Military child waiting for assessment for ASD - Autism Support

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Military child waiting for assessment for ASD

lucy955 profile image
4 Replies

Hi, We are in the UK and need our 3 year old son to be assessed for ASD. The nursery he is in are totally convinced. My question is do you know how long it takes? We are in gloucester and we will be moved on by the army soon. I really worried we will wait ages get to the top of the list and be moved on and have to start again. I heard somewhere that 18 months is normal? In that case we may be getting ready to leave the next posting by the time he reaches the top????

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lucy955 profile image
lucy955
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4 Replies
Whatisee profile image
Whatisee

I was in the US military in Berlin so I know how moving can affect anxiety for the family. But the good news is that ASD is not an illness and is not an emergency. Take a deep breath. This is your child to love and to cherish. No matter what label is assigned to him you are still his parents to love and guide and understand. Do a little reading about ASD. Once you understand what the behaviors are and how others are helping the child adapt to situations it removes the stress. If your child is not speaking just be patient. Talk to him and be loving. Sometimes development is slower but not always. I didn't notice the behaviors until my daughter reached 12 and was doing things more on her own. Different isn't bad. Just keep that in mind and you will be okay. The US Army provides medical services and social services to support families. I would hope the military in UK also provides family services. You are not the only parents with a child with ASD. Be. Comforted in knowing there are many of us out here to support. Your day care should also have some training in understanding children with ASD. It is not all that rare. A diagnosis is not a full proof plan to care for a child with ASD behaviors because sometimes the diagnosis is missed unless very common traits like jumping and shaking hands exist. If your day care providers are noticing traits then it probably is ASD but read up on how to deal with obsessive patterns and how to help your child develop a wider range of interests.

emmasue profile image
emmasue

Could you contact CAMHS or whoever will do the assessment and explain your situation? They may be supportive. I have found from my experience that it is quicker to get an assessment for a pre-school child than once a child starts Reception. The waiting list for CAMHS can be long (84 weeks in our area), however I think they would take your situation into account. I hope you get the support you need. x

corriefan profile image
corriefan

The NHS does have long waiting lists, explaining your situation as others have suggested is a good idea but if that does not work would you consider paying for a private diagnosis. This is a charity which does diagnosis in Northamptonshire, if you search you might find somewhere closer to home. actionforaspergers.org/diag...

Zsaradancer profile image
Zsaradancer

Hi Lucy, can you access a social worker through the army? I ask this as on a Facebook group for parents with kids with autism there is a mum who has been well supported by an army social worker and is helping her with the local authority to get an Education and health care plan and other stuff.

I can make enquiries of her if you like?

My son was waiting for an assessment through camhs for over a year and that is after months of waiting for the initial appointments for them to gather info from us and see my son to decide whether they thought he needed assessments.

It is, unfortunately, a postcode lottery with waiting times

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