Is autism an mental health issue?

[AngryWasp]

Sorry if I'm being dense but it is a physical disability, so why are CAMHS sometimes involved, or does autism 'cause' mental health.

I don't geddit. I suppose I have this to come?

Exactly how I feel AW.

And you know whilst I could verye asuily write a volume of books on ASD etc, when it comes to my own kids I am just a vulnerable mother trying to to battle through the ahrder bits and often missing things without outside input. And advice therefore always welcome (did you see my thread on ds1's injury in education?) called something like what would you expect

Hello my little boy Finn, just 5, was diagnosed with autism last Friday. We have waited 8 months since our first meeting with the paed. Back then I remember just thinking that he might have some mild learning difficulty or perhaps a ADD. I had no idea that it could be autism. I'm afraid I was very ignorant of the condition then and to some extent still am.

Since they told us on Friday I've just gone into free fall. I understand that it is just a huge spectrum - but where my little Finn is on that spectrum I don't know. At the assessment they just seemed to say that he had 'huge potential' and that 'each individual is different'. I think I was in shock anyway.

His speech was delayed but the past year it has really come on with much better sentence formation. Although it is abit stiff and rigid. He plays well with his older brother and sister at home (age 7 & 9) but hasn't made any friends at school - he is in full-time mainstream school. His concentration is not great and he does seem to 'get really into' various toy's and talks a lot about them e.g. ben 10 etc - physically he is perfect but this year his eye contact has not been great. His play is sometimes silly and more immature than children of his age. He seems to like to shock me - saying silly things I don't understand this.

I'm terrified of what the future holds for him - it seems to me to be light - if there is such a thing. Will he regress? - will he suddendly start walking on his toes? Will he go into his own little world? An how can we help him? Can anybody advise me or help me. I have gone into the ASD website but I can't seem to find Finn in there. Perhaps someone might be in the same situ. or have gone through the same things. I just need to know where or little boy is on this very wide spectrum and what it means for him and what is the best for him.

Thank you m x

I don't know if this example is helpful, but here goes:

DD1 has lots of different 'impairments': behaviour, motor skills (both fine & gross), S&L (both expressive & receptive), learning, etc. etc.

Our Council is crystal clear that blue badges are not issued for learning disabilities or behavioural issues.

DD1's consultant wrote a form for our application on the grounds of safe walking. Both tendency to trip/fall & lack of danger awareness/impulsivity.

REJECTED

Consultant clarified on form that condition evidenced by MRI differences.

My appeal, along with the fact that DD1 trips/falls and stumbles, was that although some of her difficulties are behavioural and impulsive in nature, the cause of those difficulties is evidenced by physical changes in the structure of her brain on MRI scan. Therefore, I was appealing that it was not the symptoms that were physical, but the cause.

SUCCESSFUL.

With ASD, the physical condition may manifest itself in a myriad of ways, but it is nonetheless physical, whether that be structural or chemical.

Hi Fullstop, and welcome to the Sn board. Your post may get a bit lost on this thread, I would repost this as a separate thread. The period around diagnosis can be very hard, especially if the diagnosis was unexpected. have a look at the NAS website (www.nas.org.uk) and in your local library to find out more info, as a basic starting point. And try not too worry too much - he is the same child as before the label - noone can give 100% guarantees of anything when it comes to health, but certainly it would be very unusual for a child of 5 plus to regress.

Fullstop Welcome to MN . There are lots of people here who can help you and give you pointers to navigate the 'system'. If you start a new thread with 'new diagnosis' then it will bring out all the people with information for you at this stage.

Hope that helps.

Oh, and agree with Total about the regression. Very unlikely now.

Thank you all very much - I'll try and work out what 'new thread' means now(new to chatting on the computer too)!!

m x

Hello full stop

have to pop out but will make an effort to find you later if I remember. I have 2 boys with ASD and they are so diffeent to each other, its like that, ASD- it simply means that things aren't quite NT in a set group of things rather than any definite eprsonality or manifestation- ds1 is quite reserved, ds3 very outgoing, both to problemativc extremes if you se what I mean. but they have core difficulties common in ASD so that is their DX.

And don't try and take too much in at the moment- give yourselves a break, a diagnosis is like a bereavement in terms of the the mind seems to handle it, even if expected: it takes a good while to come to terms and feel OK again.. A few weeks to adjust will not matter.

And a regression at 5 very unlikely, ds3 has had a few step abckwards at times of change but nothing we can't manage easily or rectify with structure (eg half term tended to pop him back into nappies until he turned 6, he is 7 in July).

Good luck.

Hello

I've been reading all your notices until late last night and taking notes (don't understand half of it)! You all seem amazing and totally up there as far as info. is concerned. I've started a 'thread' of my own - worked that one out! Sorry for butting in.

I'll watch out for you guys - you really know your stuff.

take care m x

fullstop Take care. Don't go into panic mode wrt getting information. Take one step at a time. The information here is searchable and will always be available.

Also there are many people here that will answer specific questions even if they have been answered before.

It's a marathon not a sprint . You didn't chose this and it isn't fair, but it will be okay.

fullstop when you are ready if you email me on peaches and cream 04 @ bt internet dot com I have some different presentations I can happily email you.

Hello

Thank you I'll e-mail later this evening - I have to get my head around it someway or I'll go bonkers!

take care mx