How to prepare for the first consultation

The best consultation is not the one where you formulated everything beautifully. It is the one you came to with real observations. A behavioral specialist cannot plan an intervention well from the phrase "he behaves badly." They need context. What happens, where, when, with whom, before what, after what, what helps, what makes it worse, what the child already knows.

Preparation does not mean you have to know everything. It means you save time, yours, the child's, and the specialist's.

What to bring with you (documents)

* doctors' conclusions (pediatrician, neurologist, psychiatrist, geneticist as indicated)
* diagnostic conclusion regarding ASD, if there is one
* IRC conclusion, if you went through it
* speech, psychological, neuropsychological assessments
* hearing and vision test results
* a list of therapies the child has already gone through, and your assessment of whether it helped
* a list of medications and supplements with doses
* educational documents: IEP, characterization from kindergarten or school

If something of this is missing, it is not a catastrophe. Come with what you have. The specialist will say what else needs to be collected.

Information about the child (briefly, in notes)

* age, language of communication at home
* level of speech (does not speak, individual words, phrases, sentences; what they understand)
* how they ask for what they want (pulls by the hand, screams, shows, cards, words)
* how they refuse ("no," runs away, pushes, cries)
* what the child likes (games, topics, activities, food)
* what upsets them (loud sounds, changes of plans, clothing, lines, darkness)
* sensory features (sensitivity to noise, light, touch, smells)
* how they sleep (falling asleep, waking, duration)
* how they react to new places and people
* which situations are hardest at home, in kindergarten, on the street

Short videos (30-120 seconds)

If it is safe and you are morally ready:

* an example of difficult behavior in a natural context
* an example of play and interaction with you
* an example of communication, how they ask, how they show "enough"
* a transition between activities (for example, from a tablet to washing hands)
* a moment of eating, hygiene, dressing

There is no need to provoke a crisis for the sake of a recording. The child's safety is more important than material for the consultation.

An observation diary for 5-7 days

This is the most valuable thing you can bring. A simple format, ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence).

An example of one entry:

* When. 5:30 PM, evening
* What was before. Said "time to eat"
* What the child did. Threw a toy, screamed
* What happened after. Gave 5 more minutes of the tablet

5-10 episodes per week are enough. It does not have to be perfect, honest is enough.

Think for yourselves before the meeting

Write down in short phrases:

* what worries us most in behavior or development
* which 3 situations are the hardest every day
* which 3 skills would really improve our family's life in the next 1-3 months
* what the child already does well (strengths)
* how the child shows "yes," "no," "enough," "it hurts," "help"
* when the child is calm and comfortable
* which situations overload them
* what we definitely do not want in therapy (for example, shouting at the child, banning safe stimming)