I need help!
My daughter is 6 years old, and I’m feeling pretty lost about what my next step should be.
I first noticed signs of autism when she was around 15 months old, and I started getting her help very early. She started speech therapy and occupational therapy (OT) around that age and has continued receiving therapy over the years.
At around 3 years old, she started special education preschool. Through the school system, she was identified as having autism, but I never pursued an official medical autism diagnosis.
At the time, I wasn’t considering medication while she was so young. I wanted to give therapy and special education time and see how much progress she could make first. I also had two other young children at home, and I knew the medical evaluation process could take a long time, so I kept putting it off.
She has made really good progress with speech. She can label almost everything around her, knows how to write and spell words, answers to her name, and usually communicates using 2–3 word sentences, especially when requesting something. She is still behind with communication and conversation, though.
Our biggest struggles right now are attention, emotional regulation, aggression, and self-injurious behaviors. She can become extremely focused or fixated on certain things and have a very difficult time transitioning away from them. When she gets overwhelmed or very upset, she may hit herself. She can also hit other children, especially if they touch something she considers hers. Her attention span can also make learning and everyday activities difficult.
She also has difficulty sleeping independently and sometimes struggles to stay asleep throughout the night.
I’m now looking into getting her medically evaluated for autism and possibly ADHD because I want to understand whether medication could potentially help her.
For parents whose autistic children had similar issues—aggression, self-injury, very short attention span, impulsivity, or possible ADHD—did medication make a noticeable difference? What symptoms did it help with the most?
I understand medication doesn’t treat autism itself, and I’m not looking for something to change who she is. I’m mainly wondering whether treating specific symptoms like ADHD, impulsivity, severe irritability, or aggression could make things easier for her and help her benefit more from therapy and school.
I’ll obviously discuss this with a qualified medical provider before giving her anything. I’d just really appreciate hearing other parents’ experiences and what type of specialist helped you decide whether medication was appropriate.