Autistic spectrum diagnosis for 16 year old — Scope | Disability forum
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Autistic spectrum diagnosis for 16 year old

zuzana
zuzana Community member Posts: 2 Listener
edited October 2017 in Autism and neurodiversity
My son who is 16 has had a diagnosis of being on the autistic spectrum. Although we have known this for a long time he is still taking this hard.

Comments

  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello zuzana and welcome

    We have many members that will be able to assist you and your son and a dedicated ASD site

    CR
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @zuzana

    A very big welcome to you to our online community and website.

    I have attached some info for you below which I hope will be helpful to you ???

    https://www.scope.org.uk/support/families/diagnosis/autism

    Please please let us know if we can help you further ???.
  • Sam_Alumni
    Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @zuzana welcome to the community.
    Have you seen our videos on processing your child's diagnosis?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSpkYnOMe8k&feature=youtu.be 
    Scope
    Senior online community officer
  • zuzana
    zuzana Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    Thank you this advise has been helpful. We are waiting for an appointment for his anxiety as he has passed out with it a couple of times.
  • Mia_Alumni
    Mia_Alumni Community member Posts: 31 Connected
    edited September 2017

    Hi Zuzana,

    Thank you for getting in touch.

    Sometimes it doesn’t matter how long we have known about a diagnosis or condition, times of great distress and upset has a way of creeping up on us, sometimes out of nowhere, and particularly during transitionary periods in life.

    Adolescence isn’t the best time for most of us anyway, is it? 16 can be quite a challenging time in the life of any young person, add on top of that the challenges of being on the autism spectrum and having bad anxiety…

    On the positive side, though, it is good news that he is awaiting an appointment for his anxiety, as it sounds like it has become quite bad if he’s passing out. I am sorry to learn this; it must be very distressing and upsetting. Unfortunately, anxiety is a common related condition that many autistic people face. I wonder if the appointment is for medication and/or talk therapy? If it is medication, HeadMeds offer good information about different medication for mental health. Speaking to a counsellor could possibly help your son to come to terms with his condition, to help him understand himself, others, and the world around him a bit better. It is advisable to see a counsellor who has experience of working with autistic individuals, or at least has an understanding about autism, as they can better understand his communication style, needs, and difficulties.

    Youngminds is the UK's leading charity committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people up to the age of 25. You can call their free Parents Helpline on 0808 8025 544 for confidential, expert advice on your son’s anxiety, mental and emotional wellbeing. 

    You could think of contacting the Parent to Parent service of The National Autistic Society on 0808 800 4106. This will enable you to speak to another parent who understands what it’s like to raise an autistic child. They are an emotional support service, so you are free to talk about your emotions, thoughts, and they will be there with a non-judgmental listening ear. They may be able to offer some strategies that have helped their child or family deal with the diagnosis and anxiety. It is not a manned line, so leave a message on the answering machine and someone will get back to you at a time that suits you.

    Talking through the positives of who he is and his condition (there will be positives!) may help to increase his confidence. Perhaps if he can socialise among other autistic young people he may feel like he’s not so different; I wonder if he could make a friend or two, or even learn more about social skills? A good place to start for local support services and social groups would be NAS’s Autism Services Directory. This directory has details of groups, services, courses, and products all across the UK for autistic people, their families, and people who work with them. Using your postcode or browsing by category, you can search for social groups, social skills help, parent support programmes, branches (a great source of information and to meet other families), schools, counsellors, solicitors, advocates, and much more. Just get in touch with the services that you’re looking for to learn more about them, and disregard any you don’t find useful.

    You could think about contacting the Transition Support Team at NAS. This service will enable you to talk through your options in terms of what’s next in your son’s life. Early planning is essential as you don’t want him to get to adult life without any provision or support in place. To help you explore and work through your options, contact this team on 0808 800 0027 or transitionsupport@nas.org.uk

    You may want to request for a needs assessment from the local social services, to find out if your son is eligible for support. A social worker would essentially come to the home to find out what your/his needs are and in which areas of your/his life you need a bit of extra support. To find out more about this, have a read through this Community Care section.

    If you feel that your son would benefit from talking to someone about his anxiety, feelings or any problems, you could consider suggesting Childline to him. Childline is a support service for children and young people up to the age of 19, about anything concerning them. Childline is free to contact on 0800 1111 or through e-mail or a 1-2-1 online chat service. For more information, please see their website, available here: https://www.childline.org.uk/ 

    I hope this helps some. Know that you are not alone in your experience. If you have any questions or anything else to share please feel free.

    Best wishes to you both,

    Mia 

    Mia
    Helpline Information Officer
    Phone: 0808 800 3333
    Email: helpline@scope.org.uk

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