Autism

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What is autism?

SLT ASC Autism, also called Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), is a lifelong condition that affects how a person relates to other people and communicates with them. If your child is autistic they will experience the world differently. These differences can bring challenges as well as unique strengths.

Things you may notice

Your child may struggle with social communication. They may display differences in how they understand and use verbal, and non-verbal communications like eye contact, tone of voice, gestures and expression. They could have little or no speech or good speech but struggle to follow or join in a conversation.

Routine or repetitive thinking and behaviours

Your child may have a strong desire for rules, routine and for things staying the same. They might have very intense interests, a special interest which they know lots about or like to collect things. They often like structure and find change difficult and may like and organising things like their toys.

Autistic children are often over or under sensitive to senses like touch, taste, sound, temperature or pain. Sometimes they can be both under and over sensitive to senses.

They may find some clothes unbearable, may only eat particular foods, find public spaces or parties too loud or overwhelming and may not tell you when they are hurt or feel unwell. Every child is different.

What causes autism?

We don’t know what causes autism but we do know it’s not caused by vaccines, bad parenting or infections. Autism is present from birth but is not usually diagnosed until children are older, and sometimes only when they are adults.

If your child is autistic they do not have an illness or a disease, they just have a brain that works differently from other people’s.

How can I help my child?

Autism is a spectrum, which means it is different for everyone. It can also change depending on the circumstance or environment. Your child may need little or no support, or may need extra help from a parent, teacher or carer every day.

There is no treatment or ‘cure’ for autism, but by breaking down the different things your child finds difficult you can find strategies to help them. Because there is no treatment, if your child is referred to us for assessment and they are diagnosed with autism, they will be discharged from our service.

Strategies and advice

If your child is diagnosed, understanding autism and helping to change the way we interact with someone who is autistic will support them to reach their potential.

The National Autistic Society has a short video about autism and lots of useful help, information and advice for parents/carers and schools.

It also has a video about autism which is aimed at children.

Referrals

If you have concerns, please see our Community Paediatrics page for information on how to refer your child.

Useful websites

The National Autistic Society

Kent Autistic Trust: For information about the diagnosis of autism and the local area. It provides support services for families that are tailored to individual needs.

Because sensory processing can be part of several different types of neurodivergent conditions, we have a separate information page which contains useful videos, tips and advice.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the wait for an initial assessment and when will my child be seen?

Unfortunately, our waiting times for initial assessment with our service are significantly delayed. You will be contacted by telephone or letter when your child has been booked an appointment.

Please see the Community Paediatrics webpage for up-to-date waiting times, help and advice.

If at any point during your wait time you feel your child no longer requires an assessment or you obtain a private assessment please let us know as soon as possible.

English is not my first language

I have been informed that questionnaires will be needed for my next appointment, when will I receive these?

The majority of our questionnaires are available to access on our website under “Questionnaire links for children open to the service”. These are available to use for both schools and parent/guardians.

If we have asked you to complete questionnaires, you can download them from our website and send them back to our questionnaire email address: kentchft.qscommpaed@nhs.net.

If a clinician requires further questionnaires before your child's appointment, these will be sent to you/your child's school directly.

Some questionnaires are essential for screening, and we may need to request this information again closer to your child's appointment date.

If your child has changed school or you have changed email address, please let us know as soon as possible to avoid delays to your child's appointment.

Is it possible to have appointments outside of school hours such as after 4pm?

I need to cancel my appointment, how much notice do I have to give?

We ask that you give us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel an appointment, though we know that this will not always be possible.

Please be aware that after cancelling an appointment, there may be a significant wait for another because we have so many children waiting to be seen.

If two appointments are cancelled in a row this may result in your child being discharged from the service.

My child has just had their appointment and I wondered how long I will have to wait for the medical report?

My child has been newly diagnosed with ADHD, what happens next?

My child has been medicated, how do I get a repeat prescription?

Your child's medical report will be sent to your doctor (GP) who will continue to prescribe medication under a shared care agreement.

Your child will be reviewed by the community paediatrician every three, six or nine months.

If you are concerned about the medication your child is taking you will be asked to see a paediatrician for a possible medication change, but it will be your doctor who will continue to prescribe. They will not be able to change medication or dose until you have been reviewed buy our team.

How do I get to speak to a paediatrician, I am worried about my child?

If you child has not been referred to the Community Paediatric Service then you will need to speak to your doctor or preferably your child’s school to be referred.

If you are worried/concerned about a prescription, medication or your child’s medical report, please call 0300 123 4087 to speak to the Medical Admin Team or email kentchft.cpmedicaladmin@nhs.net.

Please note we are not an emergency service. Please allow 72 hours for us to respond to calls and emails.

If you or your family need urgent medical attention then please call 999 or visit A&E immediately.

My child is having violent outbursts and threatening self-harm, can I have an earlier appointment?

This is not a reason to see a paediatrician; it is a reason to go to A&E to be seen by CAMHS.

If you need immediate help you can you can contact NELFT (CYPMHS Children and Young Peoples Mental Health Service) on 0300 123 4496, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

(Please note that from 6pm on weekdays and 12pm on Saturdays, all calls will be automatically diverted to the NELFT Mental Health Direct support lines which is a team of dedicated professionals waiting to take your call.)

If you are a patient or have been referred you can contact us to request an early appointment in writing. Please include your reasons for requesting an earlier appointment which will be passed to a clinician to review.

If my child is not diagnosed with a specific diagnosis, what are the next steps and how do I get support?

If you child is not given a specific diagnosis, the clinician will explore other issues to see if there is an underlying problem.

You may find find the advice on challenging behaviour from our Community Paediatric team helpful.

You can also contact Kent County Council www.kent.gov.uk/earlyhelp for Early Help and Preventative Services. If there is no support or treatment available from our service you will be discharged.

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