Homeschooling  with Autism

How you might be feeling at this stage:  

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If you are looking at this page, you are probably feeling how I and many other parents have felt once upon a time...

 

• I was confused with reading an overwhelming amount of things that at that time I didn’t completely understand.

• I did multiple “red flag” tests and I drove myself crazy. (Another thing - please spare yourself this and don’t do this either.) 

• I was worried about what was going to happen or what I was going to be told.

• I was trying to be positive but found this hard to deal with.

• I was incredibly afraid and...

 

I wanted to know what in the world was going on with my child! 

 

I have been in this situation that you are in right now and many other parents have as well. I can almost guarantee that regardless of how many years ago our “first-year” was or how different each of our situations is, we all remember it like it was yesterday.

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Screening

 

Most children with autism can be diagnosed by the age of 3 or in some cases as early as 12 months but of course this varies between individuals and also depends on the length of the process of having them go through the evaluation.  If your child actually IS autistic, the earlier the diagnosis and the earlier they have access to the services they need, the better it will be for your child.   

 

There are many, and I mean MANY Autism Checklists available online with the indicators of autistic “traits” or “red flags” that describe the signs of autism, but... 

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PLEASE DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THESE CHECKLISTS TO DIAGNOSE YOUR CHILD!!

 

These checklists or tests are absolutely no substitute for professional medical advice.  Please use your own common sense and be confident about your own expertise about your child.  Know that every situation is different and the information below is some general information about starting points and potential processes that you might wish to consider if you are concerned or suspect that your child might have autism.

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Take The M-CHAT-R/F  - A Free Screening Test That You Can Do at Home

Complete the “Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers - Revised with Follow-Up” (M-CHAT-R/F) 

 

This is a free screening test that was developed by Dr. Diana Robins, Ph.D.  This version features the latest scoring system, M-CHAT-R/F making the results more sensitive in detecting developmental concerns.

 

ONLINE:

 

On the website, www.m-chat.org  You can find the link for the online test but because it is in the United States, you need to enter in your information.  For Canadians, you can access the same test and print it out without entering your information on the Autism Speaks website listing here:  https://www.autismspeaks.org/screen-your-child

 

PRINT VERSION DOWNLOAD:

 

On the website, you can view the options for the print version here:  https://m-chat.org/en-us/page/take-m-chat-test/print-version

 

Download the PDF version directly:  https://m-chat.org/en-us/page/take-m-chat-test/print-version

AND

Download the PDF Follow-Up directly:  https://cms.m-chat.org/LineagenMChat/media/Lineagen-M-Chat-Media/M-CHATInterview.pdf

 

 

Out of the many tests I have looked at (and did), I have found this one to be one of the best tools to use as a starting point to getting the initial sense of whether your child MIGHT be on the autism spectrum.  This test states that it is for children who are between the ages of 16-30 months of age but even if your child is older, I would still suggest taking the time to review it.  If your child is younger than 16 months, it will be a bit more difficult and complicated to determine anything for certain, however, the good thing about it is that it will still give you a lot of things to focus on and to be aware of as your child develops and grows.

 

 

If You Fail The Test:  Please keep in mind that “failing” the test does not mean for sure that your child is autistic, but it will provide a sense of where your child is at in terms of developmental growth.  Print it out.  Contact your family doctor and make an appointment to discuss your concerns. 

 

Passing The Test:  Even if you “pass” the test, well, that is great!  However, you still have concerns!  Print out your test and contact your family doctor - even if you passed!  Your child still may have some delays that need to be addressed which your family doctor can help you with.  

 

FAIL or PASS:  Write down any other concerns or questions that you may have about your child’s development that are NOT on the test and bring that with you to your appointment as well.

 

At Your First Appointment of Voicing your Concerns to Your Doctor....

 

Tell your doctor about your concerns and give them a copy of your M-Chat that you printed out. If it makes things easier, request to go alone (without your child). This way you can focus exactly on what you are talking about and not have to worry about minding your child. If your doctor insists that your child be present, then if required, request to come alone at another time to discuss things in greater detail. The two of you can discuss what is happening and start to work together to try to figure out what is going on by putting a plan into place to get the services that your child needs. Your doctor and other professionals that you become involved with will be able to advise you of what steps to take and offer you help to make connections with services for evaluations or any other services that will help along your journey based on your child's individual needs. They might also help direct you to financial support services so that you can be able to afford specific services if fees are involved.

 

 

Before you leave your appointment, be sure that your doctor helps you set up an initial appointment with a neurologist or speech and language services, etc. or at the very least, gives you a referral.  This is vital to the start of the process.  If you want to investigate further on your own of what types of services you want for your child, you can contact some services directly for more information, however many services will generally not accept you without the referral from your doctor.  By getting a referral, it will help the process go much more smoothly and relieve a lot of stress off of you directly with navigating particular services that your child may or may not need after all.

 

 

Also, it is always a good idea to seek a second opinion while you are going through this process from an additional professional source that has experience with autism.

 

Just know that you will NOT be getting a diagnosis of autism on your first appointment with your family doctor, or even your first few appointments with other services.  A confirmed diagnosis of autism requires significant levels of evaluation before it will officially be declared that your child has autism.  The next part will be the process of getting the diagnosis.