ASD Diagnosis, Prepping for Prep!

[Char]

Hi all!

My son (5.5 yrs) was 'officially' diagnosed with ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder - a little while ago, and we have been swiftly moving to prepare the path for the completion of kinder, transition to prep, and other programs he may need along the way. The diagnosis wasn't totally unexpected, but I am a little puzzled as to where to go from here.

I am lucky in that the kinder teachers are very supportive, and helped match us with a great preschool field officer. They have been in touch with our pediatrician, as well as the school etc. I had a meeting with the assistant principal today, who seems happy with how things are progressing. She doesn't seem to think the school will receive extra funding to aid him, but they have programs in place to do the best they can.

edited to add: he is on the waiting list for speech and occupational therapy, but the wait is a long one.. i may go private, depending on the advice of the Doc, and finances allowing.

The main issues for him are:

Speech. He can speak in sentences, but jumbled, and often goes off on tangents. Is very shy.
Eye to eye contact. This is a big issue.
Social skills. He is so friendly, so affectionate, never aggressive, but sometimes shy. Parallel play only. Wont tune into the group.
Very sensitive to sound. Enjoys music.
Difficulty with transitioning from one activity to another.

Lack of generalisation.
Sequencing.
Toe walking/hand flapping/head shaking, altho this has decreased of late.

Strengths:

He is a very visual learner. Loves puzzles and numbers, but shies from letters and reading. He has a wonderful sense of humour - always laughing. Good fine motor skills. Enjoys colours. Great at problem solving.

So, now i need to move on, and find out what i can do to help Wm prepare for school. They are ready for him, and are very supportive, but i would love to do all i can for him. If there are any mums on here who have been down this road before, i would be so grateful to hear your ideas and experiences.

Char xxxx

[reu]

I know in queensland they treat with a type of behaviour therapy. Its seriously expensive, but I was hoping to learn the gist of it from textbooks. Anyway abiq.org and http://www.lovaas.com/ will give you more of an idea. Good luck with it. Getting the diagnosis can be quite traumatic.

[Char]

thanks Lisa I will have a look into it.

Char

[~jane~]

Behavioral therapy can achieve amazing results with kids with autism. Although very expensive if you have to pay privately, very worth it when they are still young because it is possible to make great changes.

[JAK]

Char, there are quite a few things that you can do to help.

Firstly, what sort of communication does William have? Do you use compic at all? Is he able to ask his Kinder teachers to get his needs met (clearly, without having to use their interpretations).

If getting his needs met may be an issue, using compic can be really beneficial. Having a small card with a picture can help to prompt verbal commmunication. Some children bring in a small compic book (has the childs most used words for needs in compic version), to help aide their communication.

Being a visual learner (which most ASD children are), the use of visual timetables can really help. These also help with transitioning too. The timetables will help William know what's happening and what to expect now. Jordan used a finished/almost finished card for the first 3yrs of schooling. The teacher would put the card on almost finished (black and white checked side) to let him know that the lesson was finishing up and then when it was time to pack away, they would place the card on the finished side (yellow). This helped with transitioning from one lesson to the next, he had plenty of time to mentally prepare himself.

One of the best things to do before school, is get William to spend LOTS of time at the school before hand. Get the school to commit to a teacher for him and organise times when William can come and visit the classroom. Jordan started the middle of third term visiting the classroom and his teacher. It gave him plenty of time to adjust to what he was going to expect and get used to his teacher. It also gave his teacher alot of time to get to know Jordan and see what sort of child he is, what his triggers may be, how he reacts before the beginning of the year.

On the topic of Speech and OT, go to your gp and organise an enhanced care program for this. You'll be able to get a percentage back off private costs. There's also another plan to help out with this, but can't remember the name (will find it for you if you want).

Sorry for the epic. Char, if you want more ideas or information, I'm happy to chat.

[MindfulMama]

Another option if you wanted to get assistance that wasn't as expensive as going "private" is to go to one of the University clinics. I don't know what's available in Melbourne, but if you have a uni nearby that does a Clinical Psychology Masters/PhD then the students will work in a clinic where they see clients for much cheaper than seeing someone privately. HTH

[Char]

Thanks guys... I have much to think about!

JAK, i looked into compic after you mentioned it, but wasn't overly impressed with the image quality. I did find a FAB site here tho - http://www.dotolearn.com/ - and i plan on making a few pic cards up from my own photos etc too.

His communication isnt too bad, as far as things go. He speaks, but jumbled, and goes off on tangents. Getting him to express himself, and focus on issues is a real challenge. Perseverance works! Mind you, i'm not whinging - he's a good kid, and sweet as they come. Part of the problem is that he's so bloody giggly, it's hard to get him to concentrate! lol

We're going back to the private pead this thursday, so i'll see where we go from there.

Thanks again,

[JAK]

Dotolearn is a really good site, I found it really useful. We only use a few pictures now (mostly related to getting ready for school). We're only just starting to really work on logical sequencing in speech now, getting Jordan to tell/retell a story in order.

Other things that have helped us are social stories http://www.polyxo.com/socialstories/, using a few key signs in makaton, lots of sensory work and ABA (something that was started around 2.5yrs). You're right that perserverence is definately the key.