Is your child showing signs of autism? Here’s what to do

The average age of diagnosis in New Zealand for Autism, a developmental disability that can – among many other conditions – limit social and communication skills, is six.

In the United States and Britain, the average age of diagnosis is about three years. In Australia, they are between four and six years old. When diseases are treated, the consequences are positive for children, families and communities.

It’s fair to say that New Zealand is lagging behind when it comes to progress on autism.

“[Parents are] to worry. You want to know. Families really want to take action, to do things that they know their child can benefit from,” said Tami Harris, CEO of the Acorn Charitable Trust, an Auckland-based service that provides services such as testing, speech and language and psychology for a variety of children and young people. Neurodiverse is a term often used to describe those who display characteristics of autism.

“It’s a barrier,” he said, of the long-term problem New Zealand parents say they face on the road to diagnosis and treatment. It is estimated that there are over 80,000 autistic people in New Zealand.

Often a parent turns to the internet, which can be overwhelming with “insensitive” language, wrote Dr Ruth Monk of the University of Auckland, in an email.

Monk, who is autistic, wrote: “I would tell parents to look at the color of the autism spectrum wheel, because it shows how people living on the autistic spectrum are and focuses on what we can’t do to find our strengths.” in which areas we would need more help. “

Here are the signs of autism to look for in your child and how to get help:

Common characteristics of autism

Children can start showing signs of autism even before they turn one, according to Dane Dougan, director of Autism New Zealand. Behaviors can be very different and include repetition, slow speech and processing of things rather than people, he said.

Depressed children often have less facial expression, less babbling back and forth, and less frequent hand gestures, Harris said. They can’t do things like pick up a toy to show a parent or pretend play like cooking in a toy kitchen or pretending to wipe when they see an adult doing it.

what to do

Note: The first thing any parent can do is write down what they see in their child. Harris says: “If there is a difference of opinion, write in the newspaper about the things that make you happy about your child.”

Call Autism New Zealand: If parents are concerned, Dougan advises them to call 1800 Autism (288 476) or other organizations with similar phone lines to help them move forward.

“Just pick up the phone and call because if it’s not autism, then it’s okay,” Dougan said. Just call and chat.

Go to the GP

A visit to the GP will help them to refer the child for an autism diagnosis. However, parents should strongly encourage their children. “The more straightforward and informed you are when you go to see a GP, the better,” said Harris.

Say, ‘Yes, my child is not pointing. They are not bawling. They are not imitating their brother or sister. Can we look at monitoring or next steps in our community?’” he added.

In a 2021 report, a quarter of parents in New Zealand with autistic children said diagnosis was delayed because they were told there was no problem or the answer was “wait and see”.

Dougan hopes it’s a problem of the past, when research by Autism New Zealand found a few years ago that many pediatricians and doctors were unaware of the symptoms of autism. “Since then, we’ve held a number of workshops to encourage people to understand how to do it,” Dougan said.

Tested

This is where the process slows down the most. When a doctor refers a child to local health agencies for evaluation, the wait can be a year or 18 months in some parts of the country, according to Dougan.

Autism New Zealand has changed this in Wellington since opening a clinic that does not require GP referrals. “We want to do this in other parts of the country,” Dougan said, noting that funding is limited.

Going private and paying for an autism screening can be expensive with costs between $1,500 and $4,000 depending on the service and location. And even the secret paths have remnants for children and adults to discover.

“At Acorn right now, we can move families in in three months, which is a short time in New Zealand,” Harris said.

While you wait, get social support

Autism New Zealand supports parents and those with autism by connecting them to the organization’s online community.

There are several other online and in-person groups around the world run by organizations such as Parent to Parent, Enrich+ and the Pasifika Autism Support Group.

Education is also available for parents, including the Incredible Years Autism programs, and Autism New Zealand’s Early Bird Program.

Getting help for your child

If the assessment confirms that your child meets the criteria to be diagnosed with autism, support may seem limited compared to other similar countries, said Harris, whose neurodiverse child achieved 30 minutes of speech and language every three weeks in New Zealand.

In the US, he had 20 hours a week at a government-aided public school to help him improve his language skills.

“We were very surprised,” he said, of the differences between the two countries.

Every autistic person is unique, so treatment must be different. Support can be for speech and language, to work support, to behavioral support. There may also be school support, such as funding for extra staff to support an autistic child at school.