autisim

hi my son is 6 years old just started school only just came out off nappie has had problems with his speech and still does so, he has learning difficulties he has to have everything in perfect order if any messes his stuff he goes mad hits and screams he hits his sister for no reason hits the dog for no reason plays in solitry play will only wear certain chlothes wont leave the house without a hat and it has to be a certain hat or he wont go out he attends a special school who say he likes to hide in small places such as under the table wont change his seat doesnt like change he is the way at home aswell he has most signs og autisim but the test said he does not have this is there a chance it could be wrong should i ask for test to be done his school says he does things an autisitic child would do there is alot more things he will do to such wont walk sometimes flaps his hands about and makes strange noises hits his head of the floor hurts himself wont bother that there are other people in the room etc

[Jason C Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

Autism-spectrum disorders are characterized by impairments in social interaction and the presence of repetitive behavior patterns. It sounds like your son might be showing some of these and that you aren’t entirely comfortable with the way he’s been assessed to this point. If that’s true, there’s no reason at all not to have him assessed by someone else. This person should be a specialist who has experience diagnosing autism-spectrum disorders. The flip side of the coin is the fact that all of the problems that you describe (e.g., perseveration on wearing certain items of clothing, tantrums, self injury, etc…) are treatable. Make sure your son is receiving proper services to address these issues! With the right teaching environment, these kids can make really tremendous gains but it often falls on the parent to make sure that the child is receiving the services that he needs.