What questions should I be asking?

[)i( sarah)i(]

Okay so I am taking my son to see the pediatric neurologist who diagnosed him with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (moderate) back in April on Tuesday.The "follow up" appointment was not going to be until the end of August but I called and asked for a sooner appointment because I have so many questions and concerns about my sons diagnosis.My husband and I are going to make a list of questions to ask the doctor and I would really appreciate it if anyone could share with me some important questions that I may want or may be forgetting to put on my list.I know every child has a different story but I also know some share the same autistic characteristics so please I don't care if the questions seems like something I most likely have already asked or if the question seems like it could be answered by just using common scene!My son is only 2 1/2 but I want to ask questions regarding his future as well so even if your child is older, if you can remember what questions you asked or wish you had asked sooner, please share!I don't know much about the pediatric neurologist ( I only met her for 25 min the day she diagnosed my son)so I don't know if she believes in treating,curing,and or recovering a child from Autism.I hope she can be of some help to my son, maybe help me get him into ABA therapy, speech therapy,or help me find away to deal with his dangerous obsession with climbing!?!Thank you for any and all help in advance!

 

[Sparkleyone]

Hi Sarah,

We are at the point where we are also wanting to gather together questions to put forward.

I will have a think about this and come back to you, and will also watch this thread with interest in hope that others can share any knowledge with us.

Xx

 

[massacubano]

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[lozzy21]

Sarah i dont want to sound patranising but you cant treat or cure autism. Its like tipe 1 diabeates once you have it, you have it it can only be managed not cured. She wont be able to tell you what his future will be as it, is all going to depend where on the ASD scale he comes in at. Speach therapy will only work if hes showing signs of talking.
You may find she wont be much help with helping you deal with your sons obsesions as they are used to sitting in a office all day but she may be able to refer you to some one who dose. People with autism, adults and children, have these routeens and obesiions to make sence of the world, "if i do this then xyz make sence" Its when we try and stop them from doing these obsesions that we get the unwante reactions,tantrums ect because the world becomes a realy confusing place and some things like loud noises and brigt lights can physicaly hurt them as their brain cant process the infomation.

 

[lady3]

Hi Sarah,

I'm sorry you're having to go through this. My sister is going through the same exact thing at the moment and it's been a rough time for her. I also work with children with autism, and I have to say that speech therapy does help, as does early intervention, so be as proactive as you can. Ask any questions that you can, even if they seem stupid.

You might want to ask if there's a class to learn the Hanan Method or google it. Speech paths use it sometimes to help babies and children's speech.

I used to teach in California, so I know there's a lot of support for parents of children with special needs. You should be seen by someone soon and get an Independent Family Support Plan set up within 30 days of having been seen by a specialist teacher.

Get a speech pathologist recommended to you from the doctor and ask around. Generally, ones with waiting lists tend to be better.....

Best of luck for you on this journey. I know it can be hard, but if you put in hard work now, it's worth it!

 

[MUMOF5]

Sarah I dont know what questions you should be asking but I will be watching this thread too with interest. Sonny finally has his appointment on 6 August, not sure what its going to involve, but I am going to try to write down as many questions as I can think of as I know as soon as I walk in there I am going to go blank.....

 

[JASMAK]

I would be interested in speech therapy, occupational therapy, and intervention managed by a board certified behaviour anaylst. I would also put your child in some sort of preschool with an aid, and then as many extra-curricular activites, but with an aid to really encourage and develop social skills. My daughter gets speech once a week (1 hour), intervention twice a week (6 hours), and then for 10 months of the year she goes to preschool three times a week (9 hours). She also does ballet and swim lessons with an aid. We just recently fired her speech therapist.