plan for school supports.
www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/education-and-learning/local-offer/send/assessing/advice-support#unique-ways
This organisation (Unique Ways) looks useful to talk to:
www.uniqueways.org.uk/

There are some good Facebook groups for support and advice from autistic adults and other parents, like "Embracing Autism" and "Autism Inclusivity".

Sounds like she may have some sensory issues if her behaviour is challenging, so thinking about how you can make her sensory environment as comfortable as possible would be a good start. Might be worth watching Purple Ella's Sensory Aid Kit video on YouTube for some ideas.

I took her out of nursery as she used to get very distressed everytime i left her she was kicking and screaming she only communicates through flapping and making noises. There's loads of other things she does too. I do have an appointment at the doctors but wanted help before September i want to explain about her needing help at school.

I think you should ask for a meeting with the school SENCO asap before the end of term so that you can explain the situation and her needs. They need to be prepared for September. Has she had, or is she due to have, any settling in sessions?

Has she seen any professionals for the lack of communication? Did the the health visitors pick up anything on her 27 month checkup or later?

You can apply for dla without a diagnosis. You need lots of evidence showing that your child needs substantially more care than a typical child of her age. It’s quite a gruelling form to complete but Cerebra do a guide to help:

www.cerebra.org.uk/help-and-information/guides-for-parents/dla-guide/

The health visitor didn't notice anything wrong but her nursery she does not have a school as yet because they are over subscribed and is on the waiting list so do i contact senco direct?

So she hasn’t been offered a place at another school for September?

If not then I suppose there’s no point meeting with the SENco until they have a place for her.

I think the GP will take you seriously given the family history. Go with a list of all the concerns that you have.

Is there a speech and language drop in clinic in your area that you can go to?

There is a branch of the National Autistic Society in Calderdale - you could give them a ring to explain the situation - they should have a good idea how to get fastest/best access to support. www.nascalderdale.webeden.co.uk/home/4593650569

If your DD doesn't have a school for September yet then I would contact the local authority EYFS SENCO or SEN team (looks like there is a phone number and e-mail address here: www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/education-and-learning/local-offer/send/parents/contact-send).

Might also be worth contacting Portage to see if you can access directly or need to be referred in by somebody else. We haven't used it but I've heard good things about it for early years support at home. Contact details are towards the bottom of this page.
www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/education-and-learning/local-offer/send/early-years-and-childcare

If she does have a place but not at your preferred school then I would be inclined to contact the SENCOs of both schools (though I guess the SENCO of your preferred school may be focused on children who are definitely going there - but they should at least want to have a contingency plan in place).

I have an appointment tomorrow with unique ways which is a good start thanks for all the advice its really helped me alot.

That's good news - hope they are helpful!

We were turned down for DLA (no diagnosis but did have have a letter from the LEA explaining that he gets special funding due to his needs)

MummyofTwo Appeal, lots of benefits are automatically denied to first-time applicants, a diagnosis is not necessary although it does help, what you need to explain to the DWP is how your dc's needs are greater than their peers.
Cerebra have good guides on their website.

Natgeorge hope all goes well tomorrow.

I hope your GP gives you a referral, worth talking to your LEA area SENCO as Lighttripper said, in our area its called the pre-school allocations panel, and its under Local Offer on the area website, you might want to look into special schools and ABA as well.