Double E:While I think is good to have dedicated one to one intervention by a caregiver, I feel in this case for tiredmummy's brother, they may need to hear professional advice at this point to give them a headstart. As one who has been on this journey, I can say that not everyone has the strength and clear sound of mind to do this with the child at home by reading self-help advice. For my case, I greatly appreciate the advice from the experts and I look to them as my support network so that if I am not sure how to proceed at home, I have someone ready to ask for help.slmkhoo:[quote=\"tiredmummy1972\"]Hi all. My 2.5yr old nephew displays many signs of autism. Where can we bring for an assessment? My Bro brought him to PD and asked and was told to wait and see. To observe. But I read up, it's advisable to go for early intervention Asap. Pls help.....
It's too early for a definitive diagnosis. It's a long process, quite stressful for everyone, and they will at best get a provisional diagnosis. However, it doesn't mean that he should not be given the help he needs if his parents are willing to identify his weaknesses and deal with them at home. Ask them to start reading up about it and look for self-help advice. There's a lot around. Early intervention is best done frequently and consistently over a prolonged period, so it's best done in the home. Sending the child to sessions with a therapist doesn't work as well as dedicated one-on-one intervention done at home by a caregiver, in my opinion. You need to catch the behaviours when they happen, and look for the teachable moments.
tiredmummy, depending on how yr brother wants to approach this. If the signs of autism are very clear, then I think he should insist for the PD to recommend a child psychologist to have a look at his boy. There may not be a firm diagnosis now as your nephew is still young but at least the psychologist can refer him to therapists who can help to assess the weaknesses of your nephew and start working on those with him. If not, you can simply google, there are many such services around which your brother can just call and make appointment with the therapist.
Here is one you can check out. My boy was first assessed here. My son saw the psychologist when he was 2 years old.
http://www.thomsoncdc.com/our-services/ ... -disorder/
If cost is a concern, can go to the polyclinic and get them to refer to KKH or NUH.
Before you get an appointment, you can in the meantime, like what slmkhoo said, read up online and start working with the child first.[/quote]
Thanks all for the advise. I have 4 kids myself so when we see my nephew, it's really obvious he is different. Will check out the links. Thanks!
@ $1400. is the price ok?