Many parents find themselves unsure when they begin to see their child struggle in certain areas if they should just “wait it out”?  Maybe you are thinking that he or she will grow out of it, get past these quirky or odd things and catch up. Is that you? I have worked with many moms who were sitting in that place of “hopeful”.

What I want you to consider is why are you hesitant or even resistant to having him or her evaluated?  I know that for many parents contemplating the decision to get their son or daughter evaluated it comes down to fear of the unknown but here is what I do know, we know that early intervention is key, and without a proper evaluation to consider their deficits and make a plan they may not be getting all that they need to bridge the gap.

If the worst thing that happens in your mind is that they get diagnosed, what are you making that mean? Ask yourself that question and answer it honestly. The truth is that if he or she is autistic, the earlier you can begin helping them learn in a way that works for them, the better chance they have to build their skill-set early on to help them navigate their world.

Having your child diagnosed with autism can be an extremely difficult time for the family but this is the first and most important step.  When children go undiagnosed, so many areas of their life can be difficult to understand.

If you decide to pursue the diagnosis, there are some things that you can do ahead of time to be prepared for the appointment and one of those is completing a developmental milestone chart in advance.

Below are links to a few of the most common or most used charts.  

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/Checklists-with-Tips_Reader_508.pdf

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/community_physicians/patient_information/_docs/form_mchatr.pdf

Here is what I want to leave you with today, first and most important, you need to know that getting an evaluation or assessment does not necessarily always lead to a diagnosis. The outcome is not certain.

www.notyouraverageautismmom.com