Where can I find information about how to support my child?

We understand that you won’t know whether your child is autistic until they have had their assessment, however, if you are facing difficulties in your daily lives, such as with communication, play, daily routines, eating, sleep, toileting or behaviour, then the strategies suggested for autistic children are very likely to be helpful, whether or not your child receives a diagnosis of autism. You don’t need a diagnosis to access support or to begin to use strategies that will benefit your child. Many autistic children really need and depend on the kinds of strategies we recommended, but they will also often be very beneficial for non-autistic children facing similar challenges and are certainly unlikely to do any harm. Support given at this stage will not affect the outcome of the assessment. By trying out these strategies while waiting for your assessment you will not only be helping your child but also, by observing how your child responds, you may also gather useful information that could help inform the assessment.

 

There is a lot of information on the Internet both about autism, and how to support children’s development. This can sometimes feel overwhelming, and we are aware that, depending on the source, the information can sometimes be inaccurate or misleading and not based on good research. So, we have identified some key sites to visit that we hope you will find useful.