Autism - What to Do First
Someone has mentioned that your child might have Autism. What do you do now?
Well, if the comment came from someone that you trust, do not ignore it. If I could do it all over again, here’s exactly how I would proceed:
Lookup the Warning Signs
Don’t just take anyone’s word for it. Look up the common signs of Autism, and see if any of them make you feel uncomfortable. If you start thinking that several of the signs make you think of your child, then proceed to the next step. Please realize that “Autism” represents a wide spectrum of disorders (hence the term “Autism Spectrum”), so your child could show some of the signs, but not others.
- WebMD.com - Autism Symptoms
- WrongDiagnosis.com - 48 Symptoms of Autism
- AutismSpeaks.org - Learn the Signs
Just as an example, Colton’s pediatrician adamantly denied that he was Autistic, because he “hugs and kisses” his parents. He did hug and kiss his parents, but he also showed signs of many of the other symptoms: repetitive actions, social interaction with others, sensitivity to textures and noises, etc etc.
Visit your Child’s Pediatrician
Now that you’ve done a little research, take your child to his/her pediatrician and explain your concerns. Take a list of the symptoms with you, and explain the signs and symptoms that you are worried about. It’s either going to go one of two ways:
- The pediatrician will agree that more evaluations need to be done.
- The pediatrician will think you’re making a big deal out of nothing.
Either way, ask for a referral to a developmental pediatrician, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Seriously. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to have further evaluations done.
Visit a Developmental Pediatrician
Before you go to visit the Developmental Pediatrician, sit down and take as many notes on your child’s medical history as you can remember. Were there any complications during pregnancy? Has he ever been hospitalized? I’d just write down everything. The doctor is going to ask you for all of those details, and they aren’t easy to come up with when you’re on the spot.
Chances are, you will walk away from this appointment with a diagnoses. If your child is diagnosed with any form of Autism, I would request referrals for the following:
- Medical Tests (Blood and Urine Tests, Genetic Testing)
- Speech Therapy Evaluation
- Occupational Therapy Evaluation
- Physical Therapy Evaluation
- Nutrition/Diet Evaluation
If you walk away with contact information for the above, you are ahead of the game.
Evaluations / Medical Tests
Now is the hard part, waiting. Chances are that you won’t be able to get many of these appointments and evaluations scheduled for anytime soon. We had to wait 6+ months for some of the evaluations. But when your child finally is evaluated, and you’ve seen these specialists, chances are that you’re going to have a good idea of what kind of help your kid needs.
As I’ve said many times, I’m not an expert on any of this. I’m just a parent trying to help out, and hoping to guide those of you who are as lost as we were. We eventually got all of the tests and evaluations done, but we had to ASK for most of these things… no one told us. For some reason you’re going to find out that people don’t just hand you a plan, you have to do the research and work to try and figure out what kind of tests and evaluations you should have done. It doesn’t make much sense does it? In the end, it’s up to you to fight for your child.
Parents, if you’ve been through this, and have any insight or tidbits of knowledge to share, please do! Either contact me via email or comment here. Also, I have yet to find a great resource on the web that lays out this kind of information. If you know of one, please let me know.
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I Love your site!! We have learned A Lot the “hard way”.
1. Get on as many waiting lists as you can..early!
2. Learn the law in your area for people with disabilities.
3. Get any government funding you can. Autism is expensive, and it will help.
4. Advertise in colleges or universities for therapy assistants. They can help with your child.
5. Most schools are not in session year-round, and unless your child has a major regression over breaks, he/she will be home for summer break.
6. We take Nick everywhere. To the store, the play grounds, anywhere that he will have to deal with the general public. He will need to learn this for life. It is not an option.
Those are just a few things we have learned. We are in the process of applying for gov’t aid, Nick is on waiting lists for speech and oral therapy, and we start ABA this week.
Another thing, if you have a concern, have Early Intervention do an eval. It is free, and it will give you peace of mind.