This is me everyday, you’re not alone! It’s really hard to stay positive. Feel so guilty for wishing he wasn’t autistic when I love him to death. This morning outside school he loves saying hello to everyone but a little girl wanted a hug and he was shouting no no no, pushing her away then had a meltdown. I was so embarrassed, all the mums looking at me. Cried all the way home.
New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
I totally relate. My boy is starting this September and we’ve just received the draft EHCP. We applied for it in September so it’s been a relatively straight forward journey compared to some (up to now). Lots of LA’s can take up to a year so I would probably start looking into applying soon at least you have a head start if there’s a delay.
I think whether our children have additional needs or not, we will always worry about them. It’s what a good parent does. Things will get easier but I think we all have feelings like that with our ND children. Good days and bad. I still have moments of feeling sad and I can’t even bring myself to think about the future but things change and it won’t always be the way that it is now. You will learn so much from your little one so that you can be their biggest support and advocate. I don’t think the feelings you’ve described ever go away but I do know they become less important as you navigate this life with them. I remember it felt like a grieving process for the children I had in mind before they were born but now I focus on the children I have and try to celebrate them for who they are
it’s ok to feel that way, we all get it xx
My son is down for attending mainstream starting September, I don’t want this to happen but it’s what’s been named by the LA as apparently all SEN provisions in Liverpool are full. I’m debating on taking him out for a year or so until we can get a SEN placement because he just can’t handle mainstream
Are you wanting to go more down a SEN route?Is he currently at nursery? If so how does he get on there? Does he cope ok there?My son is down for attending mainstream starting September, I don’t want this to happen but it’s what’s been named by the LA as apparently all SEN provisions in Liverpool are full. I’m debating on taking him out for a year or so until we can get a SEN placement because he just can’t handle mainstream
I’m in Essex and there are lots of SEN provisions but I know they are apparently saturated with children already! My daughter isn’t due to start until September 25, she goes to nursery 3 days a week and it’s part of a school so there are around 30 children with her and she seems to really enjoy it and copes around that many children. I think the main thing for her is that she doesn’t always want to sit still, so I do think SEN provision might be more suitable but I just don’t know at this stage, and the SENco at nursery said we will have to see how she develops this year before fully deciding!
Is your son verbal? Does he have any other diagnosis's alongside ASD?
One of our biggest SEN provisions in this city is overpopulated by about 8/9 kids and they’re struggling so much, there’s just so little places for these kids
It’s good that she’s over a year off so you can see whether there is a real progress and they can look at how she is within a classroom there! Maybe they’d look at a 1:1 for her if she does mainstream to keep her regulated and sat still maybe? I think mainstreams are a lot better now in that they go with the flow a lot more. My sons non verbal and he has autism, GDD and a genetic disorder, he has limited understanding but he’s got a lot better with communication and he’s so clever, he can sit and write words, his name etc he’s doing year 1 activity’s in nursery at the minute but he just can’t handle it a lot of the time and will take himself into a different space away from the other kids so he doesn’t have many friendships even though all the children love him!My son is attending mainstream in September. Even though he’s pre verbal I want to give mainstream a chance first. We have applied to a school with a resourced provision attached and it’s literally around the corner from me so makes sense to try there first.
He goes nursery two full days a week and gets on fine there, no issues seem to be raised about his behaviour etc
That’s handy that it’s round the corner, yes I agree you might as well try it you’ve got no reason not to especially if he’s getting on well at nursery! Same as my daughter she does 3 full days, she loves going in and some days there are 30 of them in the same room. Just at the moment they just say she doesn’t like sharing toys which I’ve noticed she’s got who possessive at home with them but hopefully that is a short phase, plus sometimes she struggles with transition from leaving something she’s enjoying to do something else but they are doing a now and next board with her which I’m also trying to do at home too.
I see you mentioned he is pre verbal. Can I please ask how his speech actually is currently? I think my daughter is also classed as this, she says lots of single words but they mostly labelling and aren’t always consistent. She actually communicates by PECS mostly.
We’re hoping to get my son into an ASD base this September, just waiting to see if he has a place or not.
He currently goes to a mainstream nursery and loves it and does cope well, but they say he misses out on a lot of learning as they have to let him do his own thing to keep him regulated, which obviously won’t be possible in a mainstream school setting. He is very bright so we’re hoping he will thrive in a specialist environment.
I was tempted to try mainstream first but our local SEN team said it’s so difficult to move from mainstream to a base/specialist provision at a later stage because there are so few spaces available past the reception intake.
He currently goes to a mainstream nursery and loves it and does cope well, but they say he misses out on a lot of learning as they have to let him do his own thing to keep him regulated, which obviously won’t be possible in a mainstream school setting. He is very bright so we’re hoping he will thrive in a specialist environment.
I was tempted to try mainstream first but our local SEN team said it’s so difficult to move from mainstream to a base/specialist provision at a later stage because there are so few spaces available past the reception intake.
Same here - due to start school in September 25 (originally September 24 but as she's summer born I've delayed start)
EHCP is in progress and once it's finalised I'm hoping for a sen school or a sen unit attached to mainstream. No way would my girl cope in mainstream (non verbal, still not potty trained etc).
EHCP is in progress and once it's finalised I'm hoping for a sen school or a sen unit attached to mainstream. No way would my girl cope in mainstream (non verbal, still not potty trained etc).
Ah yes, that makes sense and my son hates sharing too, but hopefully he’ll come round soon enough.
He also labels everything but can’t ask for a drink. He will name colours, shapes, animals, he can count to 23 bless him. In EHCP report they have stated they think he’ll be able to use sentences by end of year 2. It’s as if he just needs his brain to switch and realise he can talk. It’s just a mindfield we got the EHCP draft and sending off the changes we want, just need to get it right for him x
Does anyone have any experience with gestalt language processing? My son is 27 months and waiting ASD assessment and his speech therapist is convinced he’s a gestalt processor. I’m doing as much reading I can around the subject but am finding it all a bit confusing so just wondering if anyone has any advice/good books/websites etc.
Meaningfulspeech, katespeechie and empoweringspeechservices on Instagram. My son is 3.5 and also a GLP, mindfield isn’t it! Xx
My girl is a GLP learner! It is definitely very confusing in the beginning but it will start making sense. There are 4 stages to it. My daughter is at the early stage 1 where it sounds like she's having a conversation in gibberish. She's scripting something however we haven't figured out what.
The best advice I've received from our private SLP (for stage 1) is to use declarative gestalts in the hope that my daughter adds it to her "list".
For example lots of:
"Let's have a snack"
"That was really fun"
"It's yummy"
"Let's go"
"Let's open/close it"
My favourite insta for GLP SLT is bohospeechie
We had a meeting with bladder and bowel today about nappies for my son and they said about 3 months worth of toilet training first and gave me a lot of tips, I sat him on the toilet today for the first time in a few weeks and he done a wee 🥲 he was so proud of himself because we were praising him so much so I think he’s definitely going to stick to this if I’m consistent with it
Love this. I’m sure my son is stage one too but I need to look into this more. We start private SLT this month with a GLP Therapist xx
I am a GLP myself!
Only found out as my son is too, but explains why I always sucked at languages in school 
whole sentences sound like static or white noise, like someone is speaking without pauses between words. If we had a set pattern of question and answer like with school textbooks then it’s fine I can repeat that, but ask me an original question in Spanish and you will see someone looking very panicked in return It takes quite a long time to work out how to distinguish the words in the static, you can help by sticking to one word phrases to identify things, “biscuit?” or give the phrase to use from the child’s perspective “I’m hungry!” Consistency in turn of phrase and routine REALLY helps, the more we anticipate the same wording the easier it is to start working it out. We actually gave our keyworker at nursery a written list of some phrases we had been using that our son understood, so there was consistency over basic care needs, and he could start to voice them himself.
Ask the speech therapist if they offer the Hanan More Than Words course, and seek out the textbook, there’s usually a couple floating around on eBay or vinted. It is absolutely brilliant for GLP and autism in general.
Did anyone hear back about SEN schools for their children? My son got into the best one in Liverpool I’m so so happy, I thought he had no chance because none had got back to us but only him and 2 other children got a place for reception as the waiting lists are so full. Feel like this is going to help him so much 
🫶
🫶