My 4 year old child has just been diagnosed with Autism

lisajake

My 4 year old child has just been diagnosed with Autism. Lots to cope with at the moment. Including schools.

chiarieds

Hi @lisajake - Welcome to the community & thank you for joining.

Scope has a scheme called 'Navigate' which you might find useful; it offers support to parents of newly diagnosed children amongst others. Here's a link: https://www.scope.org.uk/family-services/navigate/

There's also some general information on Scope, including support in schools: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/families-with-disabled-children/

You can also possibly find out more from the national Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/

Please if you have any questions, just say.

Adrian_Scope

Hi @lisajake and welcome to the community. Has your little one started school yet?
I hope chiaried's suggestions will be helpful, but please don't hesitate to let us know if you need any advice.

Nicolette

Hi @lisajake. My daughter was diagnosed with autism at 4 and is now 11. It's an uncertain time. It's really great that you've reached out for support

lisajake

Thank you.
he’s at mainstream school at the moment. But we are looking at special schools, because he is struggling to cope with the curriculum.

Kev2020

Hi I used to support young children on the autistic spectrum in both main mainstream and special needs schools.. Both have pros and cons but remember your school will with you to try and meet your child's needs but also sometimes we need to reflect on possitve and negative points and always look at what we think is best.. The links on other posts will help you out but always feel free to reach out here for for advice or just to off load 
Kev

77cp

You have my sympathy I know several people who have children with this diagnosis and have seen how difficult it has been for them to navigate the system

Chloe_Scope

Hi @lisajake, I'm sorry to hear he is struggling in mainstream. Does he currently have any support in place?

Here is an article that talks about getting educational support for your child and one that discusses talking to school about adjustments for your child.

Please do let us know how you get on.

lisajake

he does have support in school, but they are not very well supported by the Senco/ class teacher. He has 2 TAs, who don’t communicate with each other or refer to his EHCP. 

Kev2020

Hi could I just check the age that your child will be  in September 2020 as there is different advice for children under 5 (4 years 11 months) and children 5 to 11 and so on..  
It will help me get the right info for you ..

lisajake

He will be 5 in April.
he will start year one in September.

Kev2020

Ah ok 
How does he feel about his school? .. It may be helpful to keep a weekly diary of his feelings ..Then discuss options with the senco if he is very unhappy in his school there are options to move but in my experience this can take a long time and sometimes it's eiser to stay where he is settled and get the right support. obviously if they are very unhappy it's time to think of other plans.
If you let me know your local authority I can send you a link please DONT POST the schools name or any details just the area. 
Thanks 

lisajake

He has some language, but there is no way he could tell me how he is feeling. I only get I’m happy. But that won’t help him to write or read . All he wants to do is play, he finds it hard to sit at a table and hates to write etc. He can just about write his name.
we are North Yorkshire.

Kev2020

Hi I'm away till Monday but when I get back I'll have access to my support network contacts .  I'll be back online Tuesday from 1200 Kev

lisajake

thanks, I do have 2 meetings this week regarding various issues. So hopefully we will have a clearer picture of what is happening.

Kev2020

It would it be helpful for you to have a list of queries and clarifications .. You can also record the session on your phone with consent ..  I would also suggest that the meetings are combined into one ..
Kev

chiarieds

Hi again @lisajake - there's also some further information here on Scope if your son's EHCP isn't being followed, which I hope is helpful too. See: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/school-not-following-ehcp/#If-school-is-not-following-an-EHCP

& perhaps also look at IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) if you haven't come across it. See this section: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/education-health-and-care-plans & look around their website.

I hope you can make some progress with your son's school, & please do let us know how you get on.

lisajake

Hi thank you for all this info. On Tuesday I have a meeting with my sons Senco and a lady from my local education authority who specialises in Autism. She is coming to see what she can do to support school. Thanks to all those who have provided me with information , it was very helpful.

Adrian_Scope

Let us know how you get on @lisajake and if there's anything else we can do to help.

chiarieds

Hi @lisajake - How did you get on last week with your son's SENCo & the lady from your LEA? I hope you have been able to resolve some of the issues at his school.