1.
Make an appointment
If you suspect your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it’s best to act quickly and make an appointment with a professional. For example, you could talk to your child’s maternal and child health nurse, your general practitioner or a paediatrician. If the paediatrician does not have any concerns about your child, but you’re still worried, feel free to seek a second opinion.
2. Learn about services
Right away, even while you wait for an appointment, it’s good to start learning about ASD and the different services available. Talk to other parents of a child with ASD by joining forums or parent groups, read up, start researching services in your area – there are lots of ways to begin.
Read more about the services environment.
3. Get a diagnosis
Have your child assessed (and get an assessment report) for your child as early as you can. A thorough assessment is important for an accurate diagnosis. It helps to think of assessment as a benchmark - you can use it to measure your child's progress later when using interventions.
For a thorough assessment and a specific ASD diagnosis, schedule an appointment with a professional trained in diagnosing ASD, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist or paediatrician (you might need a referral from your GP).
Read more about getting a diagnosis or use our Autism Services Pathfnder to help with your journey into the services system.
VIDEOID=7372
4. Start early intervention
The sooner a child receives early intervention services, the more effective these services are likely to be. Experts recommend early intervention for all children with autism – the earlier the better.
Read more about types of intervention or see our Parent Guide to Therapies.
VIDEOID=7382
5. Read, talk, ask questions
The more you find out about the services environment and your options the better. Read about choosing interventions and how they are tested.
