Living with Autism

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

‘My son Aiden is 3 years old . He has no language, has frequent tantrums when he doesn’t get his way and sometimes, hurts himself or others! He has loads of toys but he doesn’t seem interested and only wants my phone or his dad’s tablet. We try really hard to engage him but most times he just walks away. He seems to be in another world and at times, it’s as if he doesn’t even recognise us!

Or this …?

‘Lily our daughter seems particularly sensitive to noise and doesn’t like wearing clothes. We thought her language was coming on, but pre-school say she doesn’t join in play with the others and they are concerned about the delay in her communication. They have referred her to Speech and Language who suggest she may have autism! We have been on the waiting list for assessment forever. We feel like we have been left completely alone, without any help or guidance - on something that is totally beyond us.”

If you recognise any of this, then I can help support you from first concerns through diagnosis and beyond – these children are my specialism.

Living with Autism

The world can often appear confusing and chaotic for autistic children, causing them high levels of anxiety in situations most of us take in our stride. Whilst every child develops differently, when a child does not appear to be following the usual path of developmental stages, it can raise concerns amongst family, carers and educators and we wonder what can be done to support them to achieve the age expected goals. From both research and experience, we know that early intervention improves outcomes, often dramatically. Early intervention can improve communication, social and emotional skills and improve overall educational goals and outcomes.

Does your child avoid interaction or engage only on their own terms?

Do they struggle to convey their wants and needs? Or appear to ignore you or respond differently to your communication with them?

Do they find great comfort in predictability and routine, for example, lining things up, insisting on the same route to school?

Do they have unexpected, extreme reactions to sensory stimuli such as noise, sights, smells around them?

If so, they may have complex social communication difficulties indicating autism. I am not offering diagnosis but I can offer you help and support.

Changes in routine and transitions can completely overwhelm an autistic child and autism can impact a child’s ability to communicate and interpret meaning.
Many children with autism experience some form of sensory sensitivity and this can lead to them having intense positive or negative reactions to sensory stimuli.
One of the many things that make autistic children unique, is that they have highly-focused strengths and interests. These can open up a wealth of opportunity to start them engaging with learning.

You may be experiencing difficulty in communicating with your child, struggling to engage with them in an activity or knowing how to join in with their play. If any of this sounds familiar,

then please get in touch for an initial no obligation chat to

see how I can help.