Adele Devine - A Parents Guide to Autism Diagnosis: What to Expect and How to Support Your Child

by the same author

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Illustrated by Quentin Devine

ISBN 978 1 78592 319 7

eISBN 978 1 78450 631 5

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Literacy for Visual Learners

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eISBN 978 0 85700 812 1

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The Ice-Cream Sundae Guide to Autism

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A Parents Guide to
AUTISM DIAGNOSIS

What to Expect and How
to Support Your Child

Dr Sophia Mooncey
and
Adele Devine

Illustrated by Quentin Devine

First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

An Hachette Company

Copyright Adele Devine and Sophia Mooncey 2022

All images are reproduced with kind permission from Quentin Devine.

All quotes and case studies have been reproduced with kind permission as indicated.

Front cover image source: Quentin Devine.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

There are supplementary materials which can be downloaded from https://library.jkp.co m/redeem for personal use with this programme, but may not be reproduced for any other purposes without the permission of the publisher.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is not intended to replace the services of trained medical professionals or to be a substitute for medical advice. You are advised to consult a doctor on any matters relating to your health, and in particular on any matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress

ISBN 978 1 78775 424 9

eISBN 978 1 78775 425 6

Jessica Kingsley Publishers policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

www.jkp.com

For the children who have inspired and taught us.

This book is dedicated to the wonderful children we have met, the Louisas, Harrys and Yusufs who have been on this journey, supported by the constant love and care of their parents and families. These young people have made and continue to make good progress and are a source of inspiration to our practice. They teach us and give us the understanding that a diagnosis of autism is filled with difference and hope. With the appropriate support and positive attitude these children will continue to blossom and thrive to become valuable members of our society. Our work continues to lead them onto bigger and better things.

This book is dedicated to the many children we know who have been on their diagnosis journey supported by the constant love and care of their parents and families. They continue to teach us and will be a source of hope and inspiration for other families. We recall their personal triumphs and wow moments with much pride. Working with parents and their children at such a crucial time has been an absolute privilege. We hope this book will honour each of them by providing a source of honesty and hope, making the journey a little less overwhelming and frightening for other children and parents.

We are grateful to those families who have allowed us to share case studies and personal reflections.

We thank our colleagues and professionals who have volunteered their precious time and expertise by reading and writing parts of this book:

Dr Helen Davies BSc (Hons), PsychD, CPsychol, AFBPsS, paediatric clinical psychologist. Helen gives advice on behavioural issues that may arise and strategies that families can use.

Rachael Gartland BSc (Hons), PG Cert, MRCOT, specialist paediatric occupational therapist. Rachael explains the sensory difficulties that autistic individuals experience and how to manage them.

Neha Makwana BSc (Hons), MMedsci, MRCSLT, MHCPC, MASLTIP, highly specialist speech and language therapist. Neha addresses speech and language and communication aspects of autism.

Clare Walker BA (Hons), QTS, DipED, Deputy Head Teacher, Portesbery School. Clare has a wealth of experience providing practical support and advice to families.

And so many others.

We thank Quentin Devine (Adeles husband) for his patience in listening to our combined ideas and creating the illustrations in a style that we are both so happy with.

Special mention to Vikki Hardy (PA to Sophie) for all of her incredible work from start to finish.

Particular thanks to Dr Mumtaz Mooncey (Sophies daughter) for her valuable editing.

We thank our teams at Portesbery School, Spire Healthcare and Luton NHS for their dedication, constant smiles and positivity despite working through the most difficult situations during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our own wonderful families and the friends who have constantly supported us. To our husbands and our inspirational children who have enriched our lives.

Loving gratitude for our wonderful parents for their unconditional love, their support and ambition for us to reach our potential. They all believed in us and the book wholeheartedly when we started our writing journey. Sadly, during the writing of this book we have both lost our individual, non-conformist and brilliant dads and Sophie has also lost her dear loving mum. Such difficult and devastating times, further complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is sometimes during the darkest times that we discover our own inner strength and resilience.

We thank Jessica Kingsley Publishers for their understanding, patience, support, creativity, dedication and their incredible attention to detail.

Finally, we thank you for reading this book and for supporting an autistic child or children to succeed and celebrating their potential.

We have both learnt a lot from each other and complemented our skills to make your journey one of hope and optimism.

Note : In this section, Sophia Mooncey is referred to as Sophie, the name used by her family and friends.