CornedBeefIsland
Midfield
Kians school has been brilliant up until now. He is just finishing Year 2 and they are supporting him well. They have bought him chew buddies (as he chews his clothes) and a rubber ball thing with strings for him to play with in class to help him concentrate. He loses concentration easily and fidgets a lot. The only time he sits still is when he is on his laptop and he is in his own world then.
My son has an ASD diagnosis. He's nearly 6.
It was shit going through the process. At first it felt really harsh as some of specialists had zero people skills. And the one who broke it to us that he might be autistic was very matter of fact. My wife didn't sleep for a month. He was having meltdowns all the time at nursery, had too much frustration, was head banging because he couldn't talk, didn't sleep etc.
Then we were sent to Dr Barrett at Durham childrens center. I'm not sure the outcome would be any different but she was brilliant for us. She was compassionate through the full process, and was more concerned about making sure we knew what was going on and how we were coping rather than simply getting a diagnosis and moving him on.
Since his diagnosis, he is coping a lot better. Mainly due to his language development. It's not great. But he can communicate his feelings better. And he's a right little cheeky git. But the best thing you can do is make allowances, not excuses.
He is in mainstream school, and that's where i want to keep him. I think the varied social interactions are the best thing for him. He has a few friends. And is the most loving caring kid I know. Loves hugs.
If you do nothing else buy a book called Uniquely Human. By Barry Prizant. This completely changed my outlook on how we deal with things.