Dr Gillian Baird, a consultant paediatrician specialising in children’s developmental problems, tells us what she would want to know about the condition.

My child has just been diagnosed with autism. How severe might it be?

When a child specialist diagnoses a child with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), usually at two or three years old, it's often difficult to know how severe the condition is. There is almost always change over time and symptoms such as poor speech or difficulty making friends, which seem important when they are very young, may have much less significance when a child reaches eight or nine.

Are there any tests that would help us know what to expect in the future?

Before the age of four or five you really can’t tell how things will progress. Only when they get to about seven do you have a good idea. Some doctors like to watch the child’s behaviour and interact with them using special testing guidelines. Combining the outcome of this with interviews with parents can help work out the severity of the ASD.

What can I do to help the medical team monitor my child’s progress?

Parents are very good at assessing how far behind their child's development of speech and coordination is. Concerns often arise from making comparisons with what an older brother or sister was doing or saying at a similar age, or what friends at a playgroup are doing. Parents can help the medical team a lot by sharing what they see and think, especially how quickly a young child learns.

Are there any particular problems that I should be on the look out for?

It is not uncommon for ASD to be accompanied by other problems. The most common difficulty is socialising with other children. Lots of children, but not all of them, will take longer to settle into regular patterns of sleeping, eating and going to the toilet. Don’t be afraid to talk to the family doctor about these kinds of things. Many children with ASD will also have learning difficulties. The more everybody understands what progress a particular child is making, the more they can help hospital staff, the child's GP surgery and schools plan specific care and support for your child.

What kind of immediate support can I expect?